Long Beach State to honor Jerry Tarkanian with uniform patches
Long Beach State's men's basketball program plans to honor the late Jerry Tarkanian with uniform patches for the rest of the season, head coach Dan Monson said on Thursday.
Preceding a series of tweets by saying Tarkanian "put us on the map," Monson shared details of the patches as well as "Tark-era pricing' for the 49ers' Feb. 19 game against UC Davis.
Tarkanian died on Wednesday at the age of 84. His health had been declining in recent years after suffering a mild heart attack in March 2012.
Tarkanian coached 31 seasons with Long Beach State, UNLV and Fresno State before retiring in 2002. He coached at Long Beach State from 1968-73, taking the team to four straight NCAA tournaments and holding the school's coaching wins record until this year.
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Over his five seasons at Long Beach State, Tarkanian posted a 122-20 record. The 49ers went 23-3 in the 1968-69 season, Tarkanian's first, though the team was not competing in Division I.
Tarkanian went on to post a 509-105 record at UNLV over 19 seasons, leading the Rebels to the NCAA championship in 1990. He resigned in 1992 amid an NCAA investigation, and in 1995 he returned to his alma mater at Fresno State and coached the Bulldogs for seven seasons.
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For its "Tark-era pricing," Long Beach State plansto offer $8 chair seats and $3 bench seats for the Jan. 19 game against UC Davis. Long Beach State will also hold a moment of silence in honor of Tarkanian before the game and give away commemorative towels to the first 1,000 fans in attendance.
- Mike Fiammetta
