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I’ve been asked about some of the big and memorable games we had in the Big West, and one of the big battles we had was with Fresno State.
They had a great coach in Boyd Grant. They were really good and had a great following. It was a big rivalry. Every time we played in Fresno, it was their biggest game.
People would wait in line, do anything they could to get a ticket to the UNLV-Fresno State game. It became a big, big rivalry. It was one out of respect. I always respected Boyd Grant.
I remember Cal State Fullerton, too. God, especially that year we were No. 1 in the country for a couple weeks. We were undefeated. That was the season Danny was a junior. It was 1982-83.
We open the season with Oklahoma. The Sooners were really tough. They had Wayman Tisdale. They were picked to finish way ahead of us. We weren’t even in the Top 20 going into the season.
I was out with friends before that game and I had a glass of ‘Kir,’ -- sounds like cure -- which is Creme de Cassis and Champagne. Felix Kir, the mayor of Dijon in Burgundy, popularized it when celebrating the end of the Second World War with friends and visiting delegations.
Then we upset Oklahoma at home, 65-54.
Sidney Green was a senior. Larry Anderson was a senior. We won our next 23 games. For two weeks, we were No. 1 in the country. It was the first time UNLV had been that way.
Before every game, I had a glass of ‘Cure.’
We went to play Fullerton. We were 24-0, No. 1. Danny was sick with a stomach flu, so he couldn’t play. We lost, 76-71. After the game, I remembered – I forgot to have that drink of ‘Cure.’
Then we flew to Morgantown, W.V., to play West Virginia on national television.
A group of boosters traveled with us, and I told them how, god darn, I forgot to drink ‘Cure’ before the Fullerton game and how that cost us.
When we got to Morgantown, those boosters rented a limo and we hit every bar in the city. Nobody knew what ‘Cure’ was. And we got beat in West Virginia, too.
We were 24-2 after that. Danny played in that game, which was incredible. He was so sick.
We went to the NCAA tournament and got a bye in the first round. We had to play North Carolina State in the second round. I didn’t know Jimmy Valvano well then.
We had to play them in Corvallis, Ore. Jimmy got to be one of my closest friends after that. He beat us, 71-70. We led the whole ball game.
In the last few minutes we made only two of seven free throws. They kept fouling us purposely. Still, we had a one-point lead with 40 seconds to go. They had the ball and were stalling.
They wanted Dereck Whittenburg to take the last shot. We defended him perfectly. He liked to drive to his right, so we switched Larry on him and Larry defended him perfectly.
Dereck missed the shot. Elridge Hudson, who had a bad knee, went up for the rebound and mistimed it. He was coming down when the ball bounced off the rim. He jumped too soon.
He was down when Thurl Bailey came flying through the air to tip it in with two seconds to go.
They beat us by one. It was one of the most painful losses I had, but I got to be great friends with Jimmy. He got to be one of my closest friends.
Next time, I’ll tell you more about Jimmy Valvano, and I’ll tell you about that fireworks show and some of my players who didn’t make it in the NBA.
i remeber those fresno state days,their fans were rabid,not to nice either.a friends car was vandalized up there when they went to see a game.but what hurt was tark going to coach fresno after he left us.seems like he got the same treatment from the ncaa,that they gave him here,too bad.i also remember when tark came back to the mack with fresno,if i remember correctly we won that game.felt bad for tark that day.keep writin tark,love the memories.
Hey Coach I was wondering if you could comment on your experiences with Jr Rider. Maybe give your thoughts on why he had so much trouble playing by the rules. I always thought it was very tragic that such a talented player wasted such a promising career.
Hey Rob? You may want to find out what the word "Kir" means in Persian (Farsi), before posting it as the coach's favorite drink. The literal translation is, ummm let's say, unflattering.
You may want to change the story back to just "Cure"...
