Tarkanian in the 1970–71 season as Long Beach State head coach
Biographical details
Born
(1930-08-08)August 8, 1930 Euclid, Ohio, U.S.
Died
February 11, 2015(2015-02-11) (aged 84) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Playing career
1950–1951
Pasadena CC
1954–1955
Fresno State
Position(s)
Guard
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1955–1957
San Joaquin Memorial HS
1957–1958
Antelope Valley HS
1958–1960
Redlands HS
1961–1966
Riverside CC
1966–1968
Pasadena CC
1968–1973
Long Beach State
1973–1992
UNLV
1992
San Antonio Spurs
1995–2002
Fresno State
Head coaching record
Overall
706–198 (college) 9–11 (NBA)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
NCAA Division I tournament (1990) 4 NCAA Regional – Final Four (1977, 1987, 1990, 1991) 14 PCAA / Big West regular season (1970–1973, 1983–1992) 9 PCAA / Big West tournament (1972, 1973, 1983, 1985–1987, 1989–1991) WCC regular season (1975) WAC tournament (2000) WAC regular season (2001)
Awards
UPI Coach of the Year (1983) WAC Coach of the Year (2001) WCAC Coach of the Year (1975) No. 2 retired by Fresno State Bulldogs
Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2013
Jerry Esther Tarkanian (August 8, 1930 – February 11, 2015) was an American basketball coach. He coached college basketball for 31 seasons over five decades at three schools. He spent the majority of his career coaching with the UNLV Runnin' Rebels, leading them four times to the Final Four of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, winning the national championship in 1990. Tarkanian revolutionized the college game at UNLV, utilizing a pressing defense to fuel its fast-paced offense. Overall, he won over 700 games in his college coaching career, only twice failing to win 20 games, while never having a losing season. Tarkanian was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.
Tarkanian studied at Pasadena City College and later Fresno State, earning a bachelor's degree while playing basketball. He was a head coach at the high school level before becoming a successful junior college coach at Riverside City College winning three state championships, and returned to Pasadena City College and led them to a state championship. In 1968, he moved to a four-year college at Long Beach State College. Tarkanian established a successful program built on former junior college players, who were typically considered second-rate by other four-year programs. He was also the rare coach who dared to start a predominantly black lineup. He compiled a 122–20 record over five years at Long Beach before moving to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). He transformed the small program into a national powerhouse while granting his players the freedom to express themselves. Known for his colorful behavior and affectionately referred to as "Tark the Shark", Tarkanian became a celebrity in Las Vegas. He left the Runnin' Rebels for a brief stint coaching professionally with the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association (NBA) before finishing his career at his alma mater, Fresno State.
Throughout his career, he battled accusations of rules violations from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), with each of his three universities suffering penalties. Tarkanian responded by challenging the organization to also investigate larger and more powerful universities.[1][2] The NCAA ordered UNLV to suspend him in 1977, but he sued the NCAA and continued coaching while the case was pending. The Supreme Court ruled against him in 1988, but he remained UNLV's coach after a settlement with the NCAA. Tarkanian sued them again in 1992, and the case was settled when he received $2.5 million in 1998.
^Dufrense, Chris (February 11, 2015). "Jerry Tarkanian always liked a good fight, as NCAA learned the hard way". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 13, 2015.
^Cite error: The named reference espn_02112015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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