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Report: UNLV to build statue in honor of Jerry Tarkanian

Jerry Tarkanian

On April 8 former UNLV head coach received the honor that many felt was overdue, as he was officially named a member of the 2013 Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame class. And it looks as if “Tark the Shark” will be the recipient of another honor in the near future.

According to a report from the Las Vegas Sun, UNLV officials are expected to announce plans to construct a statue of the program’s greatest coach on Wednesday.

“We are spearheading an effort to work on a project honoring coach Tarkanian,” Jim Ratigan, executive director of the UNLV Alumni Association, said. “We’re still working on all the details.”

Sources confirmed that would include a statue located on the concourse outside of the Mack, Cox Pavilion and Mendenhall Center. It’s part of a larger project, the Jerry Tarkanian Legacy Project, that will also reportedly include a scholarship fund in Tarkanian’s name.


In 19 seasons at UNLV, Tarkanian won 509 games and led the program to four Final Four appearances and a national title in 1990. The floor at Thomas & Mack Center is named in his honor, and the proposed statue would be another deserved honor.

Tarkanian and the other 11 members of the 2013 Hall of Fame class will be inducted in a ceremony in Springfield, Mass. on September 8.

Raphielle also writes for the NBE Basketball Report and can be followed on Twitter at @raphiellej.