Jerry Tarkanian facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jerry Tarkanian

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 Tarkanian (born August 8, 1930 – died February 11, 2015) was a famous American basketball coach. He coached college basketball for 31 seasons. He spent most of his career with the UNLV Runnin' Rebels. He led them to the Final Four of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament four times. In 1990, his team won the national championship. Tarkanian changed college basketball with his fast-paced offense and strong defense. He won over 700 games in his college coaching career. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.

Tarkanian studied at Pasadena City College and Fresno State. He played basketball while earning his degree. He started coaching high school teams. Then he became a successful junior college coach. He won three state championships at Riverside City College. He also won a state championship at Pasadena City College. In 1968, he moved to Long Beach State College. Tarkanian built a strong program there. He often used junior college players. He also started many black players, which was rare then. He had a great record of 122 wins and 20 losses at Long Beach. Then he moved to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). He turned UNLV into a national basketball powerhouse. He was known for his fun personality. People affectionately called him "Tark the Shark". He became a celebrity in Las Vegas. After UNLV, he briefly coached for the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He finished his coaching career at his old school, Fresno State.

Throughout his career, Tarkanian had disagreements with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The NCAA sets rules for college sports. Tarkanian felt the NCAA was unfair to smaller schools. He even sued the NCAA twice. The second lawsuit was settled in 1998. He received $2.5 million.

Who Was Jerry Tarkanian?

His Early Life

Tarkanian playing for Fresno State in 1954–55

Jerry Tarkanian was born in Euclid, Ohio, in 1930. His parents were Armenian immigrants. His mother, Rose, survived the Armenian genocide. Jerry's father passed away when Jerry was 13 years old. Jerry loved sports, but his stepfather did not approve. However, his mother encouraged him to play. He went to Pasadena High School. He then played basketball at Pasadena City College in 1950–51. Later, he transferred to Fresno State College. He played as a backup guard in 1954–55. After graduating from Fresno State, he earned a master's degree.

Starting His Coaching Career

Tarkanian began coaching high school basketball in California. He coached at San Joaquin Memorial High School. Then he moved to Antelope Valley High School and Redlands High School. After that, he coached at the junior college level. He coached at Riverside City College from 1961 to 1966. He also coached at Pasadena City College from 1966 to 1968. He led his teams to win four California junior college championships. Three were at Riverside, and one was at Pasadena.

Coaching at Long Beach State (1968–1973)

In 1968, Tarkanian became a Division I coach. He coached at Long Beach State. He was one of the first coaches to break an unwritten rule. This rule said that most starting players had to be white. Tarkanian also started using many junior college athletes. Other coaches often overlooked these players. Long Beach State reached the NCAA tournament four times in a row. They became a strong team in their region.

In 1971, Long Beach State played against UCLA. UCLA was coached by the legendary John Wooden. Long Beach State was leading at halftime. But UCLA won the game 57–55. Tarkanian wanted to avoid being in UCLA's shadow. So, he accepted an offer to coach at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) in 1973.

Coaching at UNLV (1973–1992)

Before Tarkanian arrived, UNLV's basketball program was not very good. Fans didn't pay much attention to it. But Tarkanian changed everything. He coached the Runnin' Rebels from 1973 to 1992. He even suggested calling the team the "Runnin' Rebels." His teams played a fast-paced, exciting style of basketball. They had strong defense and quick offense. They often turned close games into big wins.

His UNLV teams reached the Final Four four times. In 1977, they lost to North Carolina in the semifinals. In 1987, they were defeated by Indiana. Then, in 1990, Tarkanian led UNLV to the championship! They won against Duke with a score of 103–73. This was the biggest win margin in a championship game ever. The 1990–91 team was undefeated, with a 34–0 record. They were expected to win again. But they lost to Duke in the national semifinals.

Tarkanian announced he would leave UNLV after the 1991–92 season. He led his last team to a 26–2 record. He won his final game 65–53 against Utah State.

Coaching the San Antonio Spurs (1992)

In 1979, Tarkanian was offered the job to coach the Los Angeles Lakers. But he decided to stay in college basketball. In 1992, he was hired to coach the San Antonio Spurs. This was an NBA professional team. However, he disagreed with the Spurs' owner about players. Tarkanian was fired after only 20 games. His record with the Spurs was 9 wins and 11 losses. He received a $1.3 million payment. He used this money to help fund a lawsuit against the NCAA.

