Meet the Tarkanians

Lois Tarkanian

Lois Tarkanian was sworn into office as the Las Vegas City Councilwoman representing Ward 1 on February 2, 2005.

Dr. Tarkanian holds a Bachelor of Arts in education, a Master of Arts in Speech Pathology and a doctorate in leadership and human behavior. Prior to serving on the City Council, she served for 12 years as a member of the Clark County Board of School Trustees.

As an educator, she has held positions as a classroom teacher, a speech pathologist, principal, central office administrator and Nevada Community College and California State University instructor. In private practice she founded Oralingua, the first private day school for deaf children in California, and also initiated Nevada’s first full inclusion program for deaf children in the demonstration pre-school at the Community College of Southern Nevada. She also held national clinical certification in speech pathology, language, and audiology and did clinical work with autistic, deaf and aphasic children.

She currently serves as a board member on a number of different organizations including Catholic Charities, the Clark County Public Education Foundation, FACT - Family and Child Treatment Center for Abused Children and the Oralingua School for the Hearing Impaired.

In addition, Dr. Tarkanian has been honored by such designations as Humanitarian of the Year by Catholic Community Services, Distinguished Woman of Nevada and Citizen of the Year by the Nevada Family and Child Treatment Center.

As a City Councilwoman, Dr. Tarkanian serves on the City of Las Vegas Real Estate Committee and the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Repository Committee.

Dr. Tarkanian has been married to former UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian for 48 years. She has four children and 10 grandchildren.

Jerry Tarkanian

After spending 38 seasons as a collegiate basketball head coach, Jerry Tarkanian retired March 15, 2002, after spending the last seven years at the helm of Fresno State. He remains at the school in a new role, that of senior development consultant for the Save Mart Center.

His last game came in the NIT against Temple, which ended the Bulldogs' 2001-02 season with a 81-75 victory at Selland Arena. But while his last game may have been a loss, his time spent at Fresno State can only be called a win.

When Tarkanian returned to Fresno State as head coach in 1995, he knew the task ahead was somewhat daunting. His engaging smile, easy way with a story and unwavering loyalty to his alma mater would certainly help him raise this basketball program to new levels of success. Those charming characteristics, however, are secondary to Tark’s true strengths — the ability to attract some of the nation’s best players and the desire to win.

A 1955 graduate of Fresno State, Tark shakes his head slowly when asked about his Bulldog program. By other standards, Tark’s six straight 20-win seasons would be deemed a major accomplishment. Not quite yet for this man, who has a national championship ring and a slew of NCAA tournament appearances.

Tarkanian led Fresno State to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in 2000 and '01, a 2001 WAC title and a 2002 WAC Tournament championship. In 2001, the Bulldogs reached the second round of the NCAA's before falling to defending champion Michigan State.

Tark was determined to reach the level of success with the Bulldogs that he enjoyed at UNLV. The wins were expected, the results of experience and hours of practice. He took losses more seriously than ever before, questioning, tinkering and examining. He was never happy with just conference titles. Making noise in the NCAA Tournament is what mattered most.

The 1999-00 season was a breakthrough. Tark guided the Bulldogs to a 24-10 record, WAC tournament title and the schools first NCAA tournament appearance since 1984. For Tark, it marked a great accomplishment of taking three different programs to "The Big Dance," his 17th NCAA tournament appearance. The Bulldogs took that one step father in 2001, winning 26 games and returning to the nation’s top 25.

In 30 seasons of Division I coaching Tarkanian finished his career with a record of 778-202 and was just the 12th coach to reach 700 career wins. On the night of his 700th victory, a nationally televised thriller over No. 15 New Mexico at Selland Arena, Tark graciously said only, "it’s a big conference win." While balloons and confetti rained down on the court, Tark’s players celebrated him, hugged him and basked in a once-in-a lifetime moment.

After his postgame press conference, the legendary coach paused briefly to enjoy congratulations then left Selland Arena surrounded by his grandchildren.

Such a moment belies the "Shark" as he barks instructions on the sideline and draws on instinct as he formulates a play in a huddle. Coaching is in Tark’s blood and Fresno State reaped the benefit of his resurgence.

