The Worst People That Ever Lived

[rostrum]

Despite the enthusiasm from coach Otz at his presser yesterday, UNLV athletics is in trouble. We can't afford another failed coach and the pressure is on Otz and Sanchez to win now .Tony has had a lifetime to rebuild and coach Otz will get less time than Menzies did, fair or not.
But how or who put us in this predicament ? The answer is one guy did this to us. One egotistical pr--k brought in from the Universty of Houston who first ran off Brad Rothermel , the best AD that this school has ever had, football coach Harvey Hyde, who had the program rocking with Randall Cunningham, Ickey Woods, etc. and of course Jerry Tarkanian. It may take half a century to get our mojo back. Therefore, I've come out with a worst person who ever lived list. The list is subjective, definitely not scientific, and will differ from region to region. My selections are:
1. Adolph Hitler
2. Joseph Stalin
3. Robert Maxson
Maxson had to beat out tough competition from Pol Pot and Idi Amin for the coveted bronze medal but his overall body of work put him over the top. Dennis Finfrock, Walter Byers, David Berst, Steve Wynn, and Sherman Frederick all placed in the top 50 and are to congratulated for their efforts.
The real reason that Tark was run off is simple. He didn't golf and was a 24/7 basketball junkie. He felt more comfortable hanging out with Freddie Glusman and friends at Piero's than attending Steve and Elaine's cocktail parties and having to deal with a plethora of "windbags."

 

[Doneoett]

As much as we all hate Maxson “except one of us, no name needed to be said” this was a fail.

 

[Rebel1986]

It is obvious you were not around when coach Harvey Hyde was the coach or you would understand he had to go. Go back and look at all of the crimes by his players that included a group of them stealing from Union Premiums (embezzlement that involved a bunch of players), purse snatching, assault on a police officer, lewdness with a minor, armed robbery, stolen travelers checks, dozens of stolen credit cards, etc.... It became a weekly occurrence that players got arrested and showed up on the evening news in mug shots.

 

[rostrum]

It is obvious you were not around when coach Harvey Hyde was the coach or you would understand he had to go. Go back and look at all of the crimes by his players that included a group of them stealing from Union Premiums (embezzlement that involved a bunch of players), purse snatching, assault on a police officer, lewdness with a minor, armed robbery, stolen travelers checks, dozens of stolen credit cards, etc.... It became a weekly occurrence that players got arrested and showed up on the evening news in mug shots.

 

[rostrum]

I was around, but as a seventh grader at Fremont middle school. Unfortunately, your information is valid and a black eye for Harvey Hyde and the program. All I know was that my buddies and I couldn't wait to go to the Silver Bowl and watch Randall, Ickey and the team. UNLV football was fun back then. It hasn't been fun for a long time.
Maybe you can answer this question. Is it true that Tony Knap was chosen over Chris Ault after Ron Meyer left for SMU ?

 

[Rebel1986]

Chris Ault was never even in the consideration and had zero coaching experience when Tony Knapp was picked as the UNLV coach in 1976. Chris Ault was a high school coach whose only college experience was from 73-75 at UNLV as an assistant when he became coach at DII unr.

Tony Knapp was 25-14-1 at Utah State and 71-19-1 at Boise State before being hired by UNLV. Tony Knapp throughout his career was a far better coach then Chris Ault until he retired.

DI record for Knapp
1976 9-3 played DII
1977 9-2 played DII
1978 7-4 first year DI
1979 9-1-2
1980 7-4
1981 6-6
47-20-1

DII record for Ault
1976 8-3
1977 8-3
1978 11-1
1979 8-4
1980 6-4-1
1981 7-4
48-19-1

They had almost identical records, but UNLV was playing DI while unr was playing DII. Knapp was without question the best coach UNLV ever had. Coach Knapp also had a 3-1 record verse Ault at unr.

