Las Vegas Sun

March 18, 2024

Thank goodness it’s football season

Las Vegas may not have a home team for pro football (yet), but we have plenty of reasons to cheer

NFL Games Sept. 13

Tony Avelar / AP

Oakland Raiders wide receiver Michael Crabtree, right, runs past Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick during the second half of an NFL football game in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015.

In the words of the late, legendary Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis, “Just win, baby!”

In Las Vegas, we love our football — especially winners. Where else can you spend countless hours at a sports books legally wagering on college and NFL games? (Many of us have burned through a Sunday cheering wildly for some random team to cover the point spread.)

And what other city can say it’s home to the back-to-back national high school champions? Bishop Gorman opened its title defense Saturday near Dallas against Cedar Hill in a battle of Top 5-ranked contenders. But Gorman isn’t the only school from Las Vegas that will play a Texas team. That state is a hotbed for high school football, a place where you prove yourself, and Liberty and Faith Lutheran also will compete against its best.

Our college team may not be a power, but with coach Tony Sanchez leading the way, it may be a matter of time before UNLV becomes a winning program.

And apparently, we love the Raiders. Davis’ son, Mark, is trying to persuade officials to help the franchise build a multibillion-dollar stadium here, adding Las Vegas to the fraternity of NFL cities. We can imagine how a football weekend would feel with the Raiders in town.

So get pumped for the season ahead with wagering tips, reasons to see the Rebels, stats on high school’s dream senior class and insider thoughts on a Vegas Raiders reality.

'It's the Raiders or bust for Las Vegas:' A team insider takes on our city's NFL buzz

Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis stands with local Raiders fans after a meeting of the Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee on Thursday, April 28, 2016, at UNLV.

Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis stands with local Raiders fans after a meeting of the Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee on Thursday, April 28, 2016, at UNLV.

John Tournour — aka J.T. The Brick — is a longtime voice of the Silver and Black. He has worked with the Raiders for nearly 20 years as a pregame and postgame radio host, preseason broadcaster and part of the team’s official podcast. The Brick also is a Las Vegas resident. So who better to ask about a Raiders move?

Do you think the Raiders would be a good fit here?

Well, I want to start off by saying that I think they are a great fit in Oakland. I’m not here to bring the Raiders to Las Vegas. The majority of their fans are in Oakland, but because there don’t seem to be any more options left in Oakland and there are no negotiations ongoing and the government officials up there don’t seem to have any interest in making this a priority, I think Vegas is the perfect fit.

It’s a huge entertainment and travel destination, and I believe the city of Las Vegas would love to support a global brand like the Raiders. I don’t think the city could support every NFL team, but the Raiders are one of only four or five in the entire league that are well-known globally and have a global fan base, and Vegas is a global city.

So you think the Raiders would be better off staying in Oakland?

If all things were equal, I wouldn’t want any team to leave their city. I don’t want to see fan bases losing their teams. I’m not a fan of that.

If it doesn’t work in Oakland, I think Vegas would be the perfect fit because of the UNLV connection. UNLV needs a stadium for that program to go to the next level, and I think if the Raiders come here, they would probably be the top road destination for fans throughout the NFL.

Do you think Las Vegas is ready for pro sports?

Absolutely. There are billion-dollar casinos with all these hotel rooms. There’s a rabid sports fan base here in town, and the NFL is a completely different entity than hockey. I mean hockey is a drop in the bucket compared to the NFL. ... Hockey would be great because Vegas likes live entertainment and live sports, but there’s no comparison to what a football team could do, and the recognition that football could bring to the city, to take this city to the next level.

It has one chance to get a football team, and it’s right now and it’s the Raiders. If this doesn’t happen they are not getting another one anytime soon. There’s not another team that’s coming or I think would be a fit here, including the Chargers or the Jaguars or any other team. It’s the Raiders or bust for Las Vegas.

What can an NFL team do for a community?

It brings the community, and the city, together. People have a place to get together and root for a common goal, for a winning team, and the Raiders would do an incredible job within the community.

Working for the Raiders for close to 20 years, I’ve seen what the players and the organization do within the community to raise money for charity. They deeply get involved in the educational process from grade schools up to high schools. They are involved in so many different charities, and the Raider family, which was Al Davis and is now Mark Davis, really insists that players in the organization get behind the community. ... The Raiders are one of the best teams in all of sports when it comes to community outreach.

Are Mark Davis and the Raiders really serious about Las Vegas, or are they just using it as leverage to get the stadium they want in Oakland?

I think it has nothing to do with leverage. Mark Davis has been very honest, sincere and forthcoming with the Vegas community. He has been telling everybody exactly what he wants. If they cooperate in getting the stadium here, then he is coming.

This is the priority of the Raiders now, and the focus is to come to Vegas because the options seem to be done in Oakland. I don’t think he’s using this as leverage because there’s no potential deal that would look anything like a multibillion-dollar domed stadium in Las Vegas that could secure the Raiders brand for the next 50 years.

