Working behind the scenes as Baylor Athletics' Director of Fan Engagement, Chad Klempnauer generally stays out of the limelight and likes it that way.

If things go as planned - or according to the script, with all the promotions, giveaways, music and entertainment - you would never even know Chad is there.

"I don't have to work the men's basketball games, but I'm floating around and doing things that no one sees but will make a big impact - the little details," he says. "I really enjoy that."

But, he also likes the "hot seat," as he calls it. Communicating with Baylor Vision, the DJ, the band, IMG, fan engagement staff and someone from spirit through his headset at basketball games, "you're the producer and you're running the show."

Thrown in the fire in the middle of the 2016 football season when Assistant AD for Marketing Jay Luksis left to take a job at the University of Missouri, Klempnauer took the hot seat for the last three football games at McLane Stadium. "That was my first time and it was a little intimidating, but we made it through three games," he said.

The only real hiccup came at the Nov. 15 game against TCU, when the Horned Frogs called a timeout and didn't leave the field at a time when a promotional contest was scheduled.

"I think we were throwing balls in a target, something like that, and TCU was just standing there," Klempnauer said. "Everyone was freaking out, like, 'What do we do? What do we do? What do we do?' All these voices were coming from all over.

"And I was like, 'Guys, get a hold of yourself. We're going with the script. We'll move them out of the way just a little bit, or we can move over a little bit, and we can get it done.' We got it done, and no one in the crowd knew, really. There's a lot of times when we have to change things on the fly, especially at basketball."

Jovan Overshown, Baylor's Associate AD for Engagement, said Chad is "an excellent demonstration of humility and servant leadership. He leads by example, and without complaint. He's often the first to arrive and the last to leave; it's simply who he is. Though quiet in presence, his contributions are profound in impact. I am incredibly thankful for Chad's ongoing commitment to Baylor University."

Chad's interest in fan engagement was first piqued during his senior year in high school in Parker, Colo., when he did an internship with the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche.

"That's when I knew this was the area I wanted to go into, because it was in game entertainment and fan development," he said. "I had worked a summer event for them. They usually don't have high school interns, but they asked me and another girl to come back and work for the season. . . . I would go to the Pepsi Center and work the games at nights. And that's another thing is I got to do the Avalanche and Nuggets, which are different demographics and different environments. That was kind of a fun thing to see."

The son of a Baptist minister, Chad and the rest of the family followed his dad, Craig, to stops in Amarillo, Texas, Columbia, S.C., and Parker, Colo.

"Most of the time, my dad was a youth minister," he said. "Especially at First Baptist Amarillo, he would go to different Christian universities during the year and would bring the juniors and seniors to check them out. So, my sister (Courtney) and I would tag along with mission trips, camps, whatever it was. Obviously, the biggest trip was always the Baylor trip. So, my sister and I fell in love with Baylor early on."

During his time in South Carolina, Chad also "fell in love" with Clemson. "I followed Baylor as well, but we weren't really that good at anything then (1994-97), so I needed another team to cheer for. My sister and her friends liked South Carolina and the Gamecocks. So, of course, we had to be opposite as siblings."

In Colorado during his high school years, he developed a love for pro sports, particularly the Rockies.

"My dad likes all the quirky little things about sports. Tours and stuff like that, he's fascinated by that," he said. "He found out that he could get free tickets to Rockies' games by working three or four Saturdays a month as a tour guide. He gave tours for like three or four years at Coors Field, and we basically got season tickets. We got all these cool give-away items early. We had great seats and got to move around to different locations. We knew what was going on inside the program, so it was kind of a cool behind-the-scenes look."

With a background in sports that also included playing soccer, Chad knew what he wanted to do when he came to Baylor in 2001. Taking a work study position at the Ferrell Center in facilities and operations, "that's when we had the court we had to put together piece-by-piece. So, we would be up there at like 2 or 3 a.m., putting the court together. And I was like, 'Yeah, operations are not my cup of tea.'''

Switching to marketing, he quickly became the vet in a department where there was constant turnover.

"It was kind of a blessing in disguise for me because I got to take on more responsibility. By the time I was a senior, I was running things that normally students don't run. It was a great experience for me, and I loved it."

"I kind of put all my time into that instead of doing the fraternity/student organization type of thing," he said. "I liked being at the sporting events, and that was where I wanted to spend my free time."

After graduating from Baylor in December 2006, Chad took a part-time job with athletics marketing and got a full-time position at the end of 2007 working for John Garrison.

"John was not only a great mentor for me, but he's a great friend and I talk to him often," Chad said of Garrison, who left Baylor three years ago and is now the director of a Visiting Angels in Webster Groves, Mo. "I know there are parts about this and Baylor that he misses, but it was a good move for him and his family."

That intimidation Chad felt "producing" his first football game is now gone. There's a comfort level in being in the same place and doing some of the same things for the last 10 years.

"Nothing really bothers me these days," he said. "I've been through it all. Even on game days now, I don't get nervous or anxious. I just go with the flow. You have your script, you communicate, you over-communicate, be confident and just go with it. It's kind of like a thrill, too."

What he enjoys the most, though, is running around the field, making sure each break and promotion goes off without a hitch.

"John had that luxury with me, that he didn't have to worry about anything," he said. "It was going to get done and it was going to get done on time. Everything was going to be fine. But, when I'm up there and I don't have someone like me to rely on, it's a little frightening. Like, I don't have anyone to depend on to get the job done. So, that was a struggle for me. That's what freaked me out the most."

Ryan Eklund, Baylor's Assistant AD for Fan Engagement, said Chad brings "an extraordinary definition to the term 'teammate.' Hard-working, humble and talented; he is a great example of achieving special results with a servant attitude."

A self-proclaimed workaholic, and now 35, Chad said he gets "nagged by my sister and by mom daily about getting married and finding the lucky one, Mrs. K. She's out there somewhere. But I work all the time, so that's another problem."

What he does enjoy is having all of his family around him. His mom, Christi, took a job with the Armstrong Library when Chad started at Baylor and now serves as the Administrative Coordinator. His dad, Craig, is the bi-vocational pastor at Grace Temple Baptist Church in Waco, serves as a hospice chaplain and also teaches a class at Baylor called "Dying and Death Education."

His sister and brother-in-law, Courtney and Patrick Broaddus, moved back to Waco two summers ago and have two children, Ethan (7) and Abby (3). Courtney is a speech pathologist with Midway ISD and Patrick is an advisor in the Arts & Sciences department at Baylor.

"It's been really good to have them back closer to us and his family, too," Chad said. "His sister moved back about the same time he did, from Dallas, with her husband and kids. It's just a good time for all of us. Family is a big deal."