Jay Hinrichs worked his share of overtime during 18 years as a Kansas City Royals executive, three years as a Kansas University fund-raiser and two years as a financial analyst for a major shoe company.

But Hinrichs never had worked morning, noon and all night until August, when he became athletic director at Northern Colorado University.

“My favorite quote is the athletics director job is not a job as much a lifestyle,” said Hinrichs, former KU Williams Fund director.

A Wichita native and a 1980 KU graduate, Hinrichs now is one of the best-known individuals in Greeley, Colo.

“You cannot go to the store, church, cleaners or do anything without being recognized and asked how the program is doing,” he said. “You are literally on duty 24 hours a day. It has been said that AD stands for All Day or Always Demanding.”

Northern Colorado is in the third year of a five-year transition into NCAA Division One (Div. I-AA for football) and has applied for admission to the Big Sky Conference.

“You can’t exist in any sports competition without a conference home,” Hinrichs said. “You need to develop who you’ll play and relationships — scheduling, officials, compliance departments, recruiting reviews, TV, radio contracts. You don’t want to be independent and not compete for a championship.”

Having lived in the Midwest all his life, Hinrichs is enjoying his stint in Rocky Mountain country. He even has run into some Jayhawks in Greeley, about an hour north of Denver.

“I’ve met a couple of families who have kids going to the University of Kansas and of course a number of fans of Kansas basketball, fans of the Jayhawk athletic programs,” he said.

Hinrichs hasn’t lacked for opportunities to meet folks in Greeley.

“If I am not in front of 10 different groups in a week, I make sure the external staff knows I need to be out of the office more,” Hinrichs said. “I try to spend my free time attending community events, service clubs and fund-raisers for other activities like the Northern Colorado regional med center.”

KU athletic director Lew Perkins is one of Hinrichs’ biggest boosters.

“He’s a hard worker, has great vision,” Perkins said. “He’s got great leadership tools and is going to be a great athletic director. I like the fact he wants to be better. He’s going to do a great job for the people at Northern Colorado.”