NCAA Basketball: Ranking the last 25 national title winning head coaches

His offenses were among the most dynamic in college basketball and UNLV’s national championship in 1990 secured Jerry Tarkanian’s place in history. Simply put, Tarkanian was a winner, putting together an impressive 784-202 record at his three stops, with much of that winning coming at UNLV.

A Fresno State guard in the 1950s, Tarkanian’s career began at the high school and junior college level before Long Beach State gave him the reins in 1968. In five seasons, he made four NCAA Tournaments and won 122 games with the 49ers.

UNLV scooped him up in 1973, igniting two decades of success for the program. His teams were solid while independent, but things took off after joining the Big West in 1982.

UNLV was a Final Four team in 1977, but the success of the 1980s and early 1990s was unmatched in program history. This was a Final Four team in 1987 and a national champion by 1990.

They won their first 34 games the following season before being toppled by Duke in another Final Four thriller. His 509 wins at UNLV were impressive, but during those 10 years in the Big West, he was a mind-boggling 307-42. He left the Rebels for the San Antonio Spurs, though he coached just 20 games in the NBA.

Tarkanian was an extremely successful coach, though he dealt with sanctions and violations like some of these other coaches as well. His final coaching came with seven years at Fresno State, though a pair of NCAA Tournaments and solid play was all he could show.

He built UNLV into a national power, far exceeding anything that’s happened before or since at the program. All in all, Tarkanian was a phenomenal coach and leaves behind an incredible legacy.