“Tark” is the legendary basketball coach who brought three consecutive State Championships to the Riverside City College campus. From 1961 to 1966, he led the team to a 145-22 record. The 1963-64 team went 35-0, still a record for Community Colleges. While at Pasadena CC he was 67-4, at Long Beach State he was 116-17, at UNLV he was 509-105, and at Fresno State he was 153-80. Though he has had great success and recognition at prestigious Division I schools, Jerry Tarkanian has often referred to his RCC tenure as his “golden years of coaching”. The records he has set, and still holds, are indeed legendary.
- Holds an overall winning percentage of .803, the fourth best of all-time.
- Had 778 Career victories at Division I schools.
- Coached 42 players drafted by the NBA; 12 of whom were drafted in the first round.
- Averaged 25.3 wins per season during his 30 year career.
- Won 20 games or more for 29 of 31 seasons as a Division I coach.
- His 988 career collegiate coaching victories are the most ever for all divisions.
- Led UNLV to NCAA Championship in 1990 with a 103-73 victory over Duke, the largest winning margin ever recorded in NCAA finals history.
- Jerry Tarkanian may have been a Rebel, a Bulldog, a Forty-Niner, and a Lancer, but he will forever be a Riverside Tiger.