After seven years with the Bulldogs, Tarkanian compiled a 153-80 mark, with trips to the postseason every year. His teams have competed in the NIT first round in 1997, '99 and '02 and advanced to the quarterfinals in 1996 and semifinals in 1998. A magical 2000 season came to an end with a first round NCAA tournament loss to Final Four-bound Wisconsin. Last season, the Bulldogs won a first round NCAA Tournament game for the first time in nearly 20 years.

His six consecutive 20-win seasons — the first time that feat has been accomplished in the history of Bulldog basketball — brought him to 29 20-win seasons in his career, the best among active coaches. He stands behind only Dean Smith on the all-time list who had 30 such seasons before retiring from the game in 1997.

Prior to his appointment at Fresno State, Tark coached at Long Beach State and UNLV, owning the distinction of having coached three major colleges to multiple 20-win seasons and brought each to a 20-win season in his first year at each school.

During his coaching career, he has led his teams to four appearances in the NCAA Final Four (UNLV in 1977, 1987, 1990 and 1991), one national championship (UNLV in 1989-90) and owns a 38-18 record in 18 NCAA tournament appearances. In 37 years at the major college and junior college levels he has never suffered a losing season. Forty-two of his players have been drafted by NBA teams, including 12 first-round selections.

While at Fresno State, Tarkanian battled with Kansas’ Roy Williams for the top spot in winning percentage among active coaches, separated by thousandths of a point. He finished fourth on the all-time win percentage list and reigned for several years as the all-time winningest coach prior to coming to Fresno State.

Tarkanian wasted no time bringing the Bulldogs back to national prominence when he took a team that had gone 13-15 the previous year and led it to a 22-win season, a third place WAC finish and the quarterfinals of the NIT during the 1995-96 season. In 1997-98 the Bulldogs were 21-13 and made it to the semifinals of the NIT before falling to 1997 Final Four participant Minnesota. NIT champion Cal defeated Fresno State in the first round of postseason play in 1999.

Since Tarkanian’s arrival the Fresno State program has become recognized as one of the best in the nation. The Bulldogs’ non-conference schedule included traditional basketball powers and challenging in-season tournament competition. Legendary coaches made visits to Selland Arena with their teams and the Red Wave enjoyed an unprecedented entertaining home schedule.

On the day Fresno State officials introduced him as the Bulldogs' new head coach, April 5, 1995, Tarkanian hinted at better days for the Bulldogs and the Red Wave.

"I never really thought this would happen, but if there was any way that I could end my coaching career here, this would be the best place," said Tarkanian, who had not coached at the college level since leaving UNLV at the end of the 1992 season. "It’s a great opportunity for me. I’m excited. I’ve always said that the Red Wave are perhaps the very best fans in the entire country, and hopefully we can get the program going to the level that will bring a lot of excitement and pride to the people in the San Joaquin Valley."

And the fans have responded. Selland Arena has enjoyed 106 sellouts in his seven years, making it one of the best home-court advantages on the West Coast.

Tark’s coaching career started in Fresno. Following his graduation from Fresno State, he started coaching in 1956 at San Joaquin Memorial High School. He also coached at Antelope Valley High School in Lancaster, Calif. (1958) and Redlands (Calif.) High School (1959-60) prior to moving to Riverside (Calif.) City College for the 1961-62 season.

Tark made his first mark at Riverside when in five seasons at Riverside, Tarkanian led his teams to a 143-22 record and three consecutive state junior college championships. He then moved to Pasadena City College (1967-68), leading the Lancers to a 67-4 record and a state title. His seven-year junior college winning percentage of .891 (212-26) is the best at that level. In March of 1999, Tarkanian was inducted into the California Community College Sports Hall of Fame with a class that included Jill Angel (Orange Coast College), George Stanich, (Sacramento City College) and Bill Walsh (College of San Mateo).

Born Aug. 8, 1930, in Euclid, Ohio, Tarkanian attended Pasadena City College before transferring to Fresno State, where he played for the Bulldog basketball team in 1954 and 1955. He later earned his master’s degree with honors in educational management from University of Redlands in Redlands, Calif.

Tarkanian and his wife, Lois, also a Fresno State graduate, donated $100,000 to the university’s Madden Library in the spring of 1998 and have initiated the "Baskets for Books program, designed to continually support with library with annual book purchases. This past season, the Tarkanians have also joined the Bulldog players in the community, appearing at over 35 events, including hospital visits, speaking engagements and school rallies.

The Tarkanians have four children, Pamela, Jodie, Danny and seven grandchildren.