Bair claws his way back into football

Steve Guiremand

Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2001 | 11:10 a.m.

It was not long ago that Brandon Bair was digging ditches while trying to make a living.

But now the 6-6, 310-pound senior offensive tackle from Basic High School is working in trenches of a different kind.

Bair is one of four senior starters on a UNLV offensive line that will be charged with the task of opening holes for a new core of running backs while also protecting franchise quarterback Jason Thomas this fall.

"He's doing things this training camp that he was never able to do before because he didn't have the upper body strength or mass that he does now," UNLV offensive line coach Rob Boras said.

"I've come a long ways, I feel," Bair admitted.

No kidding.

Despite getting scholarship offers from Utah State, UNLV and Texas Tech following his senior year at Basic, Bair found himself out of football for a couple of years.

"I was going to go on a (Mormon) mission and didn't end up going," Bair said. "I worked for a year. Then I had a friend who went to Cedar (City). I figured I better go to college and get an education."

Bair spent the 1997 spring season at Southern Utah University but never played a down for the Thunderbirds.

"I screwed off and my shoulder wasn't up to par," said Bair, who has had surgery to fix looseness on both of his shoulders. "After that semester I quit and decided to come back here. Then a GA (graduate assistant) named Sonny Kaufusi asked me if I wanted to try out for the team."

Bair decided to walk on. A few months later he was starting at left tackle for new head coach John Robinson despite the fact he weighed just 267 pounds -- very light by modern-day offensive line standards.

"I was working as many hours as I could, going to school and also playing football," Bair said. "I worked construction all the time, working in the ditches and sweating to death. I just sort of tapered my weight off in the process. That first season I was getting manhandled at times I guess."

But Bair has devoted himself to the weight room where strength coach Mark Philippi, a k a The World's Strongest Man, has helped him to gain both weight and strength to his large frame.

"Brandon Bair has made as much progress in the offensive line as any player I've coached," UNLV head coach John Robinson said. "He has developed size, strength and skill in dramatic fashion."