Monday, March 17, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
Once you've had a taste of the big time, it's awfully hard to refuse a second sip.
And while Mark Weber truly believes UNLV will someday get to the big time as a contender in Western Athletic Conference football, he simply couldn't wait. Not when UCLA came calling last week.
Jeff Horton's right-hand man has left the Rebel football program to join Bob Toledo's staff as the Bruins' offensive line coach. He held the same position at UNLV the last three seasons in addition to being the Rebels' associate head coach.
"If you grew up in L.A. like I did, it's every kid's dream who ever played football to someday play in the Rose Bowl game," said Weber, who is from Van Nuys. "I never got a chance to play in it, but this is a chance for me to someday coach in the game.
"Emotionally, this was a tough decision. When I had to face those offensive linemen Friday and tell them I was leaving, that was really hard. But professionally, it's a great opportunity for me and my family."
Toledo contacted Horton two weeks ago while Horton was vacationing about permission to speak to Weber. Last Wednesday, Weber flew to Westwood and interviewed for the opening created when Steve Marshall left to become the offensive coordinator at Texas A&M.
On Thursday, Weber was offered the job. Friday, he accepted the position. Saturday, he was cleaning out his office at the Lied Athletic Complex. Today, he trades in his scarlet and gray coaching shirt for a blue and gold outfit for a program that went 5-6 last season.
"I'm going to hit the ground running," Weber said. "I've got to learn a new offense and a new group of kids."
When reached Sunday night, Horton said it will be tough to not have Weber at his side, but the program will move on.
"One part of you is sad and one part is glad," he said. "Mark and I obviously have been together for a long time. It's a great opportunity for him and I think it speaks highly of what we're doing when a school like UCLA wants one of our coaches.
"But we'll miss his recruiting ability, his coaching and most of all, his rapport with the players. He knew how to reach the kids and get the most out of them."
Weber said the two are leaving on good terms.
"I've been with Jeff since Reno and we're very close friends," he said. "Believe me, this was not an easy decision. We thought about staying. It's tough to leave, especially with the kids we've got in the program and the fact that I know it's going to get done.
"The program is headed in the right direction. We've taken our lumps here the last couple of years, but I could see we were making progress. The kids here never quit and they got better every week."
Weber's departure leaves running backs coach Tom Nordquist as the lone holdover from Horton's original UNLV coaching staff in 1993.
Weber, who turns 40 at the end of June, is familiar with the Pacific 10 Conference from his days at Oregon State in the late 1980s. Toledo was Oregon's offensive coordinator back then and the two knew each other from the state's "Civil War" rivalry.
The chance to coach at a program that has been to the Rose Bowl and competed in the upper echelon of college football, plus the substantial raise in pay UCLA was offering simply made it too tempting for Weber.
"You have to think about your family and your future," said Weber, whose wife, Kathy, is pregnant with their second child. "I had a great experience at UNLV, winning the Big West and the Las Vegas Bowl, working with some quality people and coaching some great kids. It was a tremendous opportunity.
"But this was something that when I weighed everything, I just couldn't pass up."
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