aaron wrote on July 21, 2009 08:43 AM: Shady people in a sunny city. Only here can people openly stand up and defend the scum that is people like Tarkanian. He single-handedly destroyed UNLV Basketball. Without Finfrock, this city would be scum, just like you people who are dragging his name through the mud.

adam wrote on July 20, 2009 01:29 AM: anon, you're full of sh.. read a little about tark and what happened. go back and find out which violations they were able to make stick. they were all minor. the 2-a never got him, his own university and a narcissistic power couple did. you honestly think that a guy who had a target on his back from the early seventies and who knew that the 2-a was going to be after him for anything that could be attributed to him, fairly or not, would go around doing tons of dirt to make it easy for them to nail him? i guess the fact that they had to settle out of court with him for 2 million bucks was because they couldn't afford to continue the fight in court. you know how poor the ncaa is. dude, you bought what the media sold you about tark, but that doesn't make it right. steve and elaine wynn, maxson and finfrock were the ones whose egos couldn't take being second to tark. and leave it to the r-j to try to make finfrock seem like a swell guy. sherman frederick (of the r-j) was gunning for tark right along with those others.

Finfrock's dream = give working people the shaft wrote on July 19, 2009 11:26 AM: One need only look at the brass of the Thomas and Mack Center to realize what kind of people are being appreciated in this psper. From Finfrock to Enoch to Libonati etc., that place has always been run, and been allowed to run, like a cut-throat business with no thought to employees or patrons and NOT as part of the university. Problems with the IRS were quietly "resolved". In addition, the heads of the organization cut staff and services in order to fatten their end-of-the-year, off-the-books confidential bonuses. Thats right, they sacrifice the service, health, and safety of their patrons so the priviledged few heads of the TMC can buy nice shiny things at the end of the year after the National Finals Rodeo. To celebrate, they give the people to whom they pay minimum wage, rely to do the real work and not train properly to control traffic, crappy pizza. Wow. How cheap. Give your most valuable asset cheap food and you pocket the cash. Then fire people with experience because they cost an incredible 11.00/hr.

And it all started with Uncle Dennis. He pointed the way. AD Hamrick tried to get the place back under control, but he gave up soon after because money rules. Now the current crew of Libonati, Todd Clawson, and Mike Newcomb make well over six figures with their end of year bonuses while loyal employees of 20+ get the shaft along with medical responders and security. Ask the brass of Thomas and Mack sometime what their bonus was last year when the economy started to tank and they should be proud to tell you that they earned every penny even though others did the work.

Leadership in business means sacrificing some of your huge bonus to keep your best asset: people. Thanks, Dennis. Not.

Anon wrote on July 19, 2009 09:43 AM: Jerr Tarkanian created and destroyed Rebel basketball. Tarkanian's willingness to deal with the mob, ignore scholarship standards and commit illegal and immoral acts to further Rebel basketball is what brought UNLV basketball down. Dennis Finfrick was forced to testify against Tark and the mob.

Want proof that it was Tarkanian? Ask the fans of Fresno State basketball what happened when Tark went there? A couple of winning seasons followed by several ivestigations and convictions by the NCAA. Tarkanian destroyed UNLV then Fresno State.

You who chose to drag a dead man's name through the mud because you think no one will stand up for him should be ashamed. You're probably the same mob/booster scum Dennis discovered had infested UNLV athletics.

Dennis had the courage of conviction to testify against people much more powerful than himself.

Rest in peace friend.

Crumudgeon wrote on July 19, 2009 07:48 AM: One thing about Dennis he was willing to step on anyone's neck and shove their face in the mud if it meant that he could get ahead. He did that to Terry Praetor, the head wrestling coach
at Rancho H.S.; He was ruthless and a cutthroat, backstabber without equal.

He weaseled his way into UNLV coaching and then into the AD job not because he was good at it, but because he was a power hungry,cutthroat thief in the night.

His push for power cost many people many things including their jobs, prestige and reputations. He eventually got the AD job not by knowledge and skill but by sheer determination to shove anyone in the way, out of the way by any means possible.

perry wrote on July 19, 2009 06:45 AM: "The problem was we had this new athletic director, this goofball Dennis Finfrock, who was probably the worst athletic director in the history of college sports. If they had decided to pay a guy to come in and destroy a program overnight, they couldn't have found a better person."

--Jerry Tarkanian

"Finfrock had come in during the 1990 - 1991 season and was just terrible. He destroyed our program in one year, just totally destroyed it. He created havoc within the city. He worked against me with boosters. He leaked unflattering stories to the media. It was unbelievable."

--Jerry Tarkanian

"The guy was unbelievable. He was just so petty. I dislike him more than I do Maxson. Maxson had a purpose in what he was doing. Finfrock was a nobody. He had been in charge of booking acts into the Thomas & Mack, and he used to have me speak to all of these different people when they would come into town. And I always did. I always did whatever he asked me to do. He'd always act like I was his friend. But he wanted the athletic director position so badly that he was willing to sell me and everybody else out. He was willing to kill the program. I have no respect for him. Ego is the one thing that brought us down."

--Jerry Tarkanian


His death doesn't change that fact that he was enemy #1 to every true rebel fan - especially those of us who were here in the early 90's.

Steve wrote on July 19, 2009 05:44 AM: A great guy.

A respected professional in his field.

The University and Las Vegas was made better by him being here.

Thanks Dennis and RIP.

Crumudgeon wrote on July 19, 2009 05:06 AM: One word sums up Dennis Finfrock's approach to anything he did in public education from the time he was a wrestling coach at Rancho to to AD at UNLV: Ruthless!