Source - Hall of Fame coach Jerry Tarkanian, who built a basketball dynasty at UNLV but was defined more by his decades-long battle with the NCAA, died Wednesday after several years of health issues. He was 84.
Huge loss for the basketball world. One of the first true opponents to the corruption of college athletics. On the court he was a genius, never once coached a team with a losing record. At UNLV, he had one of the most prominent college basketball programs in the country. All throughout the 80s and into the 90s he managed to lead his team to the tournament, and it wasn't uncommon to see them go pretty far. But that's not what Coach Tark will be remembered for most. Not by a long shot.
No one defined the term "player's coach" like Jerry Tarkanian. It might sound sappy, but this is a guy who gave legitimate hope to a lot of troubled kids. For decades he exemplified what a basketball coach should be. On the court you teach discipline, off the court you just teach. Coach Tark was never the kind of coach who believed that his work ended when he left the gym. Instead, he constantly included himself in the lives of his players and did his best to help them whenever he could. And even if he couldn't help them, he always made himself available in other aspects of his players' lives outside of the game. Simply put, they just don't make 'em like Jerry Tarkanian anymore.
RIP Coach.
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