Jerry Tarkanian led the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels to 10 straight Big West titles and an NCAA Championship in 1990.
Former UNLV Runnin’ Rebels coach Jerry Tarkanian has passed away at age 84 after years of battling health issues.
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CBS News reported that Tarkanian passed away late in the morning on Wednesday, as announced by his son Danny Tarkanian via Twitter:
Coach Tark, my father, the greatest man I have ever known, passed today, to take his place in heaven. I will miss him every day of my life.
— Danny Tarkanian (@DannyTarkanian) February 11, 2015
Tarkanian turned the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels into one of the premier NCAA dynasties of the 1980s and early-1990s, winning 10 straight Big West conference titles from 1982 to 1992. In his first nine trips to the NCAA Tournament during that span, the Runnin’ Rebels made two Sweet 16 appearances, one Elite Eight appearance, one Final Four appearance and an NCAA Championship win over Duke in 1991.
In a nearly 30-year NCAA coaching career with UNLV, Long Beach State and Fresno State, Tarkanian compiled a 784-202 regular season record and had 5 undefeated seasons in the Big West conference. He has the 6th highest winning percentage of any coach with at least 600 wins, and is 4th among coaches with at least 700.
Tarkanian also gained notoriety for his various feuds with the NCAA, famously winning a $2.5 million settlement against them for harassing him over unproven recruitment violations.
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