Columnist Dean Juipe: Rumors have Riley landing at UNLV

Dean Juipe

Friday, Jan. 4, 2002 | 11:34 a.m.

Dean Juipe's column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His boxing notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at juipe@lasvegassun.com or 259-4084.

It's a rumor that had its origin in Southern California, appearing in print there a couple of weeks ago before it migrated to Las Vegas.

Since arriving here, it has been publicly discussed, privately speculated upon and at least marginally denied by one of its central figures.

Yet the notion of Mike Riley joining the UNLV football team's coaching staff and eventually replacing John Robinson as head coach has its merits. It's just that it may be a bit premature to put more than tacit stock in it.

Riley was fired this week as head coach of the NFL's San Diego Chargers, a move that had been expected for a few weeks and was made official upon completion of a 5-11 season.

Riley was 14-34 in three seasons with the Chargers, a franchise that has had only three winning seasons in the past decade. That the Chargers didn't win more than five games this season surprised no objective viewers of the situation, but it was held against Riley because the addition of Norv Turner as offensive coordinator was thought to be a significant move from the perspective of the team's brass.

At any rate, Riley's out and his immediate reaction was to infer that he might stay away from football during the 2002 season and spend more time with his family, which includes a son who will be a senior in high school.

But here's where Robinson has some input.

Riley worked for Robinson at the University of Southern California between 1993 and 1996, serving as the Trojans' assistant head coach. Riley left that job to coach two seasons at Oregon State, while Robinson eventually relocated to Las Vegas to resuscitate the UNLV program and, as of this week, add the school's athletic director's duties to his daily routine.

Those who know him best vary on this specific topic: How long will he continue to coach the Rebels? Some say it may be up to three more seasons, while others swear he'd get out after next season if he had someone such as Riley lined up to succeed him.

Hence the proposition that Riley join the Rebel staff as a badly needed quarterback coach for Jason Thomas in 2002, followed by his ascension to head coach in 2003.

It's a fairly attractive and plausible scenario from UNLV's viewpoint, and it's one the city's media would welcome due to Riley's reputation as accessible and accommodating.

The subject was a constant if hushed point of discussion during Sunday's basketball doubleheader at the Thomas & Mack Center, and a local TV commentator asked Robinson about it. He responded by saying he hadn't had any contact with Riley of late, and we'll have to assume that's true.

But there's plenty of time to contact Riley and Robinson has both personal and professional reasons to do so if he's inclined.

No one's trying to rush Robinson or get him off the sidelines and into an office full time. Yet there's talk that he's keenly focused on becoming a first-rate A.D. and might relinquish his coaching responsibilities sooner than many of us think.

If that's the case and if Riley's agreeable, this rumor that's making the rounds may prove to have more than a token validity.