CB Brisco goes for the gold

Steve Guiremand

Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2000 | 10:04 a.m.

It seems only fitting that Amar Brisco earned a starting cornerback spot for the UNLV football team this season.

After all, it is an Olympic year. And the Olympics seem to bring out the best in the Brisco family.

Amar's aunt, Valerie Brisco-Hooks, won three gold medals at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, winning the 200 and 400 meters as well as running a leg on the 4 x 100 relay team.

"I was there," Amar said following practice at Rebel Park on Tuesday night. "Me, my mom, all my family was (at the Los Angeles Coliseum). I remember little things that happened. I think I was 6 years old when she ran. I used to check out her gold medals all the time. It wasn't really like that big of thing. It was like she ran track and she was a normal person. I was never really star-struck by it or anything."

Amar Brisco also starred in track at Washington Prep High School in Los Angeles, winning the LA City long jump crown as just a freshman.

He also was an excellent prep sprinter but decided to focus on football his senior year.

USC, Washington State and Arizona were among the schools that actively recruited Brisco. However, when he struggled to meet minimum NCAA test score requirements, some of those schools backed off. Enter UNLV.

"A lot of those schools wanted me to wait and come in at mid-year," Brisco said. "I wanted to hurry up and leave and get that college experience. So I decided to sign with UNLV."

That was back in 1995 when UNLV was still competing in the Big West Conference.

Because a wrist sidelined him for the entire 1996 season and a knee injury kept him from playing in 1998, Brisco was granted a rare sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA this past summer.

"Actually, I found out about it last year, but we had to reapply for it again this past summer," Brisco said. "There was no doubt that I wanted to come back because I love football. It was just a matter of the NCAA clearing me and granting me that extra year."

Brisco played in all 11 games in 1999 and had 22 tackles and two pass breakups. Still, he was expected to back up sophomore Jamal Wynn entering fall practice.

"All I was focused on was working on my weaknesses and getting better," Brisco said. "I prayed every night and gave it to God and let the chips fall where they may. I really was just worried about getting on the field and playing and contributing."

"Amar has matured over the last year," UNLV head coach John Robinson said. "He always was a fun guy and a happy-go-lucky kind of guy. Now he's matured into a very serious, very purposeful kind of guy. I've really been impressed with him.

"He's never had a great 40 time but he's fast," Robinson continued. "He's worked harder and increased his speed to where he's just about as fast as anybody on the team. He's always been cat-like but people worried about 40 times. He's also played very well and kind of earned that job."

With junior Kevin Thomas, the Mountain West Conference's preseason defensive player of the year, back starting at the other corner, Brisco expects to be tested early and often this year.

"More than likely that's what will be going down," Brisco said. "In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they tested both of us. I mean, last year was last year. So they're going to see what (Thomas) has and they're really going to see what I've got. I think I'll see my share of passes until I prove myself."

The 6-4, 225-pound senior, whom Robinson said on Monday would likely miss this week's game with a separated shoulder, was back on the practice field on Tuesday night at Rebel Park.

"It was a mild separation," trainer Kyle Wilson said. "He felt like he was ready to play again."