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AUGUST ‘09

VOLUME 12, ISSUE 11

ON THE COVER:

Kevin KouzmanoffPHOTO COURTESY OF CHRIS

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FEATURESA True Turning Point: Kevin Kouzmanoff ..............................................................4

Champions All ........................................................................................................7

Where Are They Now? Nichiren Flowers ..............................................................8

My Winning Season: Sonny Allen........................................................................10

Fleet 2009-2010 Nevada Football Schedule ......................................................13

Hall Of Fame: Tiffany Neumeier Breeden............................................................14

Alpha Report ........................................................................................................16

RENO ACES EDGE ON THE COVER JOSH WHITESELL

Baseball Bitter Sweet ..........................................................................................16

Reno Aces Schedule ..........................................................................................19

14


Photos courtesy of Chris Hardy/San Diego Padres

By the time KevinKouzmanoff arrived inReno for the 2003 sea-

son, he had already played fortwo different schools. TheColorado native was a true rar-ity, a senior walk-on whoimpressed Coach Gary Powersenough to earn a spot in thestarting lineup. Kouzmanoffwas impressive in his lone sea-son with the Wolf Pack, hitting.361 with 17 HR and 67 RBI toearn 2003 WAC Player of theYear honors. His move to Renopaid off in another big waywhen Cleveland made him afourth-round pick in the June’03 amateur draft.

After making his debut with theIndians in 2006 and hitting a grandslam off his first pitch, Kouzmanoffwas traded to San Diego that win-ter. He has been the Padres’ start-ing third baseman ever since. WolfPack Edge spoke to him during aswing through Texas, the site ofthat momentous blast. Here’s whathe had to say.

It has been six years since he lastplayed at Nevada, but his memo-ries remain vivid. “Being a walk-onas a senior is something prettyrare,” he said. “For Coach Powersto give me an opportunity to playas a walk-on says a lot about himand about the school. I loved theschool and loved Reno.”

Kouzmanoff hit .364 as a junior atArkansas-Little Rock but deepdown, knew that wasn’t the placefor him to be. “I made a decisionand was going to make sure that itwas the right decision,” he said. “Iwasn’t on planning on going toReno and not playing. I made thedecision to transfer there, wasgoing to play there and was goingto start there. Whatever happenedafter that happened.”

“It was kind of a do-or-die situation(when I came to Reno),” he said.“My junior year, it wasn’t a goodsituation for me. I was taking a bigchance walking onto the team. Idon’t think there are too manycoaches out there who would let awalk-on senior play. I think thatsays a lot about Coach Powers. If itwasn’t for him and Nevada, I prob-ably wouldn’t be here today.”

In his one season with the WolfPack, Kouzmanoff was on a teamthat has produced a number of fel-low big leaguers. “Joe Inglett is inthat group,” he said. “There areseveral guys in the big leagues orwho have been up in the bigleagues. I think it’s pretty cool tobe part of that. It’s great cama-raderie. Everybody who comes outof Nevada is a first class guy. It’sfun to be able to play with andagainst these guys. They’ve alsorecognized us at Nevada, puttingour pictures up at the baseball fieldand had a dinner for us a couple ofyears ago.”

To this day, he maintains a closerelationship with Powers. “We texteach other and talk to each otheron the phone every once in awhile,” he said. “When we play inSan Francisco, it’s just up the roadfrom Reno. He is keeping an eye onme and I’m keeping an eye on him.There will always be that relation-ship there.”

Kouzmanoff’s formula for bigleague success has been simple.“It’s almost like I’m never satisfied.I always want more,” he said.“Right now, I’m in the big leaguesand I want to do this. Once Iaccomplish this, I want to do that.It always keeps going. You alwaysset higher goals for yourself.Sometimes you have a rough day.Sometimes you go 0-for-4 and lose aballgame. I think it’s important to

be able to step back and realizethat I’m a major league baseballplayer, this is fun and I’m playing agame. At the same time, we’re try-ing to win. Now it’s all about win-ning and helping the team win. It’sabout business, winning and play-ing for a World Series.”

While he wouldn’t trade being amajor leaguer for anything in theworld, this Nevada product feelssome fans have the wrong ideaabout the life of a baseball player.“Probably the everyday grind, men-tally and physically (is what peopledon’t realize),” he said. “We play162 games a season and have threedays off a month. We’re not show-ing up a 5:00, we’re showing up at2:30, going to the batting cage,working out and then we go out forBP, take ground balls and fly balls.Then we run our sprints, do ourconditioning and play a game. Afterthat, we’re in the weight room lift-ing weights. It is a full-time joband a lot of people don’t see that.They think we just go out, play agame and at the end of the night,that’s it and we’re done. It’s defi-nitely taxing on the body and onthe mind.”



