Dear Mike Hamrick: Thanks

July 27, 2009 by Sage Sammons 

Athletic Director Mike Hamrick is leaving UNLV, and he has earned a thank you letter from the UNLV Rebels

Dear Mr. Hamrick:

First of all thank you. Thank you for your time at UNLV. These last six years have been some of the best in the university’s history in terms of athletics.

Thank you for being straightforward and honest. Thank you for hiring some of the nation’s top coaches, like Lon Kruger, Mike Sanford, Kathy Olivier and Pete Manarino.

Above all else, thank you for being a Rebel.

You stood strong in your beliefs, you strove to make UNLV a better program and then you did it. You laid a great foundation that your predecessor can build upon. With that foundation, you left some pretty big shoes to fill.

You were at the head of an athletic department that won 22 Mountain West Conference Championships, including six in the 2004-2005 season.

You also raised a lot of money for athletics. You were instrumental in the 2007 signing of the ISP deal that will give the department $32 million over the next ten years. You also signed a contract with Nike worth $3 million that outfitted all the athletes with new jerseys, shoes and accessories. So what did you do with all the old, classic, authentic UNLV gear? You had a fire sale that was a huge success. You gave back to the fans.

But most of all, thank you for putting the student back in student-athlete.

During your tenure, the average GPA of student athletes has increased.

Last year alone, 13 of the 17 sports had a cumulative GPA over 3.0.

You may have gotten a bad rap as of late, but you really did change the dynamics of the school. The Runnin’ Rebels are on the cusp of being in national talks once again. The UNLV football team has really showed they are Rebels by winning games they had no right to win. And all other sports have not only gotten better, but flourished under your tenure.

All we can say now is good luck at Marshall. Some say it is a lateral move at best, but we all can understand why you chose to go back home.

You will have a tough hill to climb to build the tradition of the Thundering Herd back to what it was. It may not be easy to find coaches that will come to West Virginia, but you will stare down and conquer your challenges. We are all sure of that.

This choice for you was easy. Dorothy said it best in “The Wizard of Oz,” “There’s no place like home.”

So with that, we thank you, Mr. Hamrick, and wish you the best of luck.

Sincerely,
Rebel Fans