Friday, Dec. 21, 2001 | 9:45 a.m.
USC linebackers coach Nick Holt shouldn't have any trouble finding the Rebel Park practice field when the Trojans hold their first Las Vegas Bowl workout here tonight.
That's because the 39-year-old Holt was first a graduate assistant and then a linebackers coach for UNLV under former head coach Wayne Nunnely from 1987-89.
"(Nunnely) gave me my first college coaching break," said Holt, who had been an assistant coach at St. Mary's High School in Stockton, Ca., for only one year before that.
"I think what stood out from coaching there were some of the people I met. I still have some very close friends in Las Vegas. And we had some good players like Ickey Woods back then. I just wish we had been a little more successful."
Holt roomed with current UNLV equipment man Paul "Pooch" Pucciarelli as well as current Centennial High School coach Greg Murphy. Murphy's wife, Tina Kunzer-Murphy, is now the executive director of the Las Vegas Bowl.
"Pooch was the best man in my wedding," Holt said. "He's the best equipment man in the country. We're still very close. I talked to him last week and I'm looking forward to seeing him again while we're out here."
After leaving UNLV, Holt spent eight seasons as a defensive assistant at Idaho and then three more as defensive line coach at Louisville before coming aboard Pete Carroll's staff this season.
Although he spent his college days at the University of Pacific, where he earned all-Pacific Coast Athletic Association honors as a linebacker, Holt has strong ties to USC. His maternal grandfather was Clarence "Buster" Crabbe, USC's first All-American swimmer and a 1932 Olympic gold medalist before going on to Hollywood to star in roles as Tarzan, Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers.
"I knew him extremely well," Holt said. "He was the only granddad that I really knew. He was a very gifted athlete. The thing he always stressed to me was to work hard and sooner or later good things would happen."
The luncheon, which will be attended by the USC and Utah teams, is open to the general public. Tickets are $33 each and may be purchased through the MGM Grand Box Office at 891-7777.
The Trojans and Utes will also take part in Buffet Bowl at 5 p.m. Sunday at the Fremont Street Experience downtown. A pep rally featuring cheerleaders, bands and mascots will take place at 6:30 p.m.
The teams also will take part in a welcome reception at the ESPN Zone on Saturday afternoon, and selected players will visit pediatric patients at Sunrise Hospital on Sunday morning.
"I'd hoping to get between 3,500 to 4,000 people," Dave Copier, Utah director of athletic ticket sales, said. "We've been doing a lot to try and get people to go down there."
That included cutting the $50 ticket price to just $20 for Utah students.
"But I don't think we've sold 100 of those, " Copier said. "Most of (the students) have gone home already."
With temperatures near 60 degrees by Tuesday, Copier and Kunzer-Murphy are hopeful for a strong finish.
About 2,500 local tickets have been sold.
* BOWL NOTES: Utah sports information director Liz Abel said no decision has been made on whether first team all-Mountain West Conference tackle Doug Kaufusi will be allowed to play in Tuesday's game. Kaufusi was suspended for the Utes' season-ending loss at Air Force after it was learned he was facing two misdemeanor counts for his part in a January altercation in the front of his home. ... USC players received X-Box video game systems as gifts for participating in the bowl game. ... MSNBC.com ran a computer game simulation of Tuesday's contest and came up with Utah, behind four Ryan Kaneshiro field goals, pulling off a minor 19-10 upset. ... It should be noted that Kaneshiro has connected on just 8 of 14 real field goal tries this season. ... Brent Musberger, Gary Danielson and Jack Arute will announce the game for ABC television while Larry Kahn, who wa s UNLV's play-by-play announcer in 2000, will handle the national radio broadcast with Bruce Snyder doing the color.
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