This year’s version of the

Governor’s Dinner to benefit the

football program at the University

marks the 40th anniversary of the event

that was started on July 9, 1969.

The co-chairmen for the initial event were

Wayne Pearson and Dick Trachok. The

guest speaker for that first dinner was iconic

NFL coach George Allen, who was at that

time the coach of the L.A. Rams.

All the information regarding that inaugural

event is contained on a now faded copy of a

single sheet of typing paper, along with

handwritten notes, that Dick Trachok provid-

ed me several years ago.

To encapsulate that notice it reads,

“Governor’s Football Fund-Raising Dinner. At

the Governor’s Mansion. July 9, 1969

Cocktails at 7:00, Dinner at 8:00. Stag. Dress:

Sport. Cost: $100.00. (Make all checks

payable to Wolf Pack Boosters and mail to:

Dick Trachok, U. of Nevada, Reno, Nevada.”

The lengthy Executive Committee consist-

ed of; Ed Allison, Jerry Dondero, Mickey

Laxalt, Bob McDonald, Bill Parish, Bob

Ring, Jim Botsford, John Galetti, John

Ascuaga, Clark Guild, Jr., Joe Libke, Leon

Nightengale, Frank Petersen, Harold

Smith, Jr., Bob Sullivan, Floyd Lamb, Lee

DeLauer, Bill Kanellos, Dan Orlich, Bill

Raggio, Dale Whiddett, Neil Plath, Jerry

Higgins, Marv Byars, and George Smith.

Occupying the greater part of the info

sheet was a paragraph entitled “Reason”

and it said, “Nevada is now going into the

W.C.A.C. (West Coast Athletic

Conference) which has as members

Loyola, Pepperdine, St. Mary’s, Santa

Clara, University of the Pacific, University

of San Francisco, and now University of

Nevada, Reno and Las Vegas. The new

conference features 4 sports and football

is now independent, which means that we

must compete with teams on a full schol-

arship program. Among these the

University of Nevada, Las Vegas, which

should give us the natural rival which has

been lacking for many years. Because of

this new

league and

new empha-

sis the

gates will be

bigger,

hence more

people will

be coming

to Reno.”

From that humble beginning the annual

event has grown exponentially and the

spacious grounds of the Mansion’s back-

yard are hard pressed to hold all the

attendees. The attendance took a major

jump – and the decorum of the evening

increased accordingly – when women

were invited to participate in what, for

many years, had been a strictly male

affair. Once the ladies began attending

there was also a notable uptick in the

quality of the male wardrobes.

Just looking at that original list of commit-

teemen it is obvious that a large number

have gone on to that great Gridiron in the

Sky but some on that list are regular atten-

dees and one of them – state Senator Bill

Raggio – was the MC of this year’s Dinner.

Another longtime charter member always

on hand is John Ascuaga, as is Dick

Trachok (father of the event). Many

notable guest speakers have entertained

the crowd that shows up – these days

many come by limo – and among some of

the finest have been George Allen, Joe

Theismann, Terry Bradshaw, John Gruden,

Steve Young, Roy Williams, Charles

Barkley and a host of others. Probably the

greatest “draw” of all the speakers was

popular Joe Montana, one of the few to

put feisty MC Jim Minor in his place.

MC duties over the years have been han-

dled by a variety of locals – some good,

some not so good and so forth and so on.

It is always a great evening for a great

cause.

CHAMPIONS ALLCHAMPIONS ALLBY HARRY SPENCER — CLASS OF ‘51

SPONSORED BY

800 KIETZKE LANE • RENO • 786-3111

GOVERNOR’S DINNER


Texas Tech Head Coach Mike LeachSpeaker at Govenors Dinner

Courtesy of Univ. of Nevada MediaServices Dept.

Biding His TimeBy Steve Hunt

Nichiren Flowers is most remembered for a football careercut short by Chron’s Disease. Flowers entered his senioryear as an All-WAC candidate and contender for the

Biletnikoff Award, given annually to the nation’s top wide receiv-er. He was also likely going to get a shot at making it in the NFL.However that all changed when he was diagnosed with Chron’sDisease and missed much of his final season.

Since then, Flowers has spent time in Arena Football and nowplays in AF2 for the Boise Burn, where he is one of their topoffensive threats. Wolf Pack Edge recently caught up with him byphone and here is that exchange:

“I definitely see it as a learning experience,” he said about histime in Reno. “I don’t think that I really took advantage of mytime out there. Getting sick my senior year probably didn’t helpthat much. That just let me know that I had to stay strong andmake it happen.”

