Beyond the Gridiron

In many ways, Anthony Krieg, BA '06, is a chip off the old block. His father, Roderick, worked for the Austin Police Department for nearly three decades. During that time, Roderick was active with APD's softball and football teams. Anthony vividly remembers that aspect of his father's profession.

“I was always drawn to the kind of relationships he was able to build within the community and within the department,” Anthony says. “Some of those guys are still a lot of his friends today.”

Perhaps it was unsurprising that the younger Krieg, a graduate of Pflugerville [Texas] High School, would become an athlete and, eventually, a police officer. 

He was a two-time all-district running back and was named district most valuable player as a senior. Krieg also excelled in track, basketball and baseball. He was ranked among the nation’s top 100 high school running backs by Rivals.com and signed with Baylor.

“When I visited the campus, I fell in love with the place—the community feel of it, the closeness of everyone on campus,” Krieg says. “The faith component also led to my decision. And it was important to me to be really close to my family. Throughout my career, my parents may have missed two games.”

Krieg, who was a speech communication major, was Baylor’s second leading rusher as a senior in 2004. He says choosing Baylor was one of the best decisions he’s ever made.

”It feels like a family. I built relationships at Baylor that will last a lifetime.”

“I still know the professors that taught some of my classes,” Krieg says. “It feels like a family. I built relationships at Baylor that will last a lifetime.”

One in particular. While at Baylor, Anthony met Nicole LeBlanc, BSW ’08, who was a four-year starter for the Bears’ volleyball team. They began dating in college and married in 2008. Nicole now runs Texas Fury, a faith-based competitive youth volleyball club in Austin.

Soon after graduation, Krieg’s professional footsteps began to follow those of his father. Anthony coached middle school football and assisted with the high school team at Waco’s Reicher High School for one season. His high school coach at Pflugerville reached out to Anthony and offered him a spot at his alma mater.

“It came down to doing that or becoming a police officer,” Krieg says. He chose the latter and entered the police academy in 2006. “It was a lot more demanding than I expected, both physically and academically.”

He worked the streets of Austin for nine years, four of that on overnight patrol. When the Kreigs welcomed their first child, Anthony transitioned to a day shift. During that time, Krieg was a member of the APD Crisis Intervention Team, responding to incidents involving persons in mental-health crises.

Currently, Krieg is a background investigator in the APD recruiting unit. He diligently searches the criminal and non-criminal history of any applicant and often speaks at recruiting fairs.

“The biggest thing for me is being a face to some people and some kids in the area that may look the same as me or may have similar backgrounds as me,” Krieg says. “There are times you can be a positive example for kids who don’t have a role model. I have an obligation to provide those young people with a good example of what a police officer is supposed to do and how we should handle ourselves in a professional manner.”

Krieg says much of his ability to appropriately interact with those in the community comes from his Baylor education, especially understanding the principles of interpersonal communication.

“Picking up on verbal and nonverbal cues when you’re talking with people,” Krieg says. “Being able to de-escalate situations and build trust because of the ability to communicate is the main thing that has helped me throughout my career.”