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Runnin' Rebel: Shark Tales of "Extra Benefits," Frank Sinatra, and Winning It All
No matter where his basketball travels took him during his 31 seasons in NCAA Division I college basketball, controversy was never been far behind Jerry Tarkanian. The legendary former coach of the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels proved himself to be one of the greatest coaches in the game’s history, however, amassing an incredible overall record of 778–202, more wins than all but a handful of other coaches. His 19 seasons of amazing success and breathtaking teams in Las Vegas are the foundation of Jerry Tarkanian’s revealing and often hilarious autobiography, Runnin’ Rebel, a book poised to reveal the skeletons in the closet of the NCAA and some of the biggest names and programs in college basketball over the past thirty-five years. Runnin' Rebel is Jerry Tarkanian unplugged, dishing his wildest, most ridiculous, and most hilarious recruiting stories, capers, and tales from a colorful career as college basketball’s ultimate loveable rogue. “Tark the Shark,” as fans affectionately called him, details dirty tricks, recruiting battles, and so much more in this one-of-a-kind memoir. A must-have for any college basketball fan.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
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May 5, 2022This book isn’t so much written as it is transcribed in the voice of Robert De Niro’s narration from the movie Casino (or— at times— like your grandpa telling you about the people he met throughout his life). There are a number of brief, simple, and excitable sentences throughout.
“People couldn’t do enough for you. The guy who ran the Dunes would call me because I wasn’t coming down enough. He’s say, ‘Tark, are you mad at us. Is something wrong?’ So we’d go down there, Lois and the kids and everything, eat a fancy, expensive meal, just so the guy would know I wasn’t mad at him. It was unbelievable. I had to eat a prime rib dinner for free just to show I wasn’t mad at a guy.” (p. 84)
Introductory chapters are usually a chore, but the introduction here is one of the greats. It really felt like he was ready to bring the heat re: college recruiting in the 1960s-90s.
“In major college basketball, nine out of 10 teams break the rules. The other one is in last place.” (pg. xvi)
Most of his recruiting stories, though, come across as relatively tame (or that he’s hiding some details)— except for (arguably) his chapter about USC using a dentist to recruit or the stuff about schools relentlessly recruiting athletes who have already committed elsewhere or the chapter on John Wooden’s culturally-romanticized UCLA teams.
“‘If the UCLA teams of the late 1960s and early 1970s were subjected to the kind of scrutiny Jerry Tarkanian and his players have been, UCLA would probably have to forfeit about eight national championships and be on probation for the next 100 years. I hate to say things that may hurt UCLA, but I can’t be quiet when I see what the NCAA is doing to Jerry Tarkanian only because he has a reputation for giving a second chance to many black athletes other coaches have branded as troublemakers.’ — Bill Walton.” (p. 57)
Even if the narrator is unreliable (the author seems genuine most of the time, though), how can you not be repulsed by the NCAA?
Also of note: “I once asked Wilt, ‘Is it true what they said about you having sex like 20,000 times?’ And Wilt smiled at me and said, ‘Coach, they shortchanged me. It was a hell of lot more than that.’” (pg. 129)
“People couldn’t do enough for you. The guy who ran the Dunes would call me because I wasn’t coming down enough. He’s say, ‘Tark, are you mad at us. Is something wrong?’ So we’d go down there, Lois and the kids and everything, eat a fancy, expensive meal, just so the guy would know I wasn’t mad at him. It was unbelievable. I had to eat a prime rib dinner for free just to show I wasn’t mad at a guy.” (p. 84)
Introductory chapters are usually a chore, but the introduction here is one of the greats. It really felt like he was ready to bring the heat re: college recruiting in the 1960s-90s.
“In major college basketball, nine out of 10 teams break the rules. The other one is in last place.” (pg. xvi)
Most of his recruiting stories, though, come across as relatively tame (or that he’s hiding some details)— except for (arguably) his chapter about USC using a dentist to recruit or the stuff about schools relentlessly recruiting athletes who have already committed elsewhere or the chapter on John Wooden’s culturally-romanticized UCLA teams.
“‘If the UCLA teams of the late 1960s and early 1970s were subjected to the kind of scrutiny Jerry Tarkanian and his players have been, UCLA would probably have to forfeit about eight national championships and be on probation for the next 100 years. I hate to say things that may hurt UCLA, but I can’t be quiet when I see what the NCAA is doing to Jerry Tarkanian only because he has a reputation for giving a second chance to many black athletes other coaches have branded as troublemakers.’ — Bill Walton.” (p. 57)
Even if the narrator is unreliable (the author seems genuine most of the time, though), how can you not be repulsed by the NCAA?
