Former UNLV basketball coach and human muppet Jerry Tarkanian died today at 84. A great coach and a fun to guy watch when he was coaching, Tark enjoyed a lot of success in his life. RIP.
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I liked Tark when I was a kid. Those UNLV teams were fun to watch. Would have been awesome if he had completed the 90-91 season undefeated. They’re still considered one of the greatest teams in NCAA history.
Tark was beloved here in Las Vegas more than anyone I can think of; more than Wayne Newton, more than Elvis, more than Sigfried & Roy, even… the whole town seems kinda subdued today. It sucks.
How sad. I actually paid some attention to college b-ball during his time. He and his teams were great entertainment.
R.I.P.
It’s really tough to lose both Dean Smith and Tark the Shark within a week’s time. Two of the best of their era.
Tarkanian had his qualities (more on that in a minute), but he had a lot of gall playing the victim (and he did that his entire career).
Tarkanian WAS a notorious cheater. He DESERVED all the fines, sanctions and condemnation he received over the years. He could simply have admitted that with a wink and a grin. Instead, he got angry and bitter and trashed all his colleagues (“Yeah, well, I may be a cheater, but what about John Wooden and Sam Gilbert?”).
“Everbody does it” is an excuse we don’t take from little kids. It doesn’t sound any better coming from an 84 year old man. Tarkanian CHOSE to cheat, then whined how unfair it was that people called him a cheater.
Was he a great coach? Far from it. He proved that in his brief (but not brief enough) tenure with the San Antonio Spurs. He was a lazy coach who ran lax practices and didn’t have the work ethic or desire to learn the more complicated offenses and defenses of the NBA. As a game strategist, he was generally inept. As a judge of NBA-level talent, he was worse (nobody thought Lloyd Daniels was a sure-fire NBA star except Tark). It’s a cliche to say that some coaches don’t do anything except “roll out the balls,” but that’s a pretty fair assessment of Tark.
So… if he was a self-pitying cheater and a bad coach, what was the GOOD side I alluded to? I think Tarkanian really did care about his players, and even when he was cheating, I think he did so with honorable intentions.
What I mean is, Tarkanian would go into the inner city, see a great player with terrible grades and horrible SATs, and think, “Basketball is this kid’s ONLY chance for a better future. If he doesn’t get a college scholarship, he’ll probably be dead or in jail in a few years. I know he’s not college material, but, hey… I can get him out of the ghetto, get him some remedial reading and math, give him a little polish, and MAYBE even give him a shot at the NBA.”
I think Tarkanian had a genuinely good heart, and showed genuine concern for the inner city black kids he recruited. Yes, he was crooked, but I believe he truly thought he was doing some good.