UNLV Athletics’ sale lets public dress like the Rebels on a budget

By Taylor Bern

Thursday, April 16, 2015 | 2 a.m.

You might not be able to play like a Rebel, but at least you can dress like one. And it doesn’t cost much, either.

On Saturday, UNLV is hosting its biennial athletic apparel sale from 8 a.m. to noon, leading into the football team’s Spring Showcase from noon to 1:30 p.m. The sale (cash and credit card accepted) is in the North Gym inside the Paul McDermott Physical Education complex, a short walk from Peter Johann Memorial Field, where the football team will use UNLV’s soccer field for its final practice of the spring.

The sale includes new and used gear from nearly every program in the UNLV athletics department, and most of the items can be had for $25 or less, according to Rocky Rutledge, the assistant director of athletic equipment.

Jerseys, no matter the sport, will be $25. That includes some football uniforms from last year — UNLV will have new designs this upcoming season — plus some versions going back nearly 10 years. Rutledge said there are even a few baseball uniforms remaining from the Big West, which UNLV left in 1996.

Some other items that will fill the gym include tables full of T-shirts ($5), sweatshirts ($10), polos ($10) and shoes ($25), from baseball cleats and track spikes to cheerleading shoes. The baseball team recently switched its supplier from Wilson to Easton, so gloves, bats, hats and other gear from Wilson will be available in enough volume to outfit a little league or beer-league softball team.

The event two years ago generated about $37,000, Rutledge said, money that goes into UNLV’s general athletic fund. He estimated that nearly 200 people were waiting at the door for the start and around 600 came through during the event.

In a slightly comical scene that plays out at each one of these, some former athletes (or their families) attend to purchase the jersey they wore while playing for the Rebels. Amateurism rules don’t allow athletes to keep all the uniforms they wear while in college, but for a donation back to the program they can be reunited with their gear.

That is, if someone from the public doesn’t beat them to the deal.

Taylor Bern can be reached at 948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Taylor on Twitter at twitter.com/taylorbern.