Men's Basketball, Men's Sports, Sports

‘Tark the Shark’ enters basketball Hall of Fame

Armed with a walker, a creaky voice and decades of coaching experience, former Long Beach State men’s basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian walked to the center of the stage at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. in front of a standing ovation.

Tarkanian, who is now 83 years old and in declining health, wore a smile reflective of the purest form of happiness as he received his long-awaited induction into the Hall of Fame. Eleven years since he retired from coaching more than 30 seasons of Division I NCAA basketball, “Tark the Shark” is finally a part of basketball’s finest fraternity.

The son of an Armenian immigrant, Tarkanian took over the LBSU program in 1968. He immediately revolutionized college basketball, ignoring the racial guidelines of the time by starting three black players.

He also began to fill rosters with junior college transfers, something that was uncommon at the time but still has its influence even in the era of “one-and-done” players. 49ers star James Ennis was a junior college transfer and is now on track to join the Miami Heat next year.

Tarkanian’s four conference championships in five years with LBSU earned him a job at UNLV, where he would spend the next 20 years of his career.

The “Runnin’ Rebels” became one of the most exciting teams in college basketball under Tarkanian. They became an NCAA tournament mainstay, and they still owe their only NCAA basketball championship to Tarkanian.

A bit of controversy with the school and the NCAA eventually led to Tarkanian resigning from his UNLV job in 1992, but it didn’t end his coaching career. He returned to his alma mater, Fresno State, in 1995, and coached the Bulldogs’ program until his retirement in 2002.

At his Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Tarkanian gathered all that he had to speak in a pre-recorded message that was played at the ceremony.

“I have loved the game of basketball since my earliest memories,” Tarkanian said in the message. “Basketball has been good to me. I’ve been able to be comrades with some of the finest individuals in the coaching profession … Thank you all in the Hall of Fame for giving me this special honor. It means so much to me.”

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