NCAA News Wire
Tarkanian hospitalized in Las Vegas
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
Former UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian was hospitalized in Las Vegas after experiencing breathing difficulties and an infection on Monday.
The Naismith Hall of Famer was transported by ambulance to Valley Hospital Medical Center from his home after his blood oxygen levels dropped.
His son, Danny, called his condition minute by minute and said doctors were attempting to stabilize the 84-year-old’s condition and determine the type of infection. By Tuesday morning, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that Tarkanian was resting comfortably in ICU.
“It was very scary,” Jerry Tarkanian’s wife, Lois, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Monday night. “The doctors don’t know what happened. But unfortunately that’s how these things happen.”
Tarkanian guided three schools to the NCAA Tournament and posted a 729-201 career record in 31 years at the Division I level. His UNLV team won the national championship in 1990 and he compiled a 509-105 record at the school in 19 seasons.
Since Tarkanian retired in 2002, he has dealt with several health-related issues, including pneumonia in November and a second heart attack last April.
Tarkanian, whose wins rank 12th all time, had planned to attend UNLV’s game on Tuesday night against Fresno State in the Thomas & Mack Center before becoming ill.
