Frank Thomas

Tarkanian Notable Sports Figures
Related Biography: UNLV President Dr. Robert Maxson
According to Michael Green, history professor at Community College
of Southern Nevada, you can’t assess Tarkanian without assessing Bob Maxson.
To their mutual chagrin, they are historically inseparable. . . . They became
embroiled in this terrible fight where neither man controlled his logic or
emotion. In a sense, they destroyed each other. Robert C. Maxson, formerly
senior vice president of academic affairs at the University of Houston, was
brought to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), as its new president
in 1984. His immediate mission was to upgrade the university’s academic
reputation, a goal that eventually brought him into conflict with Tarkanian
Rumors had long persisted that Tarkanian recruited students who
were good basketball players but lacked the necessary skills to succeed
academically. Although Maxson at first tried to make an ally of Tarkanian,
any relationship the two might have developed was blown away by Maxson’s
decision in 1990 to replace Tarkanian supporter Brad Rothermiel with
Dennis Finfrock as athletic director. Within two years, Tarkanian had
stepped down as basketball coach, but Maxson was not far behind him, resigning
in 1994.
Maxson in 1958 earned his bachelor’s degree in education and psychology
from the University of Arkansas at Monticello. He received a master’s
degree in education administration from Florida Atlantic University in
1967 and a doctorate in educational leadership from Mississippi State University
in 1970. After leaving UNLV in 1994, he was hired to serve as president
of California State University, Long Beach. Maxson is married to Dr.
Sylvia Parrish Maxson, and the couple has two children, Todd and Kimberly.
1978-1979 (21-8), the UNLV team saw no postseason
action during this period.
More Conflict
In August 1979 UNLV was restored to the full
rights and privileges of NCAA membership after satisfying
the penalties imposed by the association’s Committee
on Infractions. With a record of 23-9 for the
1979-1980 season, UNLV’s basketball team advanced
to the National Invitational Tournament (NIT), where it
finished in fourth place. The following season was the
weakest of Tarkanian’s career at UNLV with a record
of 16-12, but the Rebels bounced back in 1981-1982,
ending the regular season with a record of 20-10 and
advancing to the second round of the NIT. The Rebels
record improved to 28-3 in 1982-1983, on the strength
of which the team advanced to the second round of the
NCAA tournament.
In 1984 UNLV recruited Dr. Robert Maxson from the
University of Houston to serve as its new president and
hopefully create for the school a reputation for academic
excellence that would rival its glowing reputation as an
athletic powerhouse. Although both Maxson and
Tarkanian at first made an effort to get along, eventually
the two clashed, particularly after Maxson forced Brad
Rothermel to resign as athletic director and replaced
him with Dennis Finfrock, no fan of Tarkanian.
Although his conflict with the NCAA continued
throughout Tarkanian’s tenure at UNLV, it seemed to
have little effect on his effectiveness as a coach. The
Rebels finished the 1983-84 season with a record of 29-
6 and advanced to the third round of NCAA tournament.
1582
The following season, UNLV made it to the second
round of the NCAA tournament with a record of 28-4.
In 1985-1986, the team finished the season with a 33-5
record and advanced to the third round of the NCAA
tourney. Tarkanian’s team returned to the NCAA Final
Four at the end of the 1986-1987 season, during which it
compiled a record of 37-2.
UNLV Rebels Clinch NCAA Championship
The UNLV Rebels continued to shine over the 1987-
1988 and 1988-1989 seasons, advancing to the third and
fourth rounds of the NCAA tournament, respectively.
But greater glory lay ahead for Tarkanian’s team which
clinched the NCAA Championship in 1989-1990 after
finishing the season with a record of 35-5. Despite
NCAA attempts to bar the team from postseason play in
1990-1991, an agreement was struck to shift the postseason
ban to the following year. This paved the way for
another trip to the NCAA’s Final Four. Despite a brilliant
26-2 record in 1991-1992, UNLV, abiding by its
agreement with the NCAA, saw no postseason action.
Part of the agreement struck with the NCAA called for
Tarkanian to resign at the end of the 1991-1992 season.
He stepped down in March 1992.
Tarkanian next gave NBA ball a try, signing on as
head coach of the San Antonio Spurs. But his stint in pro
basketball was short-lived, ending when Tarkanian was
fired shortly after clashing with the team’s owner. In
1995 he returned to his alma mater to coach the Fresno
State Bulldogs. During his seven seasons as Bulldogs
coach, the team compiled a winning record of 153-80.
On March 15, 2002, Tarkanian stepped down as coach
and accepted a position as senior development consultant
with the university’s Save Mart Center. In June
2002, Tarkanian revealed that he had been diagnosed
with prostate cancer but expressed optimism that he
would be cured.
Despite his long-running battles with the NCAA,
Tarkanian will long be remembered as one of the winningest
coaches in college basketball history. After
Tarkanian left college basketball in March 2002, fellow
coach Mike Krzyzewski of Duke told the Associated
Press: “He’s had an amazing career. Jerry had consistent
high levels of success because his teams played hard defensively.
He’s one of the truly remarkable defensive
coaches.”
SELECTED WRITINGS BY TARKANIAN:
Winning Basketball Systems. Allyn & Bacon, 1981.
Winning Basketball. WCB/McGraw-Hill, 1983.
(With Terry Pluto) Tark: College Basketball’s Winningest
Coach. McGraw-Hill, 1988.
(With Don Yaeger) Shark Attack: Jerry Tarkanian and
His Battle with the NCAA and UNLV. HarperCollins,
1992.