UNLV Rebels | |||
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First season | 1968 | ||
Athletic director | Tina Kuzer-Murphy (interim) | ||
Head coach |
Tony Sanchez 2nd year, 7–17 (.292) |
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Other staff |
Barney Cotton (OC) Kent Baer (DC) |
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Stadium | Sam Boyd Stadium | ||
Year built | October 23, 1971 | ||
Seating capacity | 35,500 | ||
Field surface | FieldTurf | ||
Location | Las Vegas, Nevada | ||
NCAA division | Division I FBS | ||
Conference | Mountain West | ||
Division | West | ||
Past conferences |
Division II Independent (1968–1977) Division I Independent (1978–1981) Big West (1982–1995) WAC (1996–1998) |
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All-time record | 241–317–4 (.432) | ||
Bowl record | 3–1 (.750) | ||
Conference titles | 2 | ||
Consensus All-Americans | 1 (Division II) | ||
Colors | Scarlet and Gray |
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Fight song | Win with the Rebels | ||
Mascot | Hey Reb! | ||
Marching band | Star of Nevada | ||
Rivals | Nevada Wolf Pack | ||
Website | UNLV Rebels |
The UNLV Rebels football program is a college football team that represents the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). The team is currently a member of the Mountain West Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) conference of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). The program which began on September 14, 1968, is coached by former Bishop Gorman High School head coach, Tony Sanchez. The team's home games are played at Sam Boyd Stadium in Whitney, Nevada.
In 1967, Nevada Southern University announced that they would field a collegiate football program beginning on September 14, 1968 and announced that the team would be a Division II Independent and that Bill Ireland would be the program's first head coach. The Rebels played their first game of their inaugural season against the St. Mary's Gaels at Cashman Field in Las Vegas. The Rebels won the game, defeating the Gaels 27–20 in front of 8,000 fans. The Rebels remained undefeated until the last game of the season, losing to Cal Lutheran Kingsmen, 17–13, as the Rebels finished their inaugural campaign 8-1. The following year the Rebels played their first game against in-state rival Nevada, losing to the Wolf Pack 30–28. UNLV gained revenge, defeating Nevada the following year, 42–30, in the first year that the Fremont Cannon was awarded. On September 25, 1971, the Rebels played their first game against a Division I school, when they played Utah State of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA), ultimately losing 27–7. On October 23, 1971, the Rebels opened their new home, Las Vegas Stadium, against Weber State, losing 30–17. At the end of the 1972 season with a disappointing 1-10 record, Ireland announced he was stepping down, leaving the Rebels with a 26-23-1 record.