Coaching at Fresno State (1995–2002)

Tarkanian returned to college coaching in 1995. He went back to his old school, California State University, Fresno. He coached the Fresno State Bulldogs until 2002. He led them to six straight seasons with 20 or more wins. The Bulldogs played in five NIT tournaments and two NCAA tournaments. He retired from coaching in 2002. He had 778 career wins in Division I college basketball.

Tarkanian and the NCAA

Jerry Tarkanian spent much of his coaching career dealing with the NCAA. The NCAA is the main organization for college sports. Tarkanian believed the NCAA was tougher on smaller schools. He felt they were not as strict with bigger, more powerful universities.

After he left Long Beach State, their basketball program faced penalties. These were for issues that happened while he was coaching. Later, at UNLV, the NCAA tried to suspend him in 1977. Tarkanian sued the NCAA. He argued that the suspension was unfair. He continued coaching while the case was ongoing. The Supreme Court of the United States eventually ruled against him in 1988. But he remained UNLV's coach after a new agreement with the NCAA.

After being fired from the Spurs, Tarkanian sued the NCAA again. He claimed they had bothered him for over 20 years. In 1998, the NCAA settled the case. They paid him $2.5 million.

His Amazing Legacy

Tarkanian was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013. Many coaches felt this honor was long overdue. People believed his disagreements with the NCAA had delayed it. ESPN said Tarkanian "helped revolutionize the way the college game was played." Coach Larry Brown said Tarkanian "influenced a lot of coaches." Coach Mike Krzyzewski added that Tarkanian "taught pressure man-to-man defense as well as anyone has ever done."

Tarkanian was an innovator. His teams used a pressing defense. This forced opponents to make mistakes. These mistakes led to his team's fast-paced offense. He was also one of the first coaches to use the three-point shot effectively. The NCAA added this shot in 1986. Tarkanian often recruited players that other coaches ignored. He took chances on junior college students or those with difficult pasts. His players often came from urban areas. He let his team express themselves freely. Tarkanian was great at bringing different personalities together. They played with a unique confidence.

Tarkanian transformed UNLV. It went from a small college to a national powerhouse. UNLV sweatshirts became popular across the country. Tarkanian became a celebrity. Tickets to UNLV games were hard to get. Famous people like Frank Sinatra and Bill Cosby often attended. The Rebels became the most important team in Las Vegas. Their pregame shows included light shows and fireworks. His success at UNLV helped other smaller colleges become successful too.

In 2005, the basketball court at UNLV's arena was named "Jerry Tarkanian Court." A bronze statue of Tarkanian was placed outside the arena in 2013. Since 2012, Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas has hosted the Tarkanian Classic. This is a high school basketball tournament. In 2014, Fresno State retired Tarkanian's No. 2 jersey. This was from his college playing days. A middle school in Southern Highlands, Nevada, is also named after him and his wife, Lois.

Other Interesting Facts

Jerry Tarkanian had small acting roles in a few movies. He was in The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh (1979), Honeymoon in Vegas (1992), and Blue Chips (1994).

Jerry Tarkanian was married to Lois Tarkanian. She was a city councilwoman in Las Vegas. They had four children and ten grandchildren. One of their sons, Danny Tarkanian, was a college basketball player for his father at UNLV. He later ran for political office in Nevada.

Tarkanian was good friends with college basketball coach Bob Knight. They coached against each other in the 1987 NCAA Final Four. Knight's Indiana Hoosiers won that game.

He also started a basketball school in Las Vegas. It is called The Tarkanian Basketball Academy.

His granddaughter, Dannielle Diamant, played for the Northwestern University women's basketball team.

Jerry Tarkanian passed away on February 11, 2015. He was 84 years old. He died at Valley Hospital Medical Center in Las Vegas. The city of Las Vegas lowered its flags to half-staff to honor him. The casinos along the Las Vegas Strip dimmed their lights for him on February 18.

Head Coaching Record

College

Note: The record of 784–202 includes six NCAA tournament games and 49 games that were later removed from the official record by the NCAA. Without these games, his record would be 729–201.

Images for kids

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  Tarkanian playing for Fresno State in 1954–55