 

[rostrum]

Chris Ault was never even in the consideration and had zero coaching experience when Tony Knapp was picked as the UNLV coach in 1976. Chris Ault was a high school coach whose only college experience was from 73-75 at UNLV as an assistant when he became coach at DII unr.

Tony Knapp was 25-14-1 at Utah State and 71-19-1 at Boise State before being hired by UNLV. Tony Knapp throughout his career was a far better coach then Chris Ault until he retired.

DI record for Knapp
1976 9-3 played DII
1977 9-2 played DII
1978 7-4 first year DI
1979 9-1-2
1980 7-4
1981 6-6
47-20-1

DII record for Ault
1976 8-3
1977 8-3
1978 11-1
1979 8-4
1980 6-4-1
1981 7-4
48-19-1

They had almost identical records, but UNLV was playing DI while unr was playing DII. Knapp was without question the best coach UNLV ever had. Coach Knapp also had a 3-1 record verse Ault at unr.

 

[rostrum]

Thank you for clearing that up. Knapp was indeed a gem and yet seldom mentioned and more or less forgotten about. A damn shame. How did UNLV ever pry him away from Boise ?
Also, is it true that Rolland Todd's Rebels knocked off Tarkanian's Long Beach State team at the old Convention Center ? If the rumor is true, what an atmosphere that must have been. Thank you in advance for responding to an alleged event before I was born.

 

[Rebel1986]

UNLV won 86-82 in 1969.

 

[Ernie Baer]

It is obvious you were not around when coach Harvey Hyde was the coach or you would understand he had to go. Go back and look at all of the crimes by his players that included a group of them stealing from Union Premiums (embezzlement that involved a bunch of players), purse snatching, assault on a police officer, lewdness with a minor, armed robbery, stolen travelers checks, dozens of stolen credit cards, etc.... It became a weekly occurrence that players got arrested and showed up on the evening news in mug shots.

Plenty of football programs have struggled with arrest records. Miami and Oklahoma in the 80’s constantly had players running afoul of the law, as did Nebraska when they were rolling in the mid 90’s.

Actually the reason Harvey was fired had little to do with the arrests and a lot more to do with Harvey’s close relationship with the Tarkanian family. Tarkanian’s home in Pasadena was across the street from the Hyde family grocery story, Harvey and Jerry’s brother Myron played on the offensive line together at Pasadena High School and Redlands JC.

Maxson used Harvey’s players arrests as an excuse to get rid of him just as he used Jerry’s run-ins with the NCAA as an excuse to oust him. Getting rid of Harvey was nothing more than a chess move in Maxson’s big picture to fracture the community and rip apart Jerry’s support system.

Just as getting rid of Jerry was a huge mistake, same with Harvey. The football program had just recently transferred to Divison I and the athletic department was swimming in the red (much of it due to the football transition) at the time. You also have to remember the school was seriously considering dropping football at the time he took over because of the finances.

Yes, similar to Jerry, Harvey took some chances on some players but given all the obstacles he had he did not have much choice to be competitive unless you enjoy 2 and 3 win seasons in front of a few thousand fans which for the most part has been the story of UNLV football post Harvey.

 

[Ernie Baer]

Also, is it true that Rolland Todd's Rebels knocked off Tarkanian's Long Beach State team at the old Convention Center ? If the rumor is true, what an atmosphere that must have been. Thank you in advance for responding to an alleged event before I was born.

The two old teammates and roommates at Fresno State actually played four times, home and home in 68-69,69-70 with the home team winning everytime. Three out of the four games were all very competitive.

The best game of the four was the meeting at the Convention Center in 68-69. Sam Robinson (Jackie’s older brother) was sensational with right around 30 points, 15 rebounds. 49ers led by a couple of baskets late but their attempt to run out the clock was unsuccessful. Tom Watkins played great for UNLV and hit a mid range jumper with a couple of seconds to go to send it to overtime. Watkins opened the OT hot with a couple of long distance bombs and held off the 49ers.