Mark Davis wants to win, and he wants to secure the Raiders’ future. And it looks like Vegas is the best way to secure the franchise’s future for decades to come.

Raider Nation is already here

Former Oakland Raiders running back Napoleon McCallum poses with local Raiders fans outside a meeting of the Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee at UNLV Thursday, April 28, 2016.

Former Oakland Raiders running back Napoleon McCallum poses with local Raiders fans outside a meeting of the Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee at UNLV Thursday, April 28, 2016.

If the Raiders move to Las Vegas, expect a legion of local fans in silver and black — chains, spikes and face-paint included ­— to make noise.

One of several such clubs in Southern Nevada, Raider Nation Las Vegas, is more than 600 members strong. Jack Slammy started it about eight years ago when he moved from Oakland.

On games days, the Dive Bar on Maryland Parkway and Flamingo Road is packed with Raider faithful. Slammy says many are from Los Angeles and Oakland, but there are plenty of Las Vegas natives. They add up to about 150 people on game days, and Slammy expects that number to climb.

“Of course everybody is excited that they could come here, but there’s more excitement now because the team is really valid,” Slammy said. “We finally have a strong team.”

After an impressive sophomore year with 32 touchdown passes, quarterback Derek Carr leads an exciting offense featuring running back Latavius Murray and former first-round wide receiver picks Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper.

“Raider fans like to be loud,” Slammy said. “We are probably more critical of our own team than anyone else, and after the past 15 years of mediocrity, we’ve gotten the reputation of being rough.”

The violent rep of fans in the “Black Hole” is a popular rationale for those who oppose a Raiders move. “The fans are just emotionally invested; it never gets violent. Well, unless it’s a game against the Chiefs or 49ers,” Slammy joked.

For years, the NFL has been strictly against a team in Las Vegas, but if any team fits this city, it’s the Raiders.

“They go right along with the rebel attitude, which goes along with the home team,” Slammy said. “Vegas is the Wild West, and back in the glory years the Raiders were known as a shootout team.”

With a stadium plan nowhere close to being finalized, Raider Nation must temper its excitement now.

“Most of the diehard lifers are just biting their tongues and waiting,” Slammy said. “We don’t want to get too happy yet, but it would be neat. If it does happen, it’s going to be crazy. We are going to have booster clubs all over town, and this is going to be one big party.”

And for Raider fans in Oakland who want to continue supporting the team, it’s about a 90-minute flight from the Bay Area to the valley.

Airfare is reasonable, too. Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air, for instance, will launch a route connecting the two cities in October, and other low-cost carriers advertise weekend round-trip rates for less than $200.

5 reasons to love the Rebels

UNLV head coach Tony Sanchez and his players get ready in the tunnel to meet San Jose State on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015, at Sam Boyd Stadium.

UNLV head coach Tony Sanchez and his players get ready in the tunnel to meet San Jose State on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015, at Sam Boyd Stadium.

Most Las Vegans are split when it comes to UNLV football: Those who’ve lost interest, and those who never cared. That’s understandable, considering the Rebels have been defeated 63 times in the past six seasons. But here’s one fan’s take on why UNLV deserves a fresh look:

1. Tony Sanchez. College football has too many coaches like Alabama’s Nick Saban and Ohio State’s Urban Meyer, who act like honors graduates from the Dick Cheney School of Joylessness. Sanchez, UNLV’s second-year coach, isn’t one of those guys. He’s positive, animated and scrappy, and he has great quirks — like always taking the ball if he wins the coin flip. “If I have an opportunity to get the ball, I’m getting the ball,” he has said. “I don’t care when the hell it is.”

2. Tickets are affordable — and then some. UNLV is offering season tickets in the end zone for $21.66-$130 a game. Other options include a mini-pack with a ticket to the regular-season finale against UNR and another game of the buyer’s choice for $40. At Alabama, the base season ticket price is $435, and you have to be a contributor to the university to get one.

3. The team is capable of surprises. This is related to Point No. 1, but the few-and-proud who saw the Rebels’ win last year against UNR in Reno know that Sanchez’s players are capable of doing something that fans hadn’t seen in a long time: overachieve. UNLV had little business beating its favored rival on the road, but the Rebels found a way. Watching the Reno-ites trudge out of their stadium in the cold rain made you appreciate cold rain.

4. The stadium. Great weather, grand view: Sam Boyd suffers from an inconvenient location and acres of dirt parking lots, but it’s a pleasant place to watch a game. Beats sitting in arctic cold (Michigan, Ohio State), out on some wind-scoured patch of flat ground (Oklahoma, Nebraska) or among a bunch of spoiled, perennial-powerhouse fans who whine every time their team doesn’t play perfectly (basically any SEC team).

