Remembering Brad Rothermel, UNLV's greatest athletic director

LAS VEGAS — Everyone knows about Jerry Tarkanian’s success in putting UNLV basketball on the national map. The four Final Fours. The 1990 National Championship. The many players Tark sent to the NBA.

But he would be the first to tell you that none of it would have been possible without the support of his boss.

That would be Dr. Brad Rothermel.

Arguably the best athletic director ever to occupy the office on Maryland Parkway died Monday after a lengthy battle with dementia. He was 88.

Why did it work between the AD And the coach? Because the AD was not interested in personal glory. He wanted the coach and the players to get the accolades. And while Tarkanian never enjoyed the luxury of having his own practice facility the way current coach Josh Pastner has, he did get to have a great building to play his home games in the 18,500-seat Thomas & Mack Center which Rothermel helped secure the funding for after the team had outgrown the Las Vegas Convention Center as its home court.

Rothermel was UNLV’s AD from 1981 to 1990. And while he is tied to Tarkanian’s success, he also oversaw the athletic program’s success in other sports. Women’s basketball, baseball,  softball, men’s soccer, men’s and women’s swimming, women’s track and field and men’s golf all enjoyed varying degrees of success and conference championships during Rothermel’s tenure.

His goal? Have success across the board. Football under Harvey Hyde went to and won the California Bowl in 1984. And while Rothermel was unable to maintain a winning program in his final years as AD, he believed with the right support that UNLV could win on the gridiron.

Unfortunately for Rothermel, he was unable to win the battle on campus with then-president Robert Maxson, who was not a supporter of Tarkanian and would eventually force Tarkanian out in 1992.

By then, Rothermel had left the AD’s chair, concentrating on teaching sports management just steps away from the North Gym, where Tarkanian’s teams toiled and built the foundation for their success.

Rothermel, who was a baseball player and was good friends with former major league manager Gene Lamont going back to their days together at the University of Illinois, was a lover of all sports.  His support for women’s sports as Title IX was picking up steam around the country made UNLV an attractive option for female athletes.

During his time as AD, UNLV had 14 varsity programs compete in NCAA postseason play and captured 33 conference championships in the PCAA, later as the Big West. Rothermel was recognized for his accomplishments with his enshrinement in the UNLV Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.

He was always pragmatic when it came to the business of athletics. Years before NIL became a reality, Rothermel championed the idea of athletes receiving some level of compensation for representing their school beyond their scholarship. He always fought for his coaches, trying to get them the additional funding they felt they needed in order to compete and win.

And he did it while never seeking the spotlight. That wasn’t Rothermel’s style. He was content to be behind the scenes and doing what he could for his coaches and student-athletes.

Erick Harper, UNLV’s current AD, said: “Southern Nevada has lost a giant from its athletics history. Brad Rothermel helped put the Rebels on the map in the world of sports and he was truly a gentleman in everything he did as a respected leader, educator and friend.”

Rothermel is survived by his wife Suzanne and daughter Christy Zipf and was preceded in death by daughter Beth Kristin Rothermel, who passed away in 2010. His funeral will be private.

In this business, you get to deal with lots of administrators. Some are forthright and great to deal with, others not so much. Brad Rothermel falls into the first category. He was a good person, a smart person, someone who understood people and relationships and was willing to leave while at the top of his profession.

That’s the hallmark of a special person. And his contributions to UNLV and to Las Vegas will never be forgotten.