 

[RebelSoldat]

Not sure why the replies to this are so defensive. Robert Maxson was a huge piece of shit and a terrible human being. End of discssion.

 

[drmontehorne_a_yahoo.com]

Chris Ault was never even in the consideration and had zero coaching experience when Tony Knapp was picked as the UNLV coach in 1976. Chris Ault was a high school coach whose only college experience was from 73-75 at UNLV as an assistant when he became coach at DII unr.

Tony Knapp was 25-14-1 at Utah State and 71-19-1 at Boise State before being hired by UNLV. Tony Knapp throughout his career was a far better coach then Chris Ault until he retired.

DI record for Knapp
1976 9-3 played DII
1977 9-2 played DII
1978 7-4 first year DI
1979 9-1-2
1980 7-4
1981 6-6
47-20-1

DII record for Ault
1976 8-3
1977 8-3
1978 11-1
1979 8-4
1980 6-4-1
1981 7-4
48-19-1

They had almost identical records, but UNLV was playing DI while unr was playing DII. Knapp was without question the best coach UNLV ever had. Coach Knapp also had a 3-1 record verse Ault at unr.

Knapp was da man. His teams were a gas to watch and the stadium was alive and full of students. Some my best UNLV memories...

 

[rostrum]

The two old teammates and roommates at Fresno State actually played four times, home and home in 68-69,69-70 with the home team winning everytime. Three out of the four games were all very competitive.

The best game of the four was the meeting at the Convention Center in 68-69. Sam Robinson (Jackie’s older brother) was sensational with right around 30 points, 15 rebounds. 49ers led by a couple of baskets late but their attempt to run out the clock was unsuccessful. Tom Watkins played great for UNLV and hit a mid range jumper with a couple of seconds to go to send it to overtime. Watkins opened the OT hot with a couple of long distance bombs and held off the 49ers.

 

[rostrum]

The two old teammates and roommates at Fresno State actually played four times, home and home in 68-69,69-70 with the home team winning everytime. Three out of the four games were all very competitive.

The best game of the four was the meeting at the Convention Center in 68-69. Sam Robinson (Jackie’s older brother) was sensational with right around 30 points, 15 rebounds. 49ers led by a couple of baskets late but their attempt to run out the clock was unsuccessful. Tom Watkins played great for UNLV and hit a mid range jumper with a couple of seconds to go to send it to overtime. Watkins opened the OT hot with a couple of long distance bombs and held off the 49ers.

 

[rostrum]

Ernie, I believe the Rebel team that played Tark's Long Beach team so tough in the late 60's had Elburt Miller and John Q Trapp. That was pretty good talent for a division II program. Why did Todd leave ? Was he unhappy, forced out, or did the Portland Trail Blazers throw a boatload of money his way ? Also, I did not know that Todd and Tark were roommates at FSU. Thanks for the trivia and we do need to appreciate our programs formative years.

 

[Ernie Baer]

Ernie, I believe the Rebel team that played Tark's Long Beach team so tough in the late 60's had Elburt Miller and John Q Trapp. That was pretty good talent for a division II program. Why did Todd leave ? Was he unhappy, forced out, or did the Portland Trail Blazers throw a boatload of money his way ? Also, I did not know that Todd and Tark were roommates at FSU. Thanks for the trivia and we do need to appreciate our programs formative years.

Miller and Trapp were gone by the time Long Beach and UNLV played in the late 60’s. The primary players for UNLV were Tom Watkins, Curtis Watson, Don Lyons, Bruce Chapman and Cliff Findlay.

Todd got Trailblazer job actually by happenstance. He was recruiting at a junior college event in California where Trailblazer scout Stu Iman was also scouting players. They struck up a conversation and Iman was very impressed by his knowledge and asked him if he would be interested in the job. Todd told him yes.

Iman recommended him to Portland’s management which garnered him an interview. From what I always heard he blew away the other contenders at the interview and they hired him.