Flowers now sees some positives from his diagnosis. “It’s tough,”he said. “You go from All-WAC, Biletnikoff watch and all that tofall off like that. It was devastating really. It’s definitely not some-thing I want to go through again. I’m just looking for the posi-tives, trying to learn from those experiences and not repeat that.I’m healthier and my lifestyle has changed a lot. I have changed alot of things about how I’m living and that helps.”

One of his most memorable moments came in 2005, when hecaught the game-winning touchdown in a huge win over Fresno

State. “That was really big,” Flowers said. “I had a tough season.Coach Ault and I were clashing from the beginning of the seasonuntil the end. I found out I was sick about halfway through theseason. I got the right treatment for my Crohn’s and ended upgetting a little better by the end of the season. That enabled meto get my performance back up to where it was at during myjunior year. That was big, catching that pass. My family was thereand Fresno State is near where I’m from. That was major just formy ego and other things in my head.”

Even though all of his professional experience has come indoors,Flowers still wants another shot at the NFL. “That’s really my maingoal,” he admitted. “Hopefully I can still get there and people cansee that I can still play. I’m at the point now where I’ve got myweight back up and my health is good. I weigh about 215pounds and am running around pretty well. I’m just trying toshowcase that I can still play. Hopefully somebody will see thatand I will get an opportunity to at least try out.”

When he first went to the AFL in 2006, he admits it was some-thing he had to acclimate himself too. “Just your spatial aware-ness (has been the biggest adjustment),” he said. “You’ve gotsmaller boundaries and you’ve got walls. You’ve got to be carefulor you might end up in the stands. You can jump a lot of walls.The quickness of the game (is another adjustment). You have tobe alert and have to be on your toes. I think it really helps you asan athlete. I know my awareness has really increased since I’vebeen playing this arena game.”

When he’s not practicing or playing games, Flowers can be foundat the local Boys and Girls Club. “I was fortunate enough to get agood job out here with my background in Human Developmentand Family Studies working with kids,” he said. “My supervisorput me in position to do a lot of things with kids out here to tryand get them involved as much as possible in athletics and getthem to try new things. It’s a great experience. I love workingwith kids.”

Should an NFL opportunity not materialize, Flowers would bereceptive to playing in Canada, where fellow Nevada productMaurice Mann is now plying his trade. “He’s definitely one of myguys,” he said. “Canada is another opportunity for me to show-case my talent at a higher level than Arena 2 and it’s outdoor,which I would really like to get to. He is definitely doing a lot ofthings in the CFL, showcasing his talent and trying to get back tothe NFL.”

Close friend and former high school teammate DominiqueDorsey, who played at UNLV, has already made that jump. “Hewas playing with the Toronto Argonauts and got signed by theWashington Redskins,” Flowers said.” He’s going to go out therefor training camp next month. It (the CFL) is a flourishing leaguefor players wanting to get into the NFL.”


Photos courtesy of Steve Conner/Boise Burn


There is really no earthly explanation

for it.

Former Wolf Pack men’s basketball

coach Sonny Allen shouldn’t be alive on

this rainy January afternoon in Reno.

Sometime in August 2006, once the

then-70-year-old Allen had lapsed into a

10-day coma at Renown South Meadows

Hospital, as a severe case of West Nile

Virus gripped his body, his life should’ve

been over.

The West Nile Virus – contracted

when Allen and his wife, Donna, had vis-

ited New Orleans for five days a month

earlier – had taken over so completely

that it had led to secondary cases of

meningitis and encephalitis.

“With an elderly patient who has

West Nile Virus and secondary cases of

meningitis and encephalitis, most of the

time they may not make it,” said Guy

Gansert, a Reno emergency physician

and Allen family friend whose brother,

Gary, led Allen’s treatment. “There just

isn’t a lot you can do. When Sonny first

got sick, to be honest with you, I wasn’t

sure he would survive.”

Added Donna Allen: “It was just so

devastating. Once the doctors deter-

mined that Sonny had West Nile Virus, it

didn’t make all that great of a difference

because they told us, ‘Really, there is

nothing for you that we can do.’”

And yet, more than two years later,

as a soft rain falls in Reno, Allen is alive.

In fact, after remaining in the hospital for

a month after he finally pulled out of his

coma, and after months of hard work to

regain the use of his left side, which was

temporarily paralyzed, and after losing –

and then re-gaining – 20 percent of his

sight and his hearing, Allen’s recovery

has been remarkable.

“It really is a miracle,” says Allen’s

son, Billy, the Wolf Pack Hall of Fame

guard from 1982-83 now living in Dallas.

A miracle, yes. And maybe some-

thing more.

“Throughout it all, it would’ve been

easy to give up,” said Allen, who cele-

brated his 73rd birthday on March 8.

“When people get sick or hurt, they don’t

always have people to help them. That

wasn’t the case with me. When I came

out of the coma, there was never any

doubt in my mind that I was going to be

OK. I had too many people helping me

and encouraging me along the way not to

recover.”

