Another coaching giant lost.

Another opportunity to reflect upon all that he was to his former players and university, both in the past and in the present.

With the passing of former UNLV men’s basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian today, the airwaves are once again filled with heartfelt stories about his compassion towards his players…in much the same way as Dean Smith was remembered earlier in the week.

Granted, Coach Tarkanian’s history was a bit more colorful than Coach Smith’s.  Nevertheless, they were both undoubtedly loved by former players as teachers and father figures.

After Coach Smith’s passing, I remarked on thefinancial legacy he had upon the University of North Carolina’s basketball program.  Without his imprint of sustained success, would the program today be among the top 10 most valuable college basketball programs in America?  Probably not.

Though UNLV men’s basketball is not as financially robust as North Carolina, Coach Tarkanian certainly left a long-term financial imprint on the Runnin’ Rebels program.

Below is data compiled in part from the U.S. Department of Education on the 2013-14 men’s basketball revenues for every school in the Mountain West Conference.  And it would appear that the weight of historical success – largely due to Tarkanian – is a primary factor why UNLV is still the wealthiest school in the conference.  Note that:

- UNLV’s men’s basketball program generated more revenue ($8.5 million) than its conference foes, generating 2.4 times more revenue than the conference median;