LAS VEGAS -- Hall of Fame coach Jerry Tarkanian, who built a basketball dynasty at UNLV but was defined more by his decades-long battle with the NCAA, died Wednesday after several years of health issues. He was 84.
Son Danny Tarkanian broke the news via Twitter:
Coach Tark, my father, the greatest man I have ever known, passed today, to take his place in heaven. I will miss him every day of my life.
— Danny Tarkanian (@DannyTarkanian) February 11, 2015
Tarkanian put the run in the Runnin' Rebels, taking them to four Final Fours and winning a national championship in 1990.
Danny Tarkanian says his father fought an infection since he was hospitalized Monday in Las Vegas with breathing difficulty.
The towel-chewing coach dubbed "Tark the Shark" had been hospitalized three times in 10 months.
He had a second heart attack last April and was treated for pneumonia in November.
His teams were as flamboyant as the city, with light shows and fireworks for pregame introductions and celebrities jockeying for position on the so-called Gucci Row courtside.
He ended up beating the NCAA, too, collecting a $2.5 million settlement after suing the organization for trying to run him out of college basketball.
Tarkanian led the 1990 UNLV team that won an NCAA national title and the 1991 Runnin' Rebels who lost to Duke in the Final Four.
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