THE FAST BREAK COACH More than 20 years after coaching at

Nevada, Sonny Allen remains one of the

Wolf Pack’s most successful coaches. He

was the first coach to ever lead the Wolf

Pack to the NCAA Tournament – twice, in

fact, in 1984 and 1985. It would take

Nevada another 20 seasons before it

appeared in another NCAA Tournament.

Yet the soft-spoken Allen, whose

words have a gentle sway to them, like a

willow branch in motion, has coaching

accomplishments that reach much farther

than NCAA Tournament bids. He has

helped changed college basketball for the


Former Wolf Pack basketball coach Sonny Allen’sremarkable recovery leads to ‘My winning season’ By John Trent

Photo by Jean Dixon


better, both in strategy and in cultural

substance and significance.

Allen is credited with creating what is

known today as the “numbered fast

break.” In 1966, to simplify the fast break

offense at Old Dominion University, he

assigned each player on the floor a num-

ber and a responsibility on the fast break.

To this point, teams traditionally ran a

“three-man” break. Allen’s “five-man”

break, with its new lexicon – point guard

became a “1,” shooting guard a “2,” etc. –

revolutionized the game and made it next

to impossible to defend. And, Allen’s

numbering system of positions has

become permanently ingrained in the lan-

guage of basketball. Today, everyone –

from television commentators to college

coaches to fans – knows that a “2” guard

is a shooting guard, thanks to Allen’s

numbering system.

The acclaimed novelist Pat Conroy,

in his lyrical and poignant memoir of

being a college basketball player during

the 1966-67 season at the Citadel, “My

Losing Season,” vividly described what

kind of havoc Allen’s numbered break

wreaked when Allen’s ODU team met the

Citadel early that year: “Let it be known

that the two five-foot-eleven guards Bob

Pritchett and Arthur Speakes (of ODU)

were that night kingly with their gifts and

magical with their skills. The guys, as

they say, lit it up, and we white boys

looked as though our Converse All Stars

had been glued to the floor.”

As Conroy noted, both Pritchett and

Speakes, who was known as “Button,”

were black. With little fanfare, Allen had

quietly welcomed them to Old Dominion –

the first black athletes to ever play bas-

ketball for a predominantly white school

in the state of Virginia.

Donna, a tall, lithe woman with a

ready smile, said moments such as the

one Conroy described are what make her

most proud of her husband’s coaching

career.

“Kids like Buttons Speakes and Bob

Pritchett weren’t allowed to eat in

restaurants at that time,” she said.

“Sonny would park the bus, and he would

say to the people in the restaurant,

‘We’ve got some black players on our

bus, will you serve them?’ And they

would say, ‘No.’ And Sonny would go

back on the bus and say, ‘You know what

guys? Their food is crummy in there. This

isn’t good enough for you guys.’

“And then he would find a restaurant

that would serve his team.”

Allen, when he had played basket-

ball at Marshall University in Huntingon,

W.V., in the late 1950s, had been the

road roommate for a silky smooth guard

named Hal Greer, who would go on to

become a 10-time NBA All-Star for the

Philadelphia 76ers. Greer was black,

and no one on the team would room

with him on road trips – except for Allen,

who didn’t think twice about it.

“Hal was a guard … I was a guard,”

Allen said, his eyes “It didn’t seem like it

was that big of a deal.”

Said Donna: “Sonny has never seen

anything, black or white. To him, all of

his players were just people. They were

just athletes, and the y were just peo-

ple.”

As a coach, though he was clearly

always in charge, Allen was no snap-

jawed tyrant.

“It’s pretty amazing, really,” Billy said,

“when people come up and they know

you’re Sonny Allen’s son, and then they

go on to tell you that there is no one nicer

or better than your dad.” Billy’s voice

breaks for a moment. He gathers his

emotions, perhaps remembering that his

father always coached from a place of

basic kindness, that his father has always

spoken of “following the golden rule …

you treat everyone the way you would

want to be treated … and that you can be

firm, but there is no reason to ever be

mean or nasty to a player.”

“When you hear about how your Dad

cared for everybody,” Billy finally contin-

ued, his voice regaining its strength, “and

wanted to see everybody succeed … you

feel really blessed to have him as your

dad.”

‘MY WINNING SEASON’ Sonny Allen always believed that he

could win every game he ever coached.

Often, the odds were against his teams.

When Old Dominion ran the Citadel out

of its gym in 1966-67, Old Dominion was

a Division II school – the Citadel was

Division I. When he coached at Southern

Methodist, Arkansas and Houston cast

extraordinarily long and talented shadows

that often reached to the Final Four. At

Nevada, the Wolf Pack toiled in the

obscurity of the Big Sky Conference.

