Rebels upset No. 16 Louisville

UNLV upset Louisville for the second straight year Read more

Lady Rebel Roundup tough for UNLV

Women fall in both games as tournament hosts Read more

Rebels end season on high note with win

UNLV comes back from a 24-7 deficit to win 28-24 over SDSU Read more

CATCH OF THE DAY: Rebels get no love nationally, soon to change

UNLV has the potential to be ranked Read more

The toll on university athletics

Budget cuts are also affecting student-athletes Read more

World Cup soccer stirs controversy in qualifying

Ireland and Chile are top critics of 2010 world cup qualifying Read more

BULLPEN BUZZ: UNLV needs new, better athletics facilities to compete

After head football coach Mike Sanford was fired Sunday, he addressed the media on Monday. Yes, he did sound like a bitter old man that just found out he couldn’t go ice fishing any more, but he did make some points that were very accurate.

The facilities that UNLV plays and trains at are less than adequate for a school that wants to compete at a national level in all sports. From the training facilities to the practice fields to the stadiums, a huge revamping of all the facilities needs to be done. Does this affect how coach Sanford directed players on the field? No, but it does affect who comes and puts on a Rebel jersey.

A new indoor facility would not only raise the prestige of bigger sports like football and basketball, it would help all sports. It is something that all athletes could use to train at, that isn’t 20 years old. It would also allow teams to stay on campus to practice rather than traveling away.

A few weeks ago, the Runnin’ Rebels were forced to practice at a gym at Sunset and South Las Vegas Boulevard because every facility on campus was full – proving that even the best team at UNLV doesn’t get favoritism.

A facilities upgrade would also prove to the community that the school is committed to winning. In a town where so many people are cynical about what is wrong and apathetic to change, this commitment from the university would prove to the community that they care about sports and know the type of impact they can bring, not only to the university but to the whole community.

And supposedly this change is coming soon. University president Neal Smatresk gave some hints that a very big donation is coming to the university. He also says it would raise our recruiting profile and put us on the map.

But above facilities, UNLV needs an athletic director. UNLV needs someone with a vision who can come into UNLV and get people to rally around the athletics, someone who can get boosters to spend money on the school to make it better and someone with a vision to make UNLV one of the most elite schools in the nation.

One person is committed to the change and that is Smatresk. He just needs an athletic director that shares his vision and can be in charge of day-to-day operations. That athletic director will most likely be announced before Christmas.

So maybe Sanford wasn’t the greatest coach in UNLV’s history but it could be his parting words with the university that will be most remembered. He gave UNLV the wake up call they needed to hear.

Volleyball to end season on road

Rebels travel to Wyoming, Colorado for MWC play Read more

Flag football wins regional

Men’s flag football team victorious, women take second Read more

Lady Rebels travel to Sac State, host North Carolina

UNLV to host No. 4 team in nation on Saturday Read more

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