5. This could be a ground-floor year. The best-case scenario for fans this season is to say they were there when the team turned around. Worst-case, they’re out $20 for an enjoyable evening.

High School Football: Las Vegas football's best senior class

Members of the Desert Pines High football team pose for a photo at the Las Vegas Sun's high school football media day July 20, 2016 at the South Point. They include, from top left, Poutasi Poutasi, Edgar Burrola, Randal Grimes. Middle left, Jalen Graves,  Eddie Heckard, Jauta'e Collins. Bottom left, Tony Fields, Isaiah Morris, and Marckell Grayson.

Members of the Desert Pines High football team pose for a photo at the Las Vegas Sun's high school football media day July 20, 2016 at the South Point. They include, from top left, Poutasi Poutasi, Edgar Burrola, Randal Grimes. Middle left, Jalen Graves, Eddie Heckard, Jauta'e Collins. Bottom left, Tony Fields, Isaiah Morris, and Marckell Grayson.

It seemed like a daily occurrence last spring at Arbor View High. A college coach would be on campus recruiting defensive lineman Greg Rogers when a member of the faculty would hustle down to the football office.

“They’d come running over and want to take a picture with the college coach,” Arbor View coach Dan Barnson said. “We have so many adults on campus with a connection to the college. They’d put the photo on Facebook, and it would blow up.”

Coaches are coming to town for more than Rogers, a 6-foot-4, 310-pound senior who is choosing among Oklahoma, UCLA, USC, Colorado and Arizona. The graduating class of 2017 is arguably the best Las Vegas has seen, with more than 20 players expected to sign with major Division I programs.

“Most coaches used to fly over (Las Vegas) and go straight for California,” Barnson said. “Now they are landing. They have to make the rounds because there is a lot of talent in this city.”

Bishop Gorman is a national brand, but it’s not the only school with quality players. At 3A classification Desert Pines, for instance, wide receiver Randal Grimes is committed to USC, and lineman Edgar Burrola and linebacker Tony Fields II are committed to Arizona.

A look at some of the 2017 standouts:

• Gorman wide receiver Tyjon Lindsey committed to Ohio State last week, giving the Buckeyes three verbal commitments from the two-time defending national champion. Quarterback Tate Martell and four-star defensive lineman Haskell Garrett also are going to Ohio State.

• Tony Wallace, who? When Desert Pines’ Tony Wallace was offered a scholarship to BYU, searches for his junior-season stats came up empty because the 5-foot-11, 170-pounder didn’t play last season. He’s super-athletic and full of potential — two traits recruiters look for. He also has offers from Colorado, San Diego State and UNLV.

• Rebels in on the action: When Tony Sanchez was hired at UNLV, he extended scholarship offers to local underclassman. Sanchez’s ability to gauge the strength of the 2017 class has paid off — two have verbally committed. Quarterback Marckell Grayson from Desert Pines is a three-year starter with great leadership skills. Linebacker Farrell Hester led Gorman in 2015 with nearly 100 tackles.

• Gorman’s great secondary: Defensive back Alex Perry and safety Bubba Bolden each has double-digit scholarship offers from a who’s who of programs, ranging from Ole Miss and Florida of the SEC to Pac-12 power USC. Both are four-star recruits.

• More talent: Centennial’s Jamaal Evans (Utah State), Liberty’s Ethan Dedeaux (San Diego State), Gorman’s Biaggio Ali-Walsh (Cal) and Poutasi Poutasi (Louisville) and Gorman’s Malik Hausman (Arizona) have given nonbinding verbal commitments to schools.

A football memory from bookmaker Jimmy Vaccaro

as told to Case Keefer

A young couple, probably in their early 30s, comes in to bet with us at South Point almost every single day during the football season.

We hadn’t seen the lady in exactly six months, since Super Bowl Sunday, until she came rushing in right before what was supposed to be kickoff of the Hall of Fame Game, the exhibition that starts the NFL preseason. She reached the counter and started to read off the wagers she wanted to make on Colts vs. Packers, but we had to stop her.

She didn’t realize the game had been canceled because of poor field conditions. When the ticket-writer informed her, she almost broke into tears. She couldn’t imagine waiting four more days for the start of the football season. It was insanity, like nothing I had ever seen before.

I find myself saying things like that a lot around this time of the year, where I continue to be amazed by the hold football has on our city. I never would have thought sports betting could get to this level when I helped open the Royal Inn sports book in 1975.

For the last 20 years, I’ve been saying we’ve reached the pinnacle and it’s not going to get any bigger. And for the last 20 years, I’ve been wrong.

So I’m done saying that this season. We took a record $4.2 billion in bets on sports throughout all of Nevada last year. I’d be willing to bet we hit $5 billion in 2016.

Football will be the biggest reason. It’s never gotten old to me, because there’s nothing like a full weekend of football in Las Vegas.

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