Yet Allen, whose playing and coach-

ing career has found places in the athlet-

ic halls of fame at Marshall, Old

Dominion and Nevada, has always

believed.

“I always felt that if we could do cer-

tain things, and played the way we were

capable of, we could win,” he said.

“Basketball, after all, is a team game.”

As Allen learned, so is recovering

from West Nile Virus.

“You can’t do it by yourself,” he said.

“Having a great team, a great support

system, can make all of the difference.

It’s just like basketball: If you work

together, you can get it done.”

Allen had no idea, though, how far-

reaching his support system would be.

After he was released from Renown after

a month, he attended physical therapy for

several weeks. It didn’t seem like it was

enough. Gary Gansert, along with his

brother Guy, began visiting Allen regular-

ly. The two physicians encouraged Allen

to push the calories and protein needed

to regain the 20 pounds lost from his

175-pound frame.

Gary Gansert began taking Allen for

walks, with a walker, around the block of

Allen’s neighborhood in west Reno. Soon

they graduated to a lap or two around the

track at nearby Reno High School. It took

several months, but soon the two were

walking a few miles together, as Allen

gradually weaned himself from his walk-

er, then from his cane.

Sonny never whined or complained,”

Gary Gansert said. “He was always moti-

vated. He’s one of the most receptive

guys. You can see why he was such a

Former Wolf Pack men’s basketballcoach Sonny Allen, who was at the helmfor Nevada from 1980-1987, has made amiraculous recovery from a near-fatalcase of West Nile Virus in 2006. Here heis shown in January in the den of hiswest Reno home.


great basketball coach. He doesn’t beat

around the bush, and he’s a great decision-

maker. Once he makes a decision, he really

knows how to make a commitment to it.”

Guy Gansert, who received both his

undergraduate and medical degrees from

Nevada, said he was amazed at Allen’s

resiliency.

“Not once, during this whole time,

has he ever seemed, or did he ever feel

sorry for himself,” he said. “He was just

always going to get better. He was not

going to let this thing defeat him.”

Allen said he found support from sur-

prising places. His step-son, Jim Warner,

often would meet Allen at the Olympic-

sized pool at Lakeridge Athletic Club.

Early on, Donna would have to take

Sonny to the sessions in a wheelchair.

Jim would have to hold Sonny upright as

Allen thrashed forward in the water, trying

to re-awaken his left leg from its paraly-

sis.

The hard work helped; it also

impressed a group of a half-dozen elderly

ladies working out at the other end of the

pool.

“They would start cheering when I

would get in the water,” Allen recalled, his

brown eyes seeming to shimmer from the

memory. “One day I told Donna, ‘Let’s go

in without the wheelchair.’ So I walked in,

and those ladies all jumped out of the

pool and started clapping.

“It just made their day. It made mine,

too.”

‘LOTS OF LOVE’ The blessings of the great mystery

behind Allen’s recovery have been many

– a kind of confetti shower that seems to

happily fall on Allen’s shoulders each

morning when he awakes for a new day.

He has regained his strength and learned

to walk again without even the slightest

bit of a limp because of the t houghts,

prayers, words and actions of many.

Recently, as Donna and Sonny pre-

pared to join members of their church,

The River, to help feed and hand out

jackets, gloves and sleeping bags for 90

homeless citizens in Barbara Bennett

Park in downtown Reno, as the light of

day vanished and the temperature

plunged into the 30s, a phone message

was left for Allen.

It was a voice from the past; a ghost

from the 1966-67 season, when Allen and

“Buttons” Speakes and Bob Pritchett

chased the outmanned players of the

Citadel off their court in a small gym in

Charleston, S.C. It was the first time

black players had ever competed on the

beautiful hardwood of the Citadel’s

Armory, a small moment that would help

open the floodgates of integration

throughout the south in the coming

months and years.

Pat Conroy, the author of best-selling

novels such as “The Prince of Tides,”

“The Lords of Discipline” and “The Great

Santini,” had taken a moment in the flurry

of finishing his latest novel in January to

leave Allen a message.

Conroy, his voice slender, patient

and kind, said the following:

“This is Pat Conroy … I was horrified

to hear about what had happened to

Sonny Allen. West Nile Virus? I had no

idea it was that serious. Please tell

Coach Allen that I was very concerned

about him, but I maintain my admiration

for his team all these years … and Bob

Pritchett and Arthur Speakes.

“And tell him my cousin is named Ed

Conroy and now he is the head basket-

ball coach at the Citadel. And tell Coach

Allen also that most of the Citadel basket-

ball team today is black … and he had a

large part to play in that.

“Lots of love, Pat.”

Allen, clearly touched by Conroy’s

message, couldn’t believe his good for-

tune.