Well, different words can mean different things in different languages, no? I'm not going to get carried away with this. By definition, that is the name of the apertif that is the combination of black courant liquer and Champagne. Folks can read into, or twist, something however they want. I could give you some very basic English words that mean something entirely different, and not G-rated, in Australia. And that's English. Relax
Oops, I botched a word or two. It's black currant, and liqueur. And Kir is a guy's last name. Let's skip translations and stick to what the word actually means in the context it is used.
Fresno State used to bring a pretty large crowd to the TMC in those days. I remember a game where they seemed to fill the upper deck. Whenever they made a great play, their fans would light lighters. It was quite a sight. I've never seen that at a basketball game, before or since.
Wow, pretty cool Fish. I'll run it by the Shark to get his thoughts.
Ya come on Rob, dont you know you should look up every word in the English language before you put it in an article? Come on what kind of journalist doesnt flip through the English-Farsi dictionary before posting your article?
How did this ever slip past the editor?
Man ease up Stl, noone cares about that mess.
Those games against Fullerton, West Virginia and NC State were the first Rebel games - and first college basketball games - I ever saw. I was 13 years old, and despite living in Vegas for almost 7 years at the time, didn't even know Vegas HAD a college!
I was hooked for life on the college game after watching the Rebels that season, and have been a fan ever since.
Over the next 25 seasons, I went from not even knowing UNLV or the Rebels existed until those games, to graduating from UNLV, teaching there for a few years, even getting engaged on the campus, and to becoming a lifelong fan of the Rebels and of the college basketball game.
A quarter century later, I still bleed scarlet and gray thanks to a few basketball games on local TV back in 1982-83!!
Coach Tark has had a tremendous impact for the better on so many lives, not just the players who played for him, but thousands of fans just like me whose lives took dramatically different directions because of a few basketball games.
Thanks for everything, Coach! Go REBELS!!
Man, I grew up going to Rebels games and can tell you exactly where I was when we won it all.
Thanks Tark, keep the memories alive.
Wow Rob, easy Buddy. I didn't mean to ruffle any feathers with my comment. If anything, it was a tongue'n cheek comment that was posted while I chuckled. I couldn't care less if the word is changed or not, and quite frankly I'm a bit disappointed to see how little you think of your readers' intelligence. I am quite aware of the fact that not many Persians read these articles, and the little word is not going to cause any problems. I did not "twist or read" anything into the word (as you implied), nor did I think twice about it. As a person who is fortunate to speak five languages, I am quite aware that a word in one language can mean something different (and in this case "offensive") in another. So in the grand scheme of things, it is not me who needs to "relax".
And BleedRebelRed? Grow up... :) What are you? 12 yo?
I was at the Fullerton UNLV game that year. Class of 79 HOA. When I think of college, I think of UNLV BBK and Tark. I was lucky to be a big guy that day as I almost got into a fight in that High School Gym at Cal State Disneyland that day just because I had a UNLV shirt on. To add insult to injury, after we lost, my car was spit on and my UNLV plate holder was ripped off. What Class!!!
Thanks Tark and I still deserved an A in your Theory of Basketball class in 1978!
Read your note again stl. It hardly comes off as tongue-in-cheek.
LB, expand on that Theory of Basketball class. Did he really teach that or, like stl, should I not take your actual words so literally?
:-)
Hahahaha am I 12? -No...but I like how you wanted so badly to try and impress those posting by adding you speak 5 languages. It was clear by your first post that you wanted to show everyone how you ar bi lingual.
Sounds like a kid in an adult conversation trying to impress...
I'm just glad you went with the languages bit to try and impress and not going with the toys you got for Christmas.
Wait ... Tark used to listen to The Cure before every game? Awesome - I grew up on that band. :D
Saw Tark at Smith's the day of the Colorado St game and he told me, "Aw, they'll win easily tonight." Nice to see he still can see it coming.
Theory of BBK was a class. Tark was the professor. Leid PE complex. He usually sent an Assistant, but there were lecures and tests and everything except an A for me.