Las Vegas Sun

March 18, 2024

Jerry Tarkanian: Honoring a basketball legend

Tarkanian-Black and White-2006

Tiffany Brown

Jerry Tarkanian attends the annual old timers gathering at the Stardust on Sunday, Sept. 24, 2006. Tarkanian was the UNLV men’s basketball coach from 1973-1992 and led the team to four Final Fours.

A part of us died last week.

Jerry Tarkanian was more than a basketball coach. He did more than build a great college program at UNLV and win a national championship. He brought our community together, gave us reasons cheer and feel good about ourselves, and generated so much excitement that Runnin’ Rebel games were the hardest ticket to find in a city full of shows.

Tarkanian, known as “Tark the Shark,” died Feb. 11 at 84 after battling multiple illnesses over the past few years. He won more than 500 games at UNLV, made four appearances in the Final Four and captured the 1990 national championship.

And that’s just the beginning of why he was so loved in Las Vegas.

He looked out for us — the little guys — and we had his back too.

Whether it was recruiting players with questionable character whom other schools shied away from, fighting the NCAA when he felt wronged, or building UNLV into a powerhouse, Tarkanian’s persistence was unrivaled. He was a visionary, a leader and a great basketball mind.

UNLV was a relatively new university when Tarkanian arrived in 1973. It played in a no-name league and had little winning history. By 1977, the Rebels made the Final Four.

Our town was much smaller then and known for corruption. Tark, himself with a reputation for bending the rules, fit right in. He knew all the celebrities and got comped at the best restaurants.

Las Vegans quickly developed a passion for him and all he represented.

•••

It’s early one morning in 2011, and my phone rings. The caller ID says “Jerry Tarkanian.” Barely awake, I hit ignore and send the call to voicemail.

I’m a Las Vegas native and attended most of the games during the Rebels’ glory years. Nothing could beat those 8:05 p.m. starts against Cal State-Fullerton, Utah State, Pacific and UC Santa Barbara.

For all the big UNLV wins, such as the 1990 championship game against Duke or 1987 Elite Eight game against Iowa, I can easily remember the big plays and where I watched each game. Like most locals, there’s some entitlement there — it was our team.

So imagine my excitement as a journalist when I was given the cherry assignment to call Tarkanian every week and help him write a column for the Las Vegas Sun.

Tarkanian, still with his wits, gave great anecdotes about yesteryear and how he built UNLV’s basketball program. It was like two buddies talking at a bar — we discussed Final Four games with Duke, the rivalry with Arizona and Lute Olson, and what impressed him about the current team.

Tark always called me Ron, probably because a Ron worked here for years before me. When I’d correct him, he’d quickly apologize by calling me Ronnie. It was OK, though, because I was talking with Tark.

I regret hitting “ignore” on my phone that day. It wasn’t even 8 a.m., but Tarkanian wanted to talk.

I didn’t realize that Armen Gilliam, one the stars of the 1987 Final Four team, had just died, and Tarkanian was understandably emotional. Players and friends had died before, but this was different. Gilliam was only 47 and appeared to be healthy.

Tarkanian the basketball coach, I knew. Tarkanian the man, I was introduced to that day.

“I’m all shook up,” Tark said in tears when I called back. “He was such a great person. He would take the shirt off his back for you.”

Tarkanian loved the players he coached at UNLV. And they loved him.

Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon and Greg Anthony each were NBA Draft Lottery picks after the 1991 season. They honored Tarkanian by wearing his college number — No. 2 — on their NBA jerseys.

But they honored him more by returning to UNLV for their senior seasons. Think about it: Fresh off winning the 1990 national championship and guaranteed to be first-round NBA picks, the three players agreed to return to UNLV for one more season with the coach they respected.

My last phone conversation with Tark took place the night of the 2012 national championship game. Kentucky, coached by Tarkanian’s dear friend John Calipari, had just won the title. Tark’s health had started to decline by then, and he was calling me from his hospital room. But he had worked up enough strength to congratulate Calipari, showing what a great friend he was.

Forget about wins and losses and battles with the NCAA. What defined Tarkanian didn’t take place during basketball games. It was the man he was when the arena lights went out that I — and many others — grew to admire.

•••

Most of the attendees at Symphony Hall in Springfield, Mass., already had left Tarkanian’s induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Tarkanian, dressed in a sharp black suit, and with his wife of more than 60 years, Lois, by his side, had put up a tremendous fight to be part of this day.