“And you know what the best part

was?” Allen said. “Once Donna and I got

there to help out at Barbara Bennett

Park, it stopped raining. None of us got

rained on at all. It was great.”

A miracle?

Lots of love, indeed.

Story written by John Trent and originally appearedin the Spring 2009 issue of Nevada Silver & Bluemagazine.Photos by Jean Dixon

Sonny Allen and wife Donna enjoy the view from the back yard of their home in west Reno.Photo by Jean Dixon

SCHEDULE2009 NEVADA FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Day Date Opponent Location TV Time (Pacific)

Saturday Sept. 5 Notre Dame South Bend, Ind. NBC 12:30 p.m.

Saturday Sept. 19 Colorado State Fort Collins, Colo. TBA 2 p.m.

Friday Sept. 25 Missouri Reno, Nev. ESPN 6 p.m.

Saturday Oct. 3 UNLV Reno, Nev. TBA TBA

Friday Oct. 9 Louisiana Tech Reno, Nev. ESPN 6 p.m.

Saturday Oct. 17 Utah State Logan, Utah TBA 12 p.m.

Saturday Oct. 24 Idaho Reno, Nev. TBA TBA

Saturday Oct. 31 Hawaii Reno, Nev. TBA TBA

Sunday Nov. 8 San Jose State San Jose, Calif. ESPN 5:15 p.m.

Saturday Nov. 14 Fresno State Reno, Nev. TBA TBA

Saturday Nov. 21 New Mexico State Las Cruces, N.M. TBA TBA

Friday Nov. 27 Boise State Boise, Idaho ESPN2 TBA


Under most circumstances you expect the top “kill” shot artist onVolleyball teams, male or female, to be tall. rangy leapers –much in the model of good basketball players.Contrary to that stereotype was the University’s TiffanyNeumeier Breeden, a member of the 2008 Hall of Fame class atthe school.

Standing just 5’8”,Tiffany looked more like a proficient “setter”than a “spiker” but appearances are deceiving for she still holdsthe school record for career “kills” at 1779 – eleven years aftergraduating!

So, the diminutive hitter is one of the most dominating players inWolf Pack volleyball history. In addition to that she ranks in thetop six all-time in digs and service aces. Head coach Devin Scruggs, who introduced her at the Hall of

Fame dinner, noted “When Tiffany played you did not want to beon the other side of the net.”

Tiffany is credited with being the catalyst that ushered in thegolden era of Wolf Pack volleyball, which has made five NCAATournament appearances under Scruggs.

As stated above even though she did not have the prototypicalphysique or height of the outside hitter she played with a fireand intensity that inspired her teammates to greater heights.

In her remarks at the induction dinner she was quoted as say-ing, “My entire life people told me that I would not survive in atop volleyball conference, so I always played with a chip on myshoulder.” She added, “I will always cherish the memories Ihave of Nevada and will always be thankful for the opportunity Iwas given.”

Tiffany was a strong counterpoint to other members of her Hallof Fame class in that she was the only female and stood herground against such burly honorees as footballer JamesCannida and baseballer Andy Dominique. Others of her peersincluded iconic coach Bill Ireland and the entire 1956 seven-man National Championship Rifle team.

The wide diversity of honorees at the annual Hall of Fame cere-mony offers mute testimony to the success that Nevada has hadover the decades in all realms of sport. A stroll through thelower reaches of Legacy Hall is well worthwhile as a “trip downMemory Lane” when one passes the plaques of all those whoshare the Hall honor.You can journey backto the teammates andcoaches you performedwith and for, as well asbecome acquaintedwith many of the all-time hallowed athletesthat achieved greatheights during the timethey spent on “TheHill”.

For the writer the glow-ing visage of Jim Aiken,my initial contact at theschool, is still the mostmemorable.

TiffanyNeumeierBreeden


INCORPORATED



ALPHA

REPORTBy Ken Moen

There have been a host of playerswho have contributed to the successof Nevada football. The 1940’s saw

the greats Stan Heath, Marion Motely, PatBrady and Tommy Klaminar. The 1960’sbrought Chris Ault to the campus as a quar-terback. The 1970’s brought us the greatFrank Hawkins and Doug Betters. The1980’s were led by Charvez Foger, CharlesMann, Matt Clafton, Derek Kennard, andthe Zendejas cousins Tony and Marty. The1990’s were highlighted by players like ChrisVargas, John Dutton, DeShone Myles, ChrisLemon, Geoff Noisy, Alex Van Dyke, andTrevor Insley. The new millennium wasushered in by players like Jeff Rowe,Chance Kretchmer and Nate Burleson.

