Legendary college basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian died Wednesday at the age of 84 in a Las Vegas hospital, after battling a respiratory condition. Tarkanian was best known for heading up the swagged out UNLV Runnin’ Rebels from 1973-1992.
“Tark The Shark” coached several players that went on to make an impact in the NBA such as Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon, Armen Gilliam, Sidney Green, Reggie Theus, Greg Anthony and J.R. Rider all at UNLV. His 1990 Runnin’ Rebels squad infamously smashed through the NCAA Tournament before blasting Coach K’s Duke by 30 points in the title game.
Tarkanian took the Runnin’ Rebels to four Final Fours. He retired in 2002 with an overall 729-201 record in 31 years at the Division I level, ranking 12th all time.
