Jerry Tarkanian is known as the most successful coach in college basketball. He concluded his 34-year coaching career in 2002, amassing 706 wins and suffering 198 losses.
His greatest success came as the head coach of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he won the NCAA Championship (National Collegiate Athletic Association) once and reached the “Final Four” four times.
In 1992, Tarkanian also had a stint with San Antonio, but was fired after just 20 games due to disagreements with the club owner, reports championat.com. Among his mentees are such NBA players as Larry Johnson, Armen Gilliam, and Stacey Augmon.
In 2013, Jerry Tarkanian was inducted into the American Basketball Hall of Fame. He was so popular that the great Stephen King named a character in his short story “The Fifth Quarter” after him.
Tarkanian was a legend, and meeting him was the dream of any American. The renowned coach had an odd habit of biting a towel during games as a way to calm his nerves while watching his team play.
For his flamboyant behavior, the American press nicknamed him the “Towel Biter.” However, he was far more widely known by the nickname “Tark the Shark.” Tarkanian became a true Armenian shark in American basketball.
Jerry’s parents, Gevorg and Aikui, were originally from Malatia. Escaping the Armenian Genocide, they met in Lebanon, got married, and immigrated to America, settling in the town of Euclid, Ohio.
Born on August 8, 1930, Jerry was their firstborn and was known as Grigor during his childhood. The basketball star Jerry Tarkanian, who lost his father at the age of 11, first shined in the NCAA Championship as an exceptionally professional player for the Fresno State Bulldogs team.
After retiring as a player, he continued to work as a coach for the same team. Tarkanian agreed to numerous tempting offers from the National Basketball Association (NBA) only once, but it didn’t last long.
After 20 games, Jerry received the money stipulated in his contract and returned to the NCAA, where from 1995 to 2002 he coached his native Fresno State Bulldogs. “It has always been important for me to know that I’m helping young people enter big-time sports.
Other coaches prefer to get ready-made players and make millions off of them. I create athletes myself. It’s a rewarding mission. It’s nice to realize that hundreds of outstanding players today call me their Teacher,” Tarkanian said.
To this day, the Las Vegas Basketball Academy, which he founded, bears his name and is currently headed by his eldest son Denny. Tarkanian’s autobiography (“Runnin’ Rebel: Shark Tales of ‘Extra Benefits,’ Frank Sinatra and Winning it All”), published in October 2005, became a major national bestseller. That same year, the legendary coach was able to visit his ancestral homeland, spending 16 unforgettable days in Armenia.
Tarkanian passed away on February 11, 2015, in a Las Vegas hospital where he had been admitted after a prolonged illness. In memory of the famous coach, the city’s flags were flown at half-mast that day.
The coach’s son, Denny Tarkanian, wrote on his Twitter page: “Coach Tark, my father, the best man I’ve ever known, passed away today (February 11, 2015). I will miss him every day of my life.”
Author: Vadim Mkrtchyan “Voice of Armenia”
Translation: Vigen Avetisyan
