July 8, 2010
By Richard Stevens – Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
What do you do when you have a coach who wins at about a 75 percent clip, gobbles up numerous Coach of The Year Awards, advances to NCAA play which includes the NCAA title game, wins conference titles, produces multi All-Americans on the field and in the classroom, and has an overall high-level academic success?
If you are the University of New Mexico, you keep that guy as long as you possibly can. That’s exactly what the Lobos have done with a contract extension that makes Jeremy Fishbein a Lobo until June of 2017.
“I might be in a wheelchair by then,” said Fishbein.
Probably not, but if he is, Fish will be pumping that carriage down the sidelines like it was a go-cart, and showing one of the qualities that seems to separate him and his Lobos from the pack – pure intensity.
“Coach’s commitment to excel isn’t just something he talks about,” said Simon Ejdemyr, the 2009 Academic All-American of The Year in men’s soccer, and the winner of an NCAA postgraduate scholarship while in Fishbein’s program. “It’s something we do with a passion and he creates that environment with his passion. He has passion in everything he does.”
Fishbein often is defined by an intense and stern look and that visage does reflect a part of his competitive core. But Fishbein is not a coach consumed so much by the drive to win that he fails to see the bigger picture of the athletic experience envisioned by Lobo leaders.
This is a university where honest effort is expected on the field of competition and in the classroom, but there isn’t a whip hovering over any of these Lobo student-athletes.
“Jeremy has a solid sense of balance,” said Kurt Esser, a UNM Associate Athletics Director, who also oversees men’s soccer. “Some coaches talk it, but he does it and he means it. It’s obvious he respects the total university experience.
“I always hear him telling his players to hit the books, but I also hear him telling them to relax and enjoy the university life beyond soccer.”
Fishbein definitely is about winning. That success is reflected in his five Mountain Pacific Sports Federation titles that helped him earn five Coach of The Year awards including Soccer America’s National Coach of The Year honor in 2004. In 2005, Fishbein’s Lobos marched all the way to the 2005 NCAA championship game.
But Fishbein also remembers being a college athlete. He knows what the experience should include – and what it should exclude.
“I didn’t have a great experience as a collegiate player,” he said. “A lot of what I’ve tried to develop here as a coach is what I wish I would have had as a collegiate player.
“As a coach, you want to win. I guess you have to win, if you want to hang around. But my proudest moment as a coach is to see what type of person these players grow into.”
Fishbein’s Lobos seem to grow arrow-straight. They go on to produce as citizens. They also go on to play at the next level.
“Our purpose at UNM is to achieve in the classroom, achieve on the field and contribute to the community,” said Esser. “But it’s nice when you have players who have done those things and also progress to the next level. It sends out a strong message about the type of soccer that is played at New Mexico.”
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“As a coach, you want to win. I guess you have to win, if you want to hang around. But my proudest moment as a coach is to see what type of person these players grow into. ” Coach Jeremy Fishbein |
The soccer is excellent. Fishbein plans to make it even better. That’s simply his nature, his passion.
“We have set the bar high here,” he said. “We have goals outside of winning and losing in terms of the development of our program and our student-athletes.
“But we also have set the bar high for what we plan to do on the field. Our challenge is to have the talent and the maturity to consistently perform at a high level. “
UNM’s potential was seen in seasons of 17-1-2 in 2004 and 18-2-3 in 2005. But in soccer, it is tough – almost impossible – to maintain that level of winning.
If you have watched any World Cup games, you know the best team doesn’t always win and luck – or bad luck – can be a harsh factor on the scoreboard. That’s why Fishbein’s numbers are so impressive. Mostly, his Lobo take luck out of the equation and replace it with honest effort, passion, team play and strong skills.
Fishbein took over the UNM program in 2002. He came to New Mexico after seven seasons at Fort Lewis (1992 to 1998) and two seasons at Incarnate Word (1999-2000). He was UNM’s Associate Head Coach in 2001. His Lobos have pushed into NCAA play in six of his eight seasons at UNM.
He said the contract extension to 2017 reflects a two-way bond between a university and a coach who is happy to be a Lobo.
“It’s nice in coaching to have a sense of stability,” said Fishbein. “But we also knew this was the place we wanted to be. We talked about it as a family.
“I have administrators in President (David) Schmidly, Paul Krebs (Vice President for Athletics) and Kurt Esser who have shown faith in me as a coach and have given me the support to be successful. This institution is committed to me and I am committed to this university and to this state.”
Editor’s Note: Richard Stevens is a former Associate Sports Editor and sports columnist for The Albuquerque Tribune. You can reach him at rstevens50@comcast.net.