Courtesy of UNLV
UNLV football coach Tony Sanchez spends the day on the season-ticket campaign trail, visiting radio and television stations, speaking at a Rotary Club meeting and attending a surprise rally at the student union in hopes of getting more fans to Sam Boyd Stadium this fall.
Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2015 | 2 a.m.
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UNLV football coach Tony Sanchez popped out of a limousine at Lotus Broadcasting Monday morning minutes before a guest appearance on one of the company’s radio shows. The hosts couldn’t help notice his method of travel.
“It’s Vegas, you have to do it Vegas style,” he joked on the KOMP 92.3-FM morning show.
It was the third stop for his traveling party, which left UNLV at 5:15 a.m. and visited three television stations, two radio companies and a UNLV fan bar as part of a seven-hour tour to promote a new brand of Rebel football. At Fox 5, they even met up with members of the band, cheerleaders and the Hey Reb mascot for another elaborate appearance.
Sanchez, hired last December to remake the program with hopes of building a winner, was consistent in his answers: The makeover, first and foremost, starts with embracing Las Vegas in rebranding the program.
Past UNLV coaches have been hesitant to use Las Vegas in recruiting players and selling the program. Sanchez is different — he loves Vegas.
“We have the best city in America to sell,” he said.
The rebranding includes three new sets of uniforms, all with a Las Vegas theme such as the starbursts from the old Stardust sign and Welcome to Las Vegas sign, and a similar design on the layout of the new turf at Sam Boyd Stadium. The hope is Las Vegans will take a liking to the team and buy tickets to support them.
“When people walk in (on game day) we want them to know this is Las Vegas’ football team,” he said.
Sanchez has gone above and beyond in urging locals to get involved, everything from throwing out the first pitch at Little League games to speaking at Rotary Clubs at the crack of dawn. Monday, a few hours after leaving his office the previous night in a late-night session to prepare for the season opener Sept. 5 at Northern Illinois, he was a willing participant in the media tour.
He was energetic, charming and greeted everyone as if they were longtime friends. And he took a photo with everyone who requested one, including on campus where the tour also stopped to greet students on the first day of class.
“After the first couple of games, if they still want to take pictures, we know we are doing something right,” Sanchez said.
When he walked into the Morning Blend on KTNV Channel 13, one of the other guests asked if the Rebels were going to be improved. UNLV is a perennial loser and often manages just two wins per season.
“That’s the goal. That’s why they brought me in,” he responded.
They brought in more than a coach. Sanchez, as he showed yet again Monday, is willing and qualified to help with promoting his program.
The emphasis on Las Vegas in marketing is his brainchild. Same with the uniforms and turf themes, aggressive social media campaign and slogans such as, “Our Town, Our Team,” which launched this week. They also debuted a minute-long hype video, including local staples such as Jabbawockeez performers, Metro Police and UFC fighters, to coincide with the media blitz.
Sanchez, like he’s done with mostly everything used to promote the program, gave the final blessing on the video before it was published. And, because the coach is always working, he spent his down time in between stops in the limo sharing the video with recruits on social media — fitting, he was messaging recruits while the limo was traveling on the Las Vegas Strip.
“We are trying everything we can to move the program in the right direction,” Sanchez said.
Las Vegans typically only support winning teams, which the Rebels clearly aren’t and why they usually rank toward the bottom of Division I schools in attendance. Last season, they averaged 15,674 fans per game, barely over the threshold of an average of 15,000 fans required by the NCAA to remain a Division I program.
But Sanchez’s push to get more fans to Sam Boyd is slowly paying off. As of Monday, they’ve sold 4,129 season tickets, or about 100 more than last season. Tickets start as low as $99 for six games. The home slate is highlighted by the opener Sept. 12 against UCLA, the nation’s No. 13-ranked team.
“You couldn’t ask for a better opponent to start with at home,” Sanchez told Fox 5’s morning show.
Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21
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