Sad news again in the world of college basketball. Hall of Fame coach Jerry Tarkanian has passed away at the age of 84.
Tarkanian, also known as “Tark the Shark”, single-handedly built a basketball dynasty during his years on the bench at UNLV but his career was more defined by his decades-long battle with the NCAA.
Tarkanian had been hospitalized since Monday at Valley Hospital Medical Center in Las Vegas for a respiratory ailment and infection. He was rushed via ambulance to the hospital after his blood oxygen fell to dangerous levels.
“He fought and fought and fought,” said his son, Danny Tarkanian, to The Associated Press.
Tarkanian, known for chewing a towel on the bench, coached the Runnin’ Rebels to their best years in school history including a national title in 1990 with one of the most dominant teams in college basketball history.
As far as his battles with the NCAA, Tarkanian collected a $2.5 million settlement after suing the organization for trying to run him out of the game. In the end, Tarkanian was a bitter man about how he was treated by the NCAA and it bothered him for the rest of his life.
Photo source: Instagram
“They’ve been my tormentors my whole life,” Tarkanian said in 2002 at his retirement news conference. “It will never stop.”
After learning of Tark’s death, reaction came quick and swift.
“It’s another sad day for those who love college basketball and the people who have contributed so much to our game,” said North Carolina coach Roy Williams in a statement released Wednesday. “‘Tark’ was a great coach, better than people gave him credit for, and he loved college basketball.”
Tarkanian was elected to the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 2013, an honor in which many coaches thought was long overdue. Despite his declining health, Tark went on stage with a walker to accept the honor at his induction ceremony.
“I knew right from day one I wanted to be a coach,” Tarkanian said. “Coaching has been my entire life.”
Tarkanian won 729 games in a career that spanned 31 years with three Division I schools including 509 at UNLV in 19 years. His core concept of coaching was running and shooting with a high-flying offense and an aggressive defense.
“Everything had to be full-speed intense,” he once said. “A lot of coaches want guys to be loose for games. I never wanted them to be loose. I wanted their hands sweating, their knees shaking, their eyes bulging. I wanted them to act like we were going to war.”
In respect for the Hall of Fame coach, the city of Las Vegas lowered its flags to half-staff at City Hall on Wednesday.
R.I.P. Jerry Tarkanian.