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By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com, Publisher/Writer
Erick Harper knows college football.
The UNLV athletic director played on the Kansas State football team for four years before working for Kansas State’s athletics department (1990-2003) and then as associate athletics director for football operations at the University of Arizona from 2003 to 2011.
Harper fired three-year football coach Marcus Arroyo and announced the news the same day when UNLV celebrated a rivalry win over Nevada-Reno by painting the Fremont Cannon in bright red.
Arroyo was three years into his five-year deal at UNLV worth nearly $8 million with UNLV owing Arroyo about $2.3 million. Harper said if UNLV, with its 5-7 record, receives a bowl game offer it will accept playing in the game.
Arroyo’s predecessor, Tony Sanchez, was a former high school football coach with a glittering record at Bishop Gorman when he took the UNLV football coach in 2014. Sanchez was 20-40 with the Rebels from 2015-19. Sanchez’s Rebel teams won three to five games a year, but Sanchez was already part of the Las Vegas community and he was credited with his efforts to reach out to the market and sell UNLV football.
Conversely, Arroyo was never seen as a coach who was embedded in the Las Vegas market or a coach who made a big effort to promote and market the football program to a sports market that was very competitive.
LVSportsBiz.com reached out to former UNLV football player Jon Denton, a former local high school standout, about his thoughts on the Arroyo firing, which surprised many in Las Vegas. Here’s Denton’s reaction:
Immediate reaction: WOW uncharacteristic for us to make these types of moves…so sudden…Cannon painting time etc. Now having time to digest and listen to the people involved there’s something or someone bigger than we’ve ever had before with their hand in this. Raiders? Local Execs? Always baffles me the $$ in this town and we could never come up with a “package” to lure the right guy. Maybe we do now??
My main thoughts broke out: 1. Players – of course upset, hurt, betrayed whatever the feeling is…get over it and do it quickly. Top brass at UNLV see both basketball teams, baseball, volleyball, hockey all showing success so they know time is now for UNLV Football. Players will adapt they always do. They have more ways to ”adapt” nowadays as well (transfer). We already have quite a few transfers on the team so seeing a wave leave won’t hurt or surprise the next leader.
2. Progress – a lot of steady, positive progress was taking shape in many many areas. Academics. Brand Awareness (Allegiant helps). Weight room staff was top notch and we were BFS than ever before. I saw it this summer personally. Coach Fyle is one of the best in the biz. Nutrition. Facilities.
3. Production – The top 2 don’t mean diddly squat if the on-field production lacks…this goes for in sports, in business etc. We lost winnable games , got outplayed a few times by lesser talented teams which shows lack of FOCUS. Needed a GL stand against an inferior opponent to win our Super Bowl. Focus comes from the top down.
4. Local Recruiting & Alumni Relations – admittedly we do not have the steep tradition of Bama BUT we do have some great alumni and former players that aren’t even engaged or properly welcomed back. I kind of force my way back there and into the mix. I’ve been asked 1 time to donate to RAF. I know personally of 5+ coaches (HS & JC) all former Rebels that say they’ve never seen the last few coaches knock on their doors. So they send their best players to other MWC schools. Don’t get me started about the lack of LOCAL kids we go after.