Ron Kantowski hears from the people on proposal to scrap UNLV football

Monday, Nov. 20, 2006 | 7:34 a.m.

Who said UNLV football fans stopped caring about football?

Well, that would have been me. And based on the empty seats at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday afternoons, it's apparent that many have.

But not all.

My Thursday column that chronicled the program's futility over the past two decades and closed with a not-so-modest proposal of dropping it to save money elicited dozens of phone calls and e-mails from Rebels fans who do still care.

Here's a sampling of the responses:

UNLV football must go

Next time someone says UNLV is starting a lot of freshman and sophomores and that we should be patient, tell them this:

UNLV (1-9) has nine freshman or sophomores penciled in to start on Saturday.

BYU (8-2) has eight freshman or sophomores penciled in to start on Saturday.

Winners win. UNLV doesn't.

Robert St. Marie, Las Vegas

In the Midwest, the first thing a recruit is going to ask is "Where is the athletic study hall? Where is the athletic dormitory? Where is the athletic dining hall?"

At UNLV, the first thing they ask is "Where is the football stadium?"

Oh, it's about 10 miles away.

Dave Harris, (voice mail)

If UNLV took the money it spends on football and invested it in student academics, we would see a real rise in their performance.

Larry Jeppesen

Henderson

Mike Hamrick must go

I think you pinpointed the problem with UNLV when you talked to the athletic director. The administration at UNLV couldn't care less about what happens to sports. The best example I can think of is the disgraceful TV contract that has destroyed the loyal fan base at UNLV.

I think that the football program should be dropped ASAP, unless a way can be found to put it back in the black.

Boyd Henderson, Las Vegas

A better place to start curing what ails the major Rebel sports is to replace the university's underachieving athletic director.

When Mike Hamrick arrived on campus, UNLV was playing .500 football, the Runnin' Rebels had reached the MWC tournament championship game three consecutive years, and both major revenue sports were playing nearly all of their games on local television and had many games on national networks such as ABC and ESPN.

Flash forward three and half years into Hamrick's tenure as AD, and the football team can't beat a Division I team, basketball has had two underachieving seasons in a row and no one outside of a few scattered cities can watch the Rebels play on television.

And our AD does not seem to have a clue as to what to do about it.

Michael Robert, Las Vegas

Mike Hamrick is a loser. He should go back to East Carolina.

William B. Tomany, Las Vegas

Mike Sanford must go

I don't think UNLV should drop football. I think we should just say to coach Mike Sanford, "Sorry fella, nice try." Then we should recruit Dennis Green.

Bill Kane, (voice mail)

Ron Kantowski must go

You're absolutely nuts. Dropping football at the state's university that has the largest enrollment would make UNLV more of a laughing stock than us losing less than a million a year from the bottom line.

Why don't you start writing articles about dropping athletic programs at your alma mater? Every women's program and nonrevenue program in every athletic department loses money.

Blake Barney, Las Vegas

UNLV football must stay

I work in the mental health field and I'd like to offer my services to the Rebel football team, free of charge. OK, if they win, maybe they can pay me. But if they continue to lose, nothing lost.

Bill Thornton, (voice mail)

Some of us would miss football if the program was dropped. But we all know what's wrong with the Rebels.

They absolutely need more cowbell.

Dana Lane, (voice mail)