Fresno State Athletics
Kriebs Relies On Experience To Lead Bulldogs
6/1/2005 12:00:00 AM | General
May 31, 2005
FRESNO, Calif.- Working in an environment where experience almost always seems to be the best teacher, it would appear John Kriebs has an advantage over others in his profession. He describes it as a "big help." Those who work with him describe it as his best asset.
In the ever-changing atmosphere of college athletics, administrators must constantly make tough and sometimes unpopular decisions while also taking into account the best interest of the university as a whole. The ability to communicate and perhaps more importantly, relate, to individuals on all levels is paramount. It can also be extremely challenging.
Kriebs has accepted challenges head-on for the last 25 years, beginning in 1980 during his freshman year at Northern Iowa. Fast forward to 2005, and one can see why Kriebs has become such an integral part of Fresno State's athletic landscape. Kriebs has the benefit of experiencing college athletics from three different perspectives (student-athlete, coach, administrator), giving him a unique edge for someone in his position.
Next month, Kriebs will be entering his fifth year at Fresno State and third as the assistant athletics director for facilities and operations. He serves on the department's executive staff and budget staff, oversees five different sports and also supervises Fresno State's equipment rooms, computer and technology needs and the department's car dealer program. In addition, Kriebs has streamlined Fresno State's facilities and operations areas into one unit and oversees all facility needs.
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As a fourth-grader, Kriebs accompanied a couple friends to the YMCA and began to do something that would eventually lead him into intercollegiate athletics. It was there that he was first introduced to the sport of wrestling, which he stuck with throughout grade school, high school and college. Football, track and basketball were also in the mix at certain times, but it was wrestling that taught Kriebs discipline and focus- both of which contribute to the same work ethic he embodies today.
A native of Dubuque, Iowa, Kriebs received a scholarship to the University of Northern Iowa, where he was a two-time All-American wrestler while qualifying for NCAA's all four years. As a senior he was the nation's top-ranked heavyweight. After graduating in 1984, Kriebs would remain at the school in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and coached the wrestling team as an assistant over the ensuing five seasons.
Kriebs' coaching career would continue at Southwest Missouri State University, where he served as the Bears' head coach from 1989-94. It was a position at which he excelled, earning 1994 Midwest Regional Coach of the Year honors and guiding the program's first-ever Division 1 All-American.
It was during this time when Kriebs embraced one of his first "on-the-job" tasks- mentoring student-athletes. More than 20 years later, it remains a skill he values greatly.
"Coaches have a huge task in front of them," said Kriebs. "It's interesting because college coaches seem to become surrogate parents whether they want to or not. That's a fact of life and that's a heck of a responsibility. They have a unique job, a responsibility to those kids. Sometimes it's tough love and hopefully the kid learns from it and other times it involves being their friend and simply lending an ear."
All told, it's an important time period in the lives of student-athletes and one that can be very rewarding for coaches.
"To this day I look up to coaches because as a student-athlete, I always held a high regard for coaches no matter what the sport," added Kriebs. "They have a lot of futures in their hands and when you are at the collegiate level especially, they have a great opportunity to mold kids for the future."
That type of outlook continues to aid Kriebs in his daily interaction with Fresno State coaches and student-athletes. As a supervisor for five sports (men's basketball, baseball, wrestling, men's and women's tennis), Kriebs recognizes the importance of relating to the needs of coaches and student-athletes. For that, his experience in both realms has proven invaluable. Even if he began coaching at a time when- as he is quick to point out- Atari and Nintendo were the popular choices among his student-athletes.
"I think it has helped me get a better idea of what students' needs are, even though they are changing drastically all the time," explained Kriebs. "Through it all, coaches are coaches. They want one thing and that is to better themselves, better their kids, better their sports and be successful. That is why it is so energetic to be involved with college athletics. I don't think you can find any workplace with people as competitive as coaches."
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Prior to arriving at Fresno State, Kriebs served as an assistant athletic director at Southwest Missouri State from 1994-99. While there, he oversaw nine sports as well as budgeting, personnel and scheduling. Kriebs also served as the department Human Resources liaison.
At Fresno State, he oversees the maintenance and day-to-day operations of all athletic facilities. Kriebs has been instrumental in the planning and development of several recent projects, including but not limited to the following: construction of indoor batting cages at Beiden Field, revamped wrestling practice facility in the North Gym and combining of equipment rooms to a central location in the North Gym.
Two of the most recognizable buildings on campus have flourished under his watch. Kriebs spearheaded Fresno State's transition into the $103 million Save Mart Center, coordinating construction and facility projects including the locker rooms, equipment and training rooms and the Bulldog Shop. He was also a driving force in the building of the $5 million Ricchiuti Academic Center and Duncan Building Expansion project, which opened in late January.
