He can win for losing

Monday, Aug. 13, 2007 | 7:15 a.m.

This isn't exactly how Mike McKiski envisioned his collegiate football career. A 6-28 record, just one road win.

McKiski, a Coronado High graduate, walked on at UNLV in 2003. After a redshirt season, he has started 26 games on the offensive line for the Rebels and earned a scholarship. As he prepares for his final season, the 6-foot-6, 310-pound senior says there have been plenty of highlights in his career at UNLV and he has "absolutely no regrets."

"I redshirted for a six-win season and that was as many as we had the next three years," McKiski says without a trace of bitterness in his voice. "Record-wise, it was not the best thing. I mean, who wants to win six games over three years?"

But he insists he never gave serious thought to quitting or transferring to another school when he was given the option after Mike Sanford took over the program before the 2005 season.

"A lot of people wouldn't gut it out, but I have friends and family here and I like playing here and UNLV is a good school," he says. "It never really crossed my mind that I was going to go anywhere else. Win, lose or draw, I was going to be a Rebel for five years.

"It's a lot about winning but a lot of it is going about building character and having the experiences."

McKiski says he might have learned more about himself by battling through three losing seasons than he would have had the Rebels enjoyed the success he had expected.

"It taught me a lot about myself," he says. "If nothing else, I grew a lot as a man. I came in kind of big-eyed and didn't really know what was going on and everything moves so fast and then you're hit with a lot of adversity - a lot of loss, a lot of defeat, a lot of challenges.

"I just look at myself and see myself stand up to all of it and still be here and still be able to say, 'I'm a leader on this team and it doesn't matter how we've done in the past.'

"You can look at the material stuff - I've gotten a free education, I've gotten a lot of friends, brothers for life out here with some of my teammates - but the inner lessons you learn are almost more important."

McKiski is one of only a handful of players remaining on the Rebels' roster who entered the program in 2003. Sanford says that speaks volumes about McKiski's character.

"I think a big characteristic that we're trying to get to with this football team is that we've got guys who love to play football," Sanford says. "When you love to play football, you're going to play with passion. And Mike McKiski is one of our best leaders and has the best work ethic - all those qualities that we're trying to get.

"He's a tremendous leader of our football team and one of those guys that we're going to live and die with."

As for his personal highlights, McKiski lists the Rebels' victory against Air Force in last year's season finale and starting at left tackle in John Robinson's final game as head coach in 2004 at San Diego State.

But it will be one of the little things that McKiski will cherish long after his playing career is finished.

"My line coach, Coach (Rob) Boras, when he was here, he said if Coach Robinson calls you 'big guy,' he doesn't know who you are. When he says your name for the first time, then you've done something.

"It took me about a week, but (Robinson) finally started calling me Mike so I knew I was doing something right. If a legend knows my name, I must be on the right path."