BOULDER, COLORADO — Colorado hired Fernando Lovo away from New Mexico to do just that Rick George succeeds As athletic director, the school announced Monday.
CU Chancellor Justin Schwartz said Lovo’s appointment was approved by a unanimous vote of the Board of Regents and that Lovo will officially begin his new job Thursday.
“When we began our national search for a new Director of Athletics, we looked for someone of high character, committed to the student-athlete experience and who had an innovative approach to generating revenue,” Schwartz said.
“Fernando is an ideal dynamic leader for these dynamic times and embodies CU’s high standards and values. He has a proven track record of leading student-athletes to success in competition and in the classroom, and I am confident he is the ideal agent to lead CU Athletics into this new era of college athletics.”
Lovo was New Mexico’s athletic director for a year. The Lobos won eight Mountain West titles in 2025, the most of any conference school, and finished the 2024-25 season in 49th place in the Learfield Directors’ Cup to lead the five-school group.
“I am honored to join such an amazing group of student-athletes, coaches and staff at a tremendous organization that strives for excellence and embraces the right values,” Lovo said. “We are in a time of extraordinary change in college athletics and Colorado must lead the way in shaping what comes next. I look forward to helping our student-athletes succeed in every aspect of their lives while bringing championships to Buff Nation.”
After two weeks of work in New Mexico, Lovo hired football coach Jason Ekwho led the Lobos to their first nine-win season since 2016 and was named Mountain West Coach of the Year. Lovo also hired men’s basketball coach Eric Olin From UC San Diego, the Lobos are off to a 10-2 start.
UNM’s athletic department generated a record amount of revenue by setting records for ticket sales, multimedia rights, parking, concessions, branding and licensing revenue, along with a record year in fundraising for the Lobo Club.
Lovo previously worked in athletic administration at Texas, Ohio State and Houston and began his college sports career in the football program at his alma mater in Florida.
George announced last month that he will move to an advisory role to the chancellor and serve as director of athletics emeritus. It will help raise money for the department.
George was hired as Colorado’s athletic director in July 2013. One of his biggest moves was in December 2022 when he hired former NFL star Deion Sanders as head football coach. George also oversaw the school’s transition from the Pac-12 Conference to the Big 12.
____
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 all season long. subscription here. AP College Football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football