Ask those in the know, and they will tell you Fresno State can stake claim to some of the finest athletic facilities on the West Coast and even around the nation. In past years, occasional facility upgrades by rival schools would inevitably result in a domino effect of others. In this day and age, it seems to have developed into a full-fledged rat race.
Need proof? Take a walk out to the Spalding G. Wathen Tennis Center, which will soon welcome the addition of stadium lights on its main courts. Or head out to Bulldog Diamond, where batting cage covers are in the early planning stages and will only add to what is already considered the best softball facility in the country. Those improvements, among others, are just a couple of the projects Kriebs is looking to complete in the near future.
It might seem as if Fresno State has been producing world-class facilities on an almost yearly basis as of late. However, Kriebs is quick to point out that there are so many variables that go into the process (meetings, coordinating with contractors, usage of state or non-state funds, etc.) of a new project.
"I believe our facilities have been a priority to our past athletic directors, school president and most definitely our coaches," acknowledged Kriebs. "Our facilities are top-notch and we are constantly improving them. The trick is to stay on top of the aging ones and try to make sure their needs are being met in order to avoid problems down the road."
Kriebs also serves as the department liaison in the areas of campus planning and parking, an area that requires his daily attention. He also coordinated the baseball seat option campaign through the Bulldog Dugout Club. Even more recently, Kriebs has been directly involved in the hiring process for some of Fresno State's high-profile positions including athletics director, men's basketball head coach and the ongoing search for a wrestling head coach.
"We want people that are team players and committed to the excellence of Fresno State," said Kriebs. "Academics are important, wins and losses are important, but they are students before they are athletes and we want coaches to remember that. We need team players because we have a lot of things going on in the department with the budget situation. So it is very important we have people pulling the rope in the same direction."
Kriebs' philosophy and work ethic have already impressed one of the newest members of the Bulldog family.
"John has been here everyday to provide support, he is committed to the success of our program and all the programs he works with," said men's basketball head coach Steve Cleveland. "He exemplifies what is good about college athletics and realizes we are here for the student-athletes. John has been an anchor for us in the first couple months to get acclimated to the culture here. Even more impressive, he has a competitive and passionate side and that's the kind of person you want to associate yourself with."
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When you possess a no-nonsense, take-charge demeanor, you tend to get your point across rather easily. There might be some people who take one look at Kriebs and come to the conclusion that he rules with an iron fist. Whatever the case may be, he also realizes the importance of communicating and respecting those who work around him. Weekly meetings with his staff typically get everyone on the same page.
"The most important thing for me is to spend as much time as I can listening to their input because I know first-hand that I am not always right," said Kriebs, who with his wife Geri, have a daughter (Jordan- 5) and a son (Jack- 3). "They usually have a better pulse of what is going on than I do because they are directly involved. When you are overseeing that many different areas, it is important that you have a working relationship with people you trust, can rely on and you have a loyalty from them as well as a loyalty to them."
Kriebs' experiences as a student-athlete and coach have helped him greatly in this aspect as well. In fact, his biggest supporters are those who understand his hard-working, focused approach.
"John gives you free reign to manage everything you do," said Mike Rupcich, director of events. "He is very much in tune with everything he oversees and does a good job of understanding what people are doing under him. What I like most about John is he shoots from the hip. He works hard and is very driven. You always know where you stand."
With the summer approaching and his successor ready to be announced any day now, newly-retired wrestling head coach Dennis DeLiddo continues to work for a few hours each morning to help in the transition, whether it be putting the finishing touches on next year's schedule or recruiting. He doesn't mind doing it either. If you ask him, he is merely following the example of Kriebs, a tireless worker who always has Fresno State's best interest at the forefront.
"John is aware of things that most administrators around the country would not be," said DeLiddo, whose 2004 squad competed in front of a school-record 9,700 fans at the Save Mart Center under Kriebs' watch. "If we have any athletes that qualify for postseason, he is right there congratulating them. John works his butt off and I don't know if he has ever taken a vacation. It all comes down to that wrestling work ethic."
Adds DeLiddo with a smile, "the only way he would help us out even more is if he was a wrestling multi-millionaire giving back to the program."
Director of facilities Terry Logan remembers working a Saturday night football game in September a couple years ago and post-game traffic dominating Cedar and Barstow. Logan was called over to assist in the traffic control while he happened to be giving Kriebs a ride somewhere else in a golf cart.
"I got out of the cart to begin directing traffic and John walked to one end of the street and started helping. We had the rest of the lot cleared in about 10 minutes. I was so impressed that he was willing to give me a hand, didn't say a word, let me do my thing and followed my directions. That's the kind of thing you can appreciate about John; he is a team player all the way. He appreciates what you do because he has been there before and knows where you are coming from."