Rolland and Jerry were very close, as were their wives at Fresno. In addition to being roommates and teammates at Fresno State, Rolland worked as an assistant for Jerry at Riverside CC. Todd helped implement the 1-2-2 zone defense which was so successful for Jerry at Riverside, Pasadena and Long Beach.

Todd eventually moved on to be an assistant for Bill Sharman at Cal State L.A. before becoming the head coach at NSU/UNLV. Even then they would still room together at the Coaches Convention at the Final Four.

Todd had a lot to do with Jerry getting the job at UNLV recommending him for the job when he left for Portland following 69-70 but Jerry turned them down. The boosters though kept him high on their radar.

In a sense of irony following John Bayer’s termination Todd, who had been fired by the Trailblazers by this point, tried to get his old job back but there was too much momentum by this point behind Jerry getting the job.

 

[rostrum]

Ernie, Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Don Lyons a deaf mute ? Did the rest of the team have to learn sign language in order to communicate with him on the floor ? If true, has any other team, at either the collegiate or professional had to deal with anything like this ? Again, thank you for filling in the gaps of my UNLV Hoops knowledge. You should be the author of The Unabridged History of UNLV Basketball.

 

[Soul Cane]

In the early 80s, UNLV basketball, football and baseball were all on trajectories to become top 25 programs.

It's sad the administration torpedoed those dreams.

 

[Soul Cane]

Plenty of football programs have struggled with arrest records. Miami and Oklahoma in the 80’s constantly had players running afoul of the law, as did Nebraska when they were rolling in the mid 90’s.

Actually the reason Harvey was fired had little to do with the arrests and a lot more to do with Harvey’s close relationship with the Tarkanian family. Tarkanian’s home in Pasadena was across the street from the Hyde family grocery story, Harvey and Jerry’s brother Myron played on the offensive line together at Pasadena High School and Redlands JC.

Maxson used Harvey’s players arrests as an excuse to get rid of him just as he used Jerry’s run-ins with the NCAA as an excuse to oust him. Getting rid of Harvey was nothing more than a chess move in Maxson’s big picture to fracture the community and rip apart Jerry’s support system.

Just as getting rid of Jerry was a huge mistake, same with Harvey. The football program had just recently transferred to Divison I and the athletic department was swimming in the red (much of it due to the football transition) at the time. You also have to remember the school was seriously considering dropping football at the time he took over because of the finances.

Yes, similar to Jerry, Harvey took some chances on some players but given all the obstacles he had he did not have much choice to be competitive unless you enjoy 2 and 3 win seasons in front of a few thousand fans which for the most part has been the story of UNLV football post Harvey.

I don't even think UNLV was different than any other program back then. Back in the '80s, college teams had 100 scholarship players and player arrests were more common that most fans realize. Especially in the pre-internet age, in these small college towns where the college teams are the town's entertainment, many coaches & ADs would be able to keep player arrests quite or smooth them over with the local DAs/police. (In many ways, that still exists. Jamesis Winston, for instance, would've probably been in more trouble if he wasn't a QB for FSU).

Las Vegas is more of a pro town (even before they had any professional teams). Whenever an UNLV player got in trouble or some NCAA violation allegedly occured, the local media had no problem publicizing the event. By comparison, in many college towns like Tuscaloosa or Auburn, the local media will generally avoid putting a bad light on their local teams.

And arrests still are commonplace at some schools - like the SEC. Look at Urban Meyer's track record for arrests at the University of Florida for example. And he was certainly never fired for player transgressions.

The fact is Maxson fired Harvey because he wanted to destroy Tarkanian and downplay athletics at UNLV. If it was all about player arrests, Maxson wouldn't have slashed the budget for football as well. I always felt about Wayne Nunnely. Nunnely was put in an untenable position where the expectations would be that Nunnelly would fail. It's quite evident that Maxson would've immediately terminated Tarkanian at the same time if Tark wasn't such a huge figure in Southern Nevada.

