Tarkanian, known for his winning ways and always having a damp game-day towel handy to bite down on, took the Runnin’ Rebels to four Final Fours and won a national championship in 1990.
UNM men’s basketball head coach Craig Neal had nothing but praise for Tarkanian.
“His footprint on college basketball is always going to be there,” Neal said. “He did a lot of great things at UNLV and a lot of good things at Fresno. It’s just a sad day and he was a really, really good guy. He was a funny character and he did a lot of changes in college basketball and he did a lot of great things for our conference.”
Tarkanian, nicknamed “Tark the Shark,” coached at three schools, his longest tenure being at UNLV (19 years) where he notched a 509-105 record. He also coached at Fresno State (7 years) and Long Beach State (5 years) during his career.
He holds the seventh-highest winning percentage all-time among Division I men’s basketball coaches at .784 (729-201). Along with such an outstanding record, Tarkanian was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Sept. 8, 2013 and was the first UNLV coach or player to be enshrined.
Out front of the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, sits a bronze statue of Tarkanian biting his damp game-day towel and sitting in a chair to commemorate his sacrifices for UNLV. Sources say that he started biting on the towel because he could not stop to get a drink from the drinking fountain during long practices and games.
Current UNLV coach Dave Rice had the opportunity to play for Tarkanian and coach under him for a period of time. Rice was a part of the 1990 championship team.
“He instilled in me a confidence and commitment to doing what I believe is right for all people I am around,” Rice said. “He saw something in me and gave me my first opportunity in coaching and I will be forever grateful. He will always be a part of UNLV, and our university is a better institution because of that. We are all saddened by this loss, our deepest condolences to the Tarkanian family.”
Tarkanian’s UNLV squads encountered the Lobos in non-conference play prior to the Lobos entering the Mountain West Conference. UNM was still in the Western Athletic Conference when they faced the hall-of-fame coach and Tarkanian held a 7-5 record against the Lobos.
Tarkanian’s death came four days after another college basketball coaching legend, Dean Smith, passed away at 83. Smith coached at powerhouse North Carolina for 36 seasons, winning two national championships in 1982 and 1993.
“The UNLV community mourns the passing of Coach Jerry Tarkanian and our condolences are with Jerry’s wife, Lois and the Tarkanian family,” UNLV President Len Jessup said in a release.
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Kyle Tomasi is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @KyTo22.
