Fairless wants community college position

Spencer Patterson

Tuesday, May 26, 1998 | 11:08 a.m.

After coaching his team to its sixth straight state baseball title over the weekend, Rodger Fairless' run at Green Valley High School may be over.

Fairless said he wants to be considered for the head coaching position at the Community College of Southern Nevada, should intercollegiate athletics at the school be approved in the coming months by the Nevada Board of Regents.

"I'd like to get the community college job if it opens up, and I'm hoping that will happen in the next year," said Fairless, whose squad finished the 1998 season with a 33-2 record. "That's basically what my goal has always been."

The issue, which has become a hot topic in the state Legislature, is currently being studied by college faculty, students and community representatives for a vote scheduled for a Sept. 24-25 regents' meeting in Las Vegas.

"This city's been lacking a junior college athletic program," Fairless said. "At least 30 kids a year in baseball alone leave the state to play at a community college. That's not fair for parents to have to pay out-of-state tuition. I want to see seniors who graduate and aren't quite ready for a major college program have a chance to play where it's not costing parents so much."

Fairless, who led Valley High School to six state crowns between 1980 and 1989 before taking over the Gators' program, said hasn't decided whether he would return to Green Valley if he doesn't get the community college position.