It's disappointing. There was a point in time when UNLV football had an exciting, bright future. Those teams with Randall were fun.

 

[Ernie Baer]

I don't even think UNLV was different than any other program back then. Back in the '80s, college teams had 100 scholarship players and player arrests were more common that most fans realize. Especially in the pre-internet age, in these small college towns where the college teams are the town's entertainment, many coaches & ADs would be able to keep player arrests quite or smooth them over with the local DAs/police. (In many ways, that still exists. Jamesis Winston, for instance, would've probably been in more trouble if he wasn't a QB for FSU).

Las Vegas is more of a pro town (even before they had any professional teams). Whenever an UNLV player got in trouble or some NCAA violation allegedly occured, the local media had no problem publicizing the event. By comparison, in many college towns like Tuscaloosa or Auburn, the local media will generally avoid putting a bad light on their local teams.

And arrests still are commonplace at some schools - like the SEC. Look at Urban Meyer's track record for arrests at the University of Florida for example. And he was certainly never fired for player transgressions.

The fact is Maxson fired Harvey because he wanted to destroy Tarkanian and downplay athletics at UNLV. If it was all about player arrests, Maxson wouldn't have slashed the budget for football as well. I always felt about Wayne Nunnely. Nunnely was put in an untenable position where the expectations would be that Nunnelly would fail. It's quite evident that Maxson would've immediately terminated Tarkanian at the same time if Tark wasn't such a huge figure in Southern Nevada.

It's disappointing. There was a point in time when UNLV football had an exciting, bright future. Those teams with Randall were fun.

I saw an interview with Barry Switzer some years ago where he talked about how thankful he was that there wasn’t the media scrutiny of college athletics back in the 70’s, early 80’s. He talked about how he worked with the local Sheriff to keep a lot player indiscretions under wrap, never were reported back then. The reality is that was happening at a whole lot of other places besides Norman, Oklahoma.

No question Maxson would have moved much quicker with Jerry if he could have gotten away with it. That is why not long after he started on the job he summoned Rothermel to his office and asked him what dirt he had on Jerry. He found out pretty quickly it was going to require patience to make that happen.

 

[Ernie Baer]

Ernie, Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Don Lyons a deaf mute ? Did the rest of the team have to learn sign language in order to communicate with him on the floor ? If true, has any other team, at either the collegiate or professional had to deal with anything like this ? Again, thank you for filling in the gaps of my UNLV Hoops knowledge. You should be the author of The Unabridged History of UNLV Basketball.

You have a great memory, that is correct about Lyons. Was an amazing accomplishment on his part. I was at those games with Long Beach so I can’t tell you exactly how the UNLV staff/players were able to make it work but was aware of it. If I run into Rolland Todd again I will try to remember to ask.

As far as other athletes, I remember in football back in the late 80’s, early 90’s, Nebraska had a defensive lineman or line backer who was completely deaf. That had to be even tougher in football.

 

[saulpaul21]

How is Chris Beard not on this worst list after Maxson? Not only he quits after 2 weeks but he ran the players and top recruiter out to destroy things completely before he walked.

And now he is in the final four, ARRG!

 

[RebelSoldat]

How is Chris Beard not on this worst list after Maxson? Not only he quits after 2 weeks but he ran the players and top recruiter out to destroy things completely before he walked.

And now he is in the final four, ARRG!

Chris Beard did what is best for himself. Maxson was a piece of shit wrecker that deliberately destroyed this university because Tarkanian challenged his ego.

 

[RebelScrub]

It is obvious you were not around when coach Harvey Hyde was the coach or you would understand he had to go. Go back and look at all of the crimes by his players that included a group of them stealing from Union Premiums (embezzlement that involved a bunch of players), purse snatching, assault on a police officer, lewdness with a minor, armed robbery, stolen travelers checks, dozens of stolen credit cards, etc.... It became a weekly occurrence that players got arrested and showed up on the evening news in mug shots.

But did we win back then?