Battles with the NCAA wrongly kept Tark out of the Hall of Fame until 2013, but he finally was nominated and voted in to erase the injustice. NBA star Gary Payton, Louisville coach Rick Pitino and New York Knicks legend Bernard King were among the inductees in his class, but Tarkanian stole the show. It was a living tribute to our city’s legend.

On induction day, he needed the help of a rolling walker and assistance from his grandchildren to get around. He could barely talk. But he made it through the ceremony and drew multiple standing ovations.

The wide smile he sported on stage while everyone clapped wildly during his induction spoke volumes. He was content, he was proud. His last victory had been accomplished.

As he waited in the lobby to leave, a young fan approached and asked for his autograph. Family members tried to decline, because Tarkanian didn’t seem able to sign, but he quickly grabbed the pen. Shaking, he gave the youngster his signature.

Tarkanian, yet again, showed he was a fighter. He mustered up enough strength that weekend for us — his family, former players and supporters nationwide — to enjoy the final chapter in his basketball journey.

•••

It’s a Saturday afternoon, and the sun is shining bright. Tarkanian, using a wheelchair, is sitting next to the dugout at Prosperity Park to watch his grandson, Jerry, play tee ball.

Little Jerry, like his grandfather growing up, appears to be the smallest person on the team. But he makes contact during his turn at bat and sends the ball to the outfield. The crowd, including several members of the Tarkanian family, cheers. Tarkanian, even in declining health, made many of his grandchildren’s games and school events.

There is video of Jerry Jr. watching television with his grandfather when it was announced that Tarkanian had been selected for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The boy points to the television in excitement.

Most of Tarkanian’s 11 grandchildren don’t have many personal memories of their grandfather, the legendary basketball coach. They’ve only heard stories and watched videos.

It’s the same story across the valley. Current Rebel players weren’t alive when UNLV went to consecutive Final Fours and don’t fully understand the program’s history. The younger generation may not fully appreciate Tarkanian’s contributions to basketball and, more importantly, to Las Vegas.

UNLV has a statue of Tarkanian near the Thomas & Mack Center, and the court at the Mack is named after him, too. That’s one way to preserve and honor what he built, but not the only way to carry on his legacy.

The best way to honor Tark is to not waste what he built at UNLV.

The proud program Tarkanian created is painfully mediocre these days. It’s time to win some games and get the Mack rockin’ again.

Remembering Jerry

People from across the country took to social media the day Jerry Tarkanian died to offer their condolences, honor his memory and thank him for his impact on college basketball. “Jerry Tarkanian” was the top-trending topic on Twitter for most of Feb. 11, and related hashtags accounted for three of the top five Twitter topics. Newspapers and sports programs nationally led with the news of his death, and hundreds of Las Vegans rallied in support for what he did for the community. Here’s some of what people were talking about, culled from news statements, media comments and social media posts:

“Our hearts are broken but filled with incredible memories. You will be missed Tark.”

— Lois Tarkanian, Jerry Tarkanian’s wife



“A tough time — 1st Dean Smith & now Jerry Tarkanian has passed / My sympathy goes out to his wife Lois & family RIP”

— Dick Vitale, basketball sportscaster



Coach Tark was a difference maker to all of us. Life changer. Legend. RIP, Coach Tark. #UnlvFamily

— Dave Rice, UNLV men’s basketball coach



Somewhere high above there is one helluva game going on. RIP #JerryTarkanian and #DeanSmith. #UNLV #UNC

— @ryslattery (Ryan Slattery)



RIP Coach.... You inspired many. You believed in kids that the world discarded. The hood will never forget you.

— Chris Webber, retired professional basketball player



Every time Tark came to a practice or game, I honestly felt like I had to play that much harder and that much better. Simply out of respect

— Justin Hawkins, former UNLV basketball player



I recall in high school, I had a reputation as a troubled kid, but Coach Tark was the type of coach that believed in everyone’s potential and gave everyone a second chance. I was one of those guys. I came to UNLV as a young, misled, misunderstood kid, and just didn’t know anything about life. Coach Tark took me under his wing and after my five years at UNLV, I left as a young man with great values, a better person and with a great love and understanding of the game of basketball.