Over 90 Wolf Pack players have goneon to play football professionally ineither the NFL or the CFL. Only DerekKennard (Cowboys), Frank Hawkins(Raiders), Charles Mann (Redskins)played in and won Super Bowls rings.Doug Betters played in the MiamiDolphins Super Bowl game against the49’ers in January 1985.

However, as it stands today four bignames stand out on that list: MarionMotley, Frank Hawkins and Chris Ault.

In 1946, Nevada’s Marion Motleysmashed through the color barrier andsigned with the Cleveland Browns.Motley was elected to the NFL Hall ofFame in 1968 and in 1994 was namedto the NFL’s 75th Anniversary All-TimeTeam. Motley holds the record forlongest kick-off return for a touchdown(1941, 105 yards) and the longest inter-ception for a touchdown (1941, 95yards). He is number 4 in Nevada’srecord book for single game scoring(27 points in 1942). He also holds theNFL’s record for highest average percarry at 17 yards.

In 1999 Frank Hawkins was inductedinto the College Football Hall of Fame.Hawkins is still third all-time NCAAleading rusher with 5,333 yards and

was a three-time All-American for thePack. By the time he was finished atNevada Hawkins broke five records,including single-season marks for rush-ing attempts, rushing yards, and rush-ing touchdowns in a season. He alsoholds the top two single-season rushingperformances in school history.Hawkins played seven seasons for theOakland Raiders and was a member ofthe 1984 Super Bowl Championshipteam.

Chris Ault is synonymous with WolfPack football. 2009 begins Chris Ault’s37th year on the Nevada campus. Hehas played quarterback, being namedto three All-Far West Conference teams(1965-67), has acquired the bestcoaching career record (23 years) inNevada history (191-85-1), and has thefifth-most wins and the one of the top20 winning percentages among activeDivision I-A coaches, winning eightconference championships and takenhis teams to the postseason 11 times,including five bowl appearances. Hehas been named conference coach ofthe year six times, and two National I-AA coaching honors. Ault has the dis-tinction of being the first coach in thenation to lead a team to a bowl berth inits first year as an NCAA I-A (now FBS)program. In 1992, Ault guided the WolfPack to the Big West Conferencechampionship and a berth in the inau-gural Las Vegas Bowl. However, manyof Aults’ other accomplishments for theUniversity of Nevada were not on thefield of play but in the offices of the ath-letic department. As athletic director,Chris Ault laid the foundation for amodern athletic program, competitivewith other nationally recognizedUniversities in the NCAA.

There are four streets surroundingMackay Stadium: south Stadium Drive,West Stadium Drive, East StadiumDrive and Seventeenth Street. Thesenames are too innocuous for such hol-lowed ground. Nevada is entering its103rd season of colligate football, thename of the Wolf Pack Stadium isetched in stone and should never bechanged. However, the time has cometo honor three great men who havecontributed to the success of Wolf PackFootball. In 2008 the athletic depart-ment dedicated the season to MarionMotley a pioneer for blacks in sports atNevada and along with Bill Willis a pio-neer in the NFL.

Motley is the ONLY Nevada footballplayer in the NFL Hall of Fame, as wellas a member of the All-Time NFL team.It is true that all three have been hon-ored as members of the Wolf Pack Hallof Fame. Their plaques hang withmany other great Wolf Pack athletes.However, their accomplishments havetranscended the University of Nevadaand brought national recognition to ourcampus and our community.

Therefore, I ask you to join the WolfPack Edge in requesting that 3 of thesestreets that surround Mackay Stadiumbe re-named in honor of these threemen: Marion Motley Road, FrankHawkins Drive and Chris Ault Way.These men have done much to honorNevada, let us honor them with thistribute. Please e-mail Cary Groth, thecurrent athletic director and let herknow that we are requesting that thesemen be so honored. Ms. Groth’s e-mailis: [email protected].

Reviglio Family

“Way To Go” Awards

The 2008-09 Reviglio Family "Wayto Go" Awards ceremony washeld May 20, 2009 at the

Eldorado Convention Center. Masterof Ceremonies Dan Gustin and specialguest speaker, Len Stevens, formerUniversity of Nevada Men's Basketball

Coach, honored this season's 10 win-ner's. The first year of the event wasMay 2000. The Reviglio Family "Wayto Go" awards are presented to 10

Northern Nevada high school seniors who are both dedicated in theclassroom and are top athletes in their selected sports. The event issponsored by the Reviglio Family, owners of Western NevadaSupply.

This year's winner's are: Tyler York (McQueen Football), KassiHargrove (Manogue Volleyball), Bryan Tibiduiza (Galena Track),Roberto Concha-Foley (Whittell Football), Chelsea Cohen (ReedSoftball), Austin Morgan (Reno Basketball), Stephanie Harper(Douglas Softball), Jerad Harvey (North Valley's Baseball), DaniellePoteete (Spanish Springs Rifle), Nikki Keller (Carson Volleyball).2008-2009 Male Athlete of the Year: Austin Morgan. 2008-09

Female Athlete of the Year: Chelsea Cohen.


