Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

UNLV-UNR game puts families’ team loyalties to the test

rivalry17

Justin M. Bowen

George Jaekle and Lorry Kristal are parents of two kickers, one who played for UNR and one who plays for UNLV.

Updated Saturday, Oct. 2, 2010 | 12:31 p.m.

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James Dean Leavitt, chairman of the Board of Regents, with his neutral license plate.

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Spouses Erin Russell and Trevor Hayes back different teams.

The Fremont Cannon Rivalry

KRNV takes a look at the Fremont Cannon and the UNLV-UNR rivalry.

The Rebel Room

A look at UNR with the Reno Gazette-Journal's Dan Hinxman

In preparation for this Saturday's Battle for the Fremont Cannon at Sam Boyd Stadium between UNLV and Nevada-Reno, Ryan Greene chats with Reno Gazette-Journal columnist Dan Hinxman for a closer look at the No. 25 Wolf Pack. You'll find out just how Chris Ault's team is approaching this one mentally, along with who are some key names, outside of the obvious, to keep in mind.

UNLV vs. UNR

  • UNLV Rebels (1-3 overall, 1-1 MWC) vs. Nevada-Reno Wolf Pack (4-0 overall, 0-0 WAC)

  • Where: Sam Boyd Stadium

  • When: 7:00 p.m.

  • Coaches: Bobby Hauck 1-3 in his first season at UNLV and 81-20 in eight overall seasons; Chris Ault is 210-96-1 in his 26 seasons at UNR, which is his first only coaching job.

  • Series: UNR leads, 20-15

  • Last time: UNR won, 63-28, on Oct. 3, 2009, in Reno.

  • Line: UNR by 21

  • TV/Radio: The Mtn./ESPN Radio 1100-AM

  • Rebel to watch: He's listed as questionable with an arm injury, but senior safety-turned-linebacker Calvin Randleman has been an active animal on the defensive side of the ball for the Rebels, leading the team so far in tackles (26) and tackles for loss (3). He's getting an opportunity to shine under the new coaching regime, and against a team that runs as much as UNR does, if he can sniff a few plays out, he could cause a few disruptions.

  • Wolf to watch: It doesn't take a genius to figure out that every bit of UNR's offensive success revolves around 6-foot-6 dual-threat senior quarterback Colin Kaepernick. He's absolutely feasted on UNLV in each of his two career starts against the in-state rivals, and unless the Rebels can throw the red-hot signal-caller off, he could continue to pad his fledgling Heisman Trophy resumé.

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Trevor Hayes and Erin Russell look the part of the perfect married couple.

The central Las Vegas residents have a lot in common. They both studied journalism as undergrads, both work at law firms and serve on the boards of their college alumni associations.

But nothing hides the fact that Hayes is red and Russell is blue. And no, we’re not talking Nevada politics.

Hayes is a staunch Rebels fan, and Russell is a Wolf Pack fanatic. They may eat, sleep and live under the same roof, but when they get to Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday, they sure as hell aren’t going to tailgate with each other.

“UNLV is a nationally recognized brand,” Hayes, 37, said unabashedly. “UNR is not on the same level as we are.”

“That’s easy for him to say, but we were the big winners last year,” countered Russell, 32. “UNR currently has the Fremont Cannon, and we’ve had it for the past five years.”

The UNLV-UNR rivalry has existed since UNLV ­— called Nevada Southern when it was created in 1951 — branched off from the University of Nevada in Reno in 1965. Four years later, the Rebels and the Wolf Pack met for the first time, and the fight over the Fremont Cannon began.

The rivalry has transcended the football field. Like the Civil War, it’s a cultural battle between the North and South — in this case of the state.

Reno has the historical advantage. Established 77 years before its southern offshoot, UNR has positioned itself as Nevada’s university, hailing itself as just “Nevada.”

“The school has been around since 1874,” Russell said. “Being the first university in the state, that represents history and nostalgia.”

As Las Vegas grew, UNLV gained more political clout, especially on the historically UNR-heavy Board of Regents, which oversees both schools. Funding, which had always been skewed to Reno, became more equal as UNLV’s academic and athletic programs grew.

“To me, Reno’s is just some school in the hinterlands,” Hayes said. “We think about them once a year.”

But as with all school rivalries, bragging rights are determined on the gridiron.

The rivalry is personal for Ben Jaekle, a kicker for UNLV. The 22-year-old senior has somewhat of a grudge against a former kicker for UNR: his 24-year-old brother, Brett.

“It’s an experience of your whole life to play against your own brother,” Ben said. “These teams are so competitive against each other. It’s a great rivalry.”

Ben and Brett played against each other for the Fremont Cannon three times until Brett graduated in 2008. Each time, the trophy has returned to Reno, a fact that Ben says is sometimes tough to handle.

“Brett likes to rub it in sometimes when he’s home,” Ben said, shrugging his shoulders. “He can give me all the hard time he wants.”

However, kin is kin and the Jaekles have refused to let the rivalry divide their family. When the brothers played each other from 2006 to 2008, their parents wore a custom-made split jersey: red on one side and blue on the other.

“It was weird,” said George Jaekle, the players’ father. “We would sit in one section and then move to the other.”

“You don’t root for the team,” added Lorry Kristal, the Jaekle brothers’ mother. “You root for the children. You want both children to be successful.”

And strange as it may sound, the rivalry actually brought the family together, Ben said.

“I only see (Brett) a few times a year, so when we get to see each other (at the games), it’s a good time,” Ben said, adding that since his brother graduated, his parents have dressed in all red.

“They’re Rebels fans now that he’s gone,” he said.

Although the Jaekles are outgoing supporters of the rivalry, some fans must tread lightly around the issue. James Dean Leavitt, chairman of the Board of Regents, is a Rebels fan who can’t always display his team spirit.

“Although I was elected out of the South, you have to put your system hat on once you become a member (of the board),” said Leavitt, who taught at UNLV’s Greenspun School of Communications from 1993 to 1998.

Leavitt is careful not to let his affiliation interfere with his duties on the board. He sports a license plate that reads “UNLV-UNR” to maintain a sense of objectivity.

“It’s a great rivalry now that they (will be) in the same conference,” Leavitt said, adding the board had worked for years to get UNR into the Mountain West Conference. “It’s going to make the game that much more important.”

And although today’s matchup may split some families onto opposite ends of Sam Boyd Stadium, the schools will always have a special place in many Nevadans’ hearts.

“When the two universities are not playing each other, I root for both teams,” Russell said. “Having grown up in Nevada and taking great pride in our state, I feel it’s important to support the achievements of all our Nevada schools.”

This story has been corrected. Erin Russell works in a law firm, but is not an attorney.

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