Tark leads class headed for Hall of Fame

He may be living and working in Fresno, Calif., these days, but Jerry Tarkanian's heart will always be in Las Vegas.

The longtime UNLV coach, who recently finished his third year at his alma mater, Fresno State, will be honored for his 19 years with the Rebels Friday when he, his 1977 team and four other individuals are inducted into the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame.

Joining Tark and his '77 Rebels, who went to the Final Four in Atlanta, are former Las Vegas High football star and UNLV booster Bill "Wildcat" Morris, former UNLV heptathlon standout Sheila Tarr-Smith, former Western High football star and New York Jet Lee White and former athletic administrator Angelo Collis.

"This is great," Tarkanian said of the honor. "Las Vegas has always been special to me. But to be inducted with that team and with Wildcat Morris makes it even more special.

"People don't realize how important Bill was to UNLV athletics. He helped get the McDermott (Physical Education) Complex built and he had a lot to do with the Thomas & Mack getting built.

"He was so influential. If I was going to list the most influential people during my 19 years at UNLV, he would be right up around the top."

Tarkanian's induction into the two-year-old Southern Nevada hall (Former Bishop Gorman football star David Humm was the inaugural inductee) may spark a chain reaction of honors for the coach. UNLV is expected to announce its 1998 Hall of Fame class shortly and word is Tarkanian will be a member. He only became eligible recently, having left the school in 1992 (a coach or athlete must be gone for at least five years before he warrants consideration).

UNLV inducts members into its hall every two years.

Tarkanian also has been nominated for the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. He has yet to receive the necessary votes for induction.

But he is very touched by this honor.

"It's always nice to be recognized and what makes it special is the people who are going in," he said. "They're all outstanding choices."

Tarkanian won 83 percent of his games during his 19-year run at UNLV. He went 509-105, took the Rebels to four Final Fours and won the national championship in 1990.

After leaving UNLV in 1992, Tarkanian took a couple of years off from coaching before returning to his alma mater in 1995. He has not enjoyed the same success he had at UNLV, going 63-36 in his three years with the Bulldogs.

This past season was particularly rough as Fresno dealt with myriad off-the-court problems but made it to the NIT semifinals and finished 21-13.

But it is his distant past that got Tark this honor. He recalls fondly that first trip to the Final Four in 1977.

"That was such a great team," he said of the squad which featured Eddie Owens, Reggie Theus, Robert Smith, Larry Moffett, Glen Gondrezick, Tony Smith, Sam Smith and Lewis Brown. "We were the first team to play up and down and with the pressure defense. It was a good group."

That team averaged 107 points, scored 100 or more 23 times, set 14 NCAA records at a time when there was no shot clock or 3-point line and went 29-3 before losing to North Carolina in the NCAA semifinals in Atlanta.

The '77 squad was inducted into the UNLV Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987. Gondrezick and Theus had their jersey numbers retired this past season.

Morris and Tarr-Smith also are UNLV hall members. Morris was inducted as a distinguished contributor in 1987 and Tarr-Smith, the national heptathlon champion in 1984, was inducted in 1997.

Tarkanian said he was looking forward to seeing a lot of old friends Friday at the Las Vegas Hilton, where the induction banquet will be held. He will be presented by longtime friend and Las Vegas restauranteur Freddie Glusman.

"I have so many great memories," Tarkanian said of his 19-year career at UNLV. "I'll never forget my time at UNLV."

The highlight, of course, was winning the national championship in Denver in 1990. The Rebels had rallied to defeat Georgia Tech in the semifinals, setting the stage for the title game against Duke.

Led by Final Four MVP Anderson Hunt, Stacey Augmon and Larry Johnson, UNLV produced the most lopsided victory in championship history, beating the Blue Devils, 103-73.

But for Tarkanian, there were plenty of other great moments, from the accomplishments of his '77 and '87 teams, to being around to witness the opening of the Thomas & Mack Center in 1983, to the night Johnson, Augmon and Greg Anthony were taken in the first round of the 1991 NBA draft, to his final game as UNLV coach in 1992, when his team capped a brilliant 26-2 season with 65-53 win over Utah State.

Tarkanian, who will turn 68 in August, isn't sure how much longer he's going to remain on the Fresno State sidelines. But he said he's looking forward to next year.

"I think we can be pretty good," he said of the Bulldogs, who received some good news last week when junior guard Chris Herren renounced his intentions of going pro and will return for his final season at FSU. "I never went through a season like this one. I think we may have had everybody at practice three times all year.

"But I still enjoy coaching and with Chris coming back, Courtney (Alexander) and Terrance (Roberson), we're going to be all right."

Still, the future can wait. Friday, the past takes center stage. It will be a time for nostalgia and a few laughs.

"I'm looking forward to it," Tarkanian said. "It should be a lot of fun."

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