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Jerry Tarkanian’s Hall of Fame Induction speech (VIDEO)

Jerry Tarkanian, Bill Walton

Inductee Jerry Tarkanian, below, receives a warm welcome from the crowd as Hall of Famer Bill Walton, top, applauds during the enshrinement ceremony for the 2013 class of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame at Symphony Hall in Springfield, Mass., Sunday, Sept. 8, 2013. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

AP

Jerry Tarkanian, who guided UNLV to the 1990 NCAA title, was one of a dozen new members inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this weekend in Springfield, Mass.

Tarkanian is currently 83 years old, and unfortunately his health has been declining, which limited his Hall of Fame enshrinement weekend. During Saturday afternoon’s press conference, he did not make an opening speech, though he did get the loudest ovation from the crowd. When he did respond to the media’s questions, his voice was soft and his answers were short.

“This took me by surprise,” Tarkanian told NBC Sports on Saturday.

In his pre-recorded speech, his wife Lois reads the first portion, in which Tarkanian explains about his background as the son of an Armenian immigrant. Midway through Tark the Shark was able to personally thank his friends in the basketball community.

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