— Stacey Augmon, UNLV men’s assistant basketball coach

Tarkanian's legacy will live on

The Las Vegas High School basketball players had no idea who the man pictured on their tournament T-shirts was. The boys were competing in December in the Jerry Tarkanian Classic. The shirts featured a photo of Tarkanian chewing his towel.

It’s a familiar image for residents who followed Tarkanian’s UNLV basketball team during its glory years in the late 1980s and early ’90s. But for the teenagers, all of whom were born after Tarkanian was forced to resign from UNLV in 1992, Tarkanian was a relative unknown.

They didn’t know his history because until recently, Tarkanian’s accomplishments weren’t fully celebrated.

Tark’s legacy certainly will be defined by wins and championships — the Rebels made three Final Four appearances in five seasons, after all. But his legacy also includes a feud with the NCAA and dodging accusations of misconduct. There were lawsuits, investigations and suspensions.

During the 1990 championship season, nine UNLV players were suspended for one game by the NCAA for nonpayment of long-distance phone bills.

But the most notable instance of misconduct came after the 1991 season, in which the undefeated and defending national champion Rebels were upset by Duke in the Final Four. A photo of three players in a hot tub with notorious gambler Richard “Richie The Fixer” Perry, taken in 1989, was published a few weeks after the season. That was the beginning of the end for Tarkanian.

Under pressure from school officials, including the university’s then-president, Robert Maxson, Tarkanian resigned.

Some in the community were disappointed by the controversy and players’ low graduation rate under Tarkanian and argued it was time to move on. Others protested vocally in support of the coach.

Tarkanian surely sparked debate.

When he left Long Beach State for UNLV in 1973, the NCAA vacated six of the school’s NCAA Tournament victories amid accusations of recruiting violations.

In 1977, the NCAA put UNLV on probation from postseason play for violating rules and requested the university suspend Tarkanian for two seasons. But Tark sued the NCAA, and a Clark County district judge issued an injunction that reinstated the coach.

“They’ve been my tormentors my whole life,” Tarkanian said of the NCAA. “I’ve fought them the whole way. I’ve never backed down. And they never stopped.”

Tarkanian often recruited rough-around-the-edges players from the inner city, building a team of players some schools passed on. He was revered for giving those players an opportunity, but not all panned out.

Clifford Allen, a 6-foot-10 post player with immense talent, never became academically eligible. In 1989, he was sentenced to 45 years in prison on second-degree murder charges.

New York City legend Lloyd Daniels also was recruited by Tarkanian but never suited up for the Rebels. Daniels was arrested in North Las Vegas during a drug bust trying to by crack cocaine from an undercover policeman.

“It was a crazy idea for other coaches, but Tark gave the inner-city kids a chance,” said Eldridge Hudson, who played in the program from 1982 to 1987. “Tark wasn’t scared to take the inner-city kid, and because of that, he had a roster of hard-nosed kids who weren’t afraid to pop you. He believed in us, and we believed in him.”

Tarkanian ultimately got his due from the NCAA. And from UNLV.

In a lawsuit Tarkanian filed in 1992 against the NCAA, he claimed the organization had a 20-year vendetta and tried to manufacture evidence against him. The legal back-and-forth ended in 1998, weeks before the case was scheduled to go to trial, with Tarkanian picking up his most significant victory. The NCAA said it was wrong and agreed to a $2.5 million settlement.

“The NCAA regrets the 26-year ongoing dispute with Jerry Tarkanian and looks forward to putting this matter to rest,” NCAA executive director Cedric Dempsey said at the time.

But Tarkanian could never forget.

“I get upset every time I think about the NCAA,” he said in 2011. “I just get so mad whenever I read or see something about the NCAA and how they treated me so unfairly. I have to learn to better accept everything that happened with the NCAA. That is part of me.”

After Tarkanian’s departure, UNLV experienced its worst stretch in program history until the program’s rebirth under Lon Kruger in the mid-2000s. Kruger welcomed back Tarkanian and the legends from his teams, leading an effort in 2005 to name the court at Thomas & Mack “Jerry Tarkanian Court.”

It’s a celebration that wouldn’t have been attended by most players had the university not mended fences with Tarkanian. Some former players, most notably Larry Johnson and current assistant Stacey Augmon, were so displeased by the way UNLV officials handled the Tarkanian situation they had disassociated with the school.

The disassociation led to a generation of locals who don’t know or appreciate Jerry Tarkanian’s legacy.

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