LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — For the first time ever, March Madness games are taking over Las Vegas.
Fans from all over made their way to town to enjoy some college basketball.
The hoops excitement swept through the valley between the 1970s and 1990s. KTNV's Tricia Kean spoke to a longtime Runnin' Rebels fan about the "Jerry Tarkanian" era.
A different kind of red wave took over southern Nevada starting in 1973.
"Even people who didn't really care about basketball, everybody wore red because it was our community's team," said Tami Belt, a longtime Runnin' Rebels fan.
Legendary head coach, Jerry Tarkanian, helped put the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on the map. Belt is also a UNLV alumni and remembers going to games with her family. She says the Tarkanian era was one of a kind.
"The way that this community has embraced the Vegas Golden Knights. It was ten times that back then, and it was everyone in the city," Belt said. "Everyone was a Rebel fan."
His coaching style earned the men's basketball program a new name.
"The way he coached and had the team play. That's why they were called the Runnin Rebels. It was just hard and fast and runnin'," Belt said. "They were exciting to watch."
Tarkanian lead the program to 14 NCAA tournament appearances, making it four times to the final four and won one national championship!
In 1990, the Runnin' Rebels beat the Duke Blue Devils 103 to 73 for the title. Belt also says she attended UNLV at the time with the 1990 championship team. She recalls former Runnin' Rebel and former NBA star Larry Johnson for an autograph for an old boyfriend.
"And he teased me so bad. He's like, you know, it's for you. You're going to sleep with that under your pillow," Belt said. "And so when it was Larry Johnson's birthday, I gave him a birthday card. And I just, like, put it on the desk. And I said, 'there, now you have my autograph,' and he cracked up."
Through it all, Belt says she will always remember what Jerry Tarkanian and those teams meant to the community.
"Everybody rallied behind him," Belt said. "Again, we were on the same team and for the same purpose, and it wasn't to win at any cost. It was to win against the odds. That's what he did and that's what he brought to this city and the boys that he coached."
