R.I.P., Coach Tark

Former basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian died today at 84. He was a great coach and a thorn in the NCAA’s side for his entire career, a career in which he won 729 games and lost only 201 for three Division 1 universities, all in the West: Long Beach State, UNLV and Fresno State. He won one national championship and his UNLV teams had four thirty-win seasons.

He was as famous for his habit of chewing on a damp towel during games as he was for his courtside demeanor and his combativeness with the NCAA. There’s a statue of him outside the Thomas & Mack Center on the UNLV campus, the arena where the Running Rebels play their home games.

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