Also of note: “I once asked Wilt, ‘Is it true what they said about you having sex like 20,000 times?’ And Wilt smiled at me and said, ‘Coach, they shortchanged me. It was a hell of lot more than that.’” (pg. 129)
August 27, 2020
This is Tark's bio from 2005 after he retired so he obviously felt free to tell it like it is. Recall, he was the towel chewing UNLV college basketball coach. Hilarious stories of cheating in recruiting - everyone does it but the NCAA selectively enforces the rules, only going after the minor programs. "The NCAA caught UNC cheating so decided to put Cleveland State on probation for two years." If you're a college sports fan, this isn't news, but you'll still really enjoy this bio of an outsider who parlayed the ability to connect with inner-city kids into quite a coaching run.
May 5, 2019
Great book for anyone who is a fan of college basketball. However, from someone that I consider one of the best coaches and leaders ever in their sport, I would have loved a lot more in the way of leadership lessons.
August 9, 2023
Tark the Shark!
Great read about an even better person, Jerry Tarkanian. He was a class act even when the corrupt NCAA tried to take him down. Its an abomination that he is not in the hall of fame. RIP Coach!
Great read about an even better person, Jerry Tarkanian. He was a class act even when the corrupt NCAA tried to take him down. Its an abomination that he is not in the hall of fame. RIP Coach!
May 13, 2019
Good
Tark the Shark is as honest as he can be. He was a great coach and you can see the state of college basketball today.
Tark the Shark is as honest as he can be. He was a great coach and you can see the state of college basketball today.
April 10, 2020
Solid college basketball book. Good stories. Quick easy read. Even learn why Shark used to suck on them white towel on the bench.
May 20, 2025
Damn shame it took me 20 years to read this book. Loved every bit of it.
January 21, 2012
Jerry Tarkanian is a colorful individual. This book is a first person account of his long career as a coach. He comes across as a funny, interesting, extremely hardworking and loyal guy.
His discussions of recruiting, from the '60s to the 2000s are pretty fascinating. Things changed over the years (you used to be able to go live with a player and his family for a week when trying to recruit him) but one thing that stayed the same was that the NCAA hated Tarkanian. I know this is clearly a one-sided account, but it doesn't do the NCAA any favors with its image. Tarkanian never says he's without fault, but the lengths to which the NCAA seemed to go to try and disrupt his success is wild.
Great read.
His discussions of recruiting, from the '60s to the 2000s are pretty fascinating. Things changed over the years (you used to be able to go live with a player and his family for a week when trying to recruit him) but one thing that stayed the same was that the NCAA hated Tarkanian. I know this is clearly a one-sided account, but it doesn't do the NCAA any favors with its image. Tarkanian never says he's without fault, but the lengths to which the NCAA seemed to go to try and disrupt his success is wild.
Great read.
August 22, 2007
Jerry Tarkanian is a great storyteller and it's interesting to read his side of the infamous UNLV days where the NCAA was all over Tarkanian and his program like ugly on an ape. He writes about his journey from his youth to being one of the greatest basketball coaches of all time, including his brief and sub-par stint as coach of the San Antonio Spurs. Although I'm not a huge fan of basketball, I thought this was a great quick read.
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December 2, 2013
I loved this. It was a quick, easy read, with stories that actually made me laugh out loud from Tark's days in coaching. So glad he shared these experiences. Such a genuine guy. Also has an afterword by Greg Anthony, one of my favorite college players ever. I would recommend this book to anyone, especially fans of Long Beach State, UNLV, Fresno State, or just basketball in general.
October 12, 2008
Jerry is legendary in college basketball. His book offers a somewhat skewed view, from his perspective, of how the NCAA hounded him for years and his recruiting of players other coaches wouldn't touch. He even talks about family outings to Bass Lake after retirement.
March 17, 2012
This is a story by a coach mistreated by the NCAA. I've always enjoyed watching Tark's teams play, even if I were rooting against the Rebs and the Dogs. I enjoyed reading his story, in his own words, too.
May 4, 2016
Awesome, easy read on one of the most influential coaches in the history of sports... it took me behind the scenes on a fascinating character, with a ton of great, never before told stories.
Recommend this to any and all college hoops fans...
Recommend this to any and all college hoops fans...
February 14, 2009
Quick read, fun from beginning to end. There's never a dull moment with Tark. And there were several laugh out loud moments, which were a bit embarrassing on the train.
August 14, 2012
Well worth the read
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews