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New national title coach
aims to rebuild Lobo baseball

—--UNM Photo Ray Birmingham

by LAURA RASMUSSEN
C&J 271

A new era has dawned on the Lobo baseball program with the hiring of head coach Ray Birmingham this past summer.

Birmingham brings with him a blue-collar work attitude, a passion to win and an infectious enthusiasm.

A New Mexico resident for all but one of his 51 years, Birmingham says he is honored to be at the helm of Lobo baseball

“I want to coach and win in honor of all the great people of this state,” Birmingham says. “I love this state.”

He is already impressed with the fast pace and positive staff at UNM.

“The people here are consistently positive and that’s heartwarming,” Birmingham says. “You feel people’s aura.”

Birmingham’s aura is certainly felt as well. Behind his bright blue eyes and ever-present grin is a man who is excited to get his hands on the Lobo baseball program.

“We want our team to play in front of 2,000 to 3,000 people every home game — and we’re going to win,” Birmingham says. “But winning isn’t all of it — building a brotherhood, building a family, building tradition, that’s what I want.”

Birmingham comes to UNM after coaching 18 seasons at New Mexico Junior College in Hobbs, where he won a national title in 2005 and finished second in 2007.

Besides his .750 winning percentage overall at NMJC, Birmingham brings a mentality and energy with him that is instantly contagious

“People who aren’t having fun, I want to go help them have some fun and help them enjoy life,” Birmingham says.

Birmingham graduated from Hobbs High School in 1973 and carries with him a small-town appreciation for life, which he applies to the game of baseball. His proudest memories of coaching stem from his time at the College of the Southwest in the late 1980s.

“In 1989 that team rode on a bus with no seats because that’s all we had to play the top schools in Arizona, Texas and Colorado,” Birmingham recalls. “We ate off a Phillips 66 card and even had to push-start the bus. But nobody complained.”

Birmingham’s team that year won 33 games and reached No. 25 in the NAIA national rankings. That attitude and determination is still well and alive to this day as Birmingham introduces it to the Lobo program.

“You can’t get anywhere unless you dream about it every day,” Birmingham says. “I’m one of those guys that what you believe you can achieve.”

Birmingham’s goals for the Lobo program extend far beyond instilling a positive, overachieving attitude. He says he hopes to upgrade the facilities, improve relationships with different entities, and create a fun atmosphere surrounding Lobo baseball.
“We want every kid from Lordsburg to Raton, from Farmington to Hobbs, and everything in between to want to grow up to be a Lobo baseball player."

Birmingham prides himself on being a teacher of not only the game, but of life.

“When I watch young men grow up and achieve and become special, that’s why I coach. A good coach is a teacher."

--October 18, 2007

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