Time for change at UNLV

Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009 | 2:06 a.m.

UNLV fired football coach Mike Sanford on Sunday, a day after an ugly loss to Air Force guaranteed a losing season for the Rebels. UNLV President Neal Smatresk and Jerry Koloskie, the interim athletic director, said Sanford will finish the season, coaching the Rebels’ final game Nov. 28.

The firing had been long expected. Sanford had never been able to revamp the program. In five years he had time to recruit players and build a program, but it never gained momentum. Although the program was relatively problem-free off the field, the Rebels had plenty of problems on the field. Sanford never posted a winning season and never beat in-state rival UNR.

Koloskie said the effort is now on “building the Rebels into a winning football program.” He said he thinks the “resources are there, I just think we need to get over the hump.”

UNLV’s football team has always seemed to be just a step or two away from better days, yet it has never happened. In the 32 years UNLV has played Division I football, the Rebels have posted only nine winning seasons, with only three of those in the past 20 years. Even legendary coach John Robinson, Sanford’s predecessor, struggled here. Robinson, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, managed to win only 40 percent of his games as a Rebel.

Recruiting is difficult for the UNLV football team, which has been in the shadows of the basketball program. The school doesn’t have the tradition that many other colleges have nor does it play in a major conference. The fact that there are gravel parking lots at Sam Boyd Stadium can’t impress recruits, either.

Still, the right coach can turn things around, as Lon Kruger has with the men’s basketball team. Hired in 2004, Kruger brought new life and his teams have won two conference titles and been to the NCAA Tournament twice.

UNLV administrators should seek out college football’s version of Kruger and then make sure he has what he needs to succeed.