Back row: Lt-Rt: Tyler York, Austin Morgan, Stephanie Harper,Jared Harvey, Danielle Poteete, Nikki Keller

Front row: Lt-Rt: Chelsea Cohen, Roberto Concha-Foley, BryanTibiduiza, Kassi Hargrove.

Special guest speaker former University of Nevada Men’s BasketballCoach Len Stevens


BASEBALLBitter SweetJ

osh Whitesell will be quite happy if he neversteps inside Aces Ballpark again. No offense.He loved the field. He loved the fans. He loved

the organization. But he hopes that his Triple-A daysare behind him forever. He’s 27-years-old – a bit longin the tooth for a rookie - and has pronounced himselfready to be a full-time big league player.

As of late July, he was. In fact, Arizona Diamondbacksmanager A.J. Hinch had named Whitesell the startingfirst baseman. It remained to be seen if the move waspermanent. Whitesell had been promoted from Reno tostart on two other occasions this season, but playingtime proved to be limited.

If he takes the job and runs with it, he willlikely never play in Reno again. And

that would please him only becauseit means he has secured a full-

time position in the majors.The North Carolina native hasonly fond memories of his

time in Reno.

“The city was veryaccepting of us,” hesays. “The fan support

it terms of atten-

dance and involvement was outstanding. To have thatkind of support was great for the players and the city andthe team.”

The power-hitting Whitesell has never struggled to pro-duce in the minor leagues. His performance with theAces was certainly no exception. After batting .328 with26 home runs and 110 RBI at Triple-A Tucson in 2008,he batted .313 with seven home runs and 45 RBI in just218 at-bats between recalls to Arizona this season.

The decreased power numbers were affected by the vastexpanses of Aces Ballpark. Whitesell admits he wastaken aback by the distances required to slam a ball outin the alleys.

“When we first saw the ballpark, everyone was excitedbecause it was all so shiny and clean,” he recalls. “Butwhen I looked at it I said, ‘Wow, this place is big!’ It’s 424feet to right-center and 410 to left-center and I didn’t seethe elevation being a big factor at first. But once theweather warmed up, the ball started carrying better.”

Whitesell has yet to display the power he showedthroughout his minor league career through 2008. But hehas also not received consistent playing time with theDiamondbacks. Through July 23, he managed just 15hits in 86 at-bats with no home runs and 11 RBI. Sevenof those 15 hits, however, have been doubles.

Most hitters require an opportunity to play every day tofind a rhythm and maximize their hitting potential.

Whitesell recognized that fact, but refuses to use it asan excuse.

“In the minor leagues, I’d always been an everyday player who got consistent at-bats,” he

explains. “I never had to look at the lineupcard because I knew I was going to be in

there. Now I’m not sure when I’m goingto be playing, but I try to stay on top of

my game. I try to be prepared as Ican.

“Hopefully I’ll get more at-bats.It’s tough, but it’s just some-

thing you have to deal with.You have to deal with that

pressure. It’s not some-thing other guys are

By Marty Gitlin

Photos by Erik Flippo renoacesedge.com

unaccustomed to. There are a lot of guys who don’t get con-sistent at-bats right away.”

And when Whitesell does get a shot in the batter’s box,he’s most often facing a far superior pitcher than hebattled in the minors. Though he hasn’t seenenough major league pitching to analyze the differ-ences in depth, he certainly knows a better pitcherwhen he sees one.

“There isn’t a large sample size for me,but you can see that pitchers up herehave more on the ball,” he says. “The pitcheshave more snap to them and pitchers are moreconsistent in terms of their command and loca-tion. But in this game, you need to be able tomake adjustments at the plate. You need to adjustgame to game, at-bat to at-bat and swing to swing.”

That’s not easy to do when one poor stretch of play couldresult in another trip to Reno. And once a power-hittingfirst baseman is labeled a career minor-leaguer, majorleague organizations often hesitate to provide morechances.

The Diamondbacks hold a team option on Whitesellthrough the 2010 season. If it’s not picked up, he canbecome a free agent after this year. How he performs atthe plate and in the field, where he has been error-pronethroughout his minor-league career, will determine hisfate.

“Sure, there’s a sense of urgency,” he admits. “But there’s asense of urgency for everyone. There are only so manyopportunities given out. It’s all performance based. That’s

what it all comes down to.”

Indeed, that’s what will determinewhether or not he ends up back in acity and ballpark he loves, but is tryingdesperately to avoid.

WWW.PACKEDGE.COM JUNE 2009 • THE WOLF PACK EDGE 19

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Pack Edge August 2009