STRENGTH & CONDITIONING POWER BEHIND THE PROGRAM MIKE GERBER Strength & Conditioning Coach UNLV football’s strength and conditioning program is now under the guid- ance of veteran coach Mike Gerber. “The goal of the UNLV football strength & conditioning program is to maxi- mize those physical traits that excellence in the sport demands,” Gerber said. “Football is a game of relatively short but extremely intense efforts requiring great power production. Because of this, the core of the program is made up of the Olympic Weightlifting movements. Run speed develop- ment and conditioning also follow the dictates of the game’s physical demands. Emphasis is placed especially on initial acceleration because most sprinting in football is relatively short. Conditioning is made up largely of position-specific movement patterns done in series of all-out effort with the quantity of work similar to a long football drive.” The Ernie Becker Sr. Strength and Conditioning Center’s 8,500- square-foot deck features free weights, power racks and Olympian The covered agility drills area platforms. The 1,200-square-foot second level offers stretching and aerobic features 3,000 square feet of areas catered to each sport. The room also features a premium sound system artificial turf. to further enhance the workout experience. More than 60 weight stations cover the state-of-the-art flooring inside the Ernie Becker Sr. Strength & Conditioning Center. 2 STRENGTH & CONDITIONING EQUIPMENT RE B ELS WEAR ONLY THE BES T UNLV’S All-new Bill Ireland Locker Room 114 custom-made player lockers fill the Bill Ireland Locker Room inside the Lied Athletic Complex. PAUL PUCCIARELLI Director Now in his 26th year overseeing the equipment department for UNLV, Paul Pucciarelli says he and the school are committed to outfitting players to be both safe and stylish on the football field. “My philosophy behind equipment is that student-athletes have enough problems, that is, they have to compete in the classroom and on the field — worrying about equipment shouldn’t be a problem,” says Puc- ciarelli, widely known as Pooch. “Our players are lucky because of the system we have set up here. The athletic department and the university provide us a tremendous support group.” The Lied Athletic Complex’s 10,000-square-foot, two-sided equipment room gives all 17 UNLV sports the services of an immense facility designed with the student-athlete in mind. In one of 19 team and staff locker rooms, players and coaches can simply drop off their uniforms at the end of a practice or competition. The next day a clean version will be waiting for pickup in personally assigned lockers located in a wall surrounding the equipment room. Nike is the exclusive products supplier and sponsor of UNLV Athletics SPORTS MEDICINE THE FINES T CARE The Marilyn & Si Redd Sports Medicine Complex sprawls over an 8,500- square-foot area. KYLE WILSON Director Providing the best possible preventative and rehabilitative care, A skylight welcomes natural light the UNLV football athletic training staff is headed by Director of Athletic into the rehabilitation room. Training Kyle Wilson. Made possible by a generous gift of $1.5 million from Marilyn and Si Redd, the Lied Athletic Complex’s athletic training facility incorporates the total scope of sports medicine over an 8,500-square-foot area. Aside from five staff offices, a rehabilitation room houses a dozen pieces of equipment including Cybex stationary bicycles, stair machines and treadmills, all under a natural skylight. The largest area features a dozen tables to offer student-athletes various treatments throughout the day. Taping, padding and bracing all take place in another all-inclusive room. Finally, an aquatic therapy room features three above-ground whirl- pools surrounding a 10-feet deep pool for rehabilitative exercises. An aquatic therapy room includes a rehab pool. 4 TRAINING FACILITY PALA T IAL PRA ct I C E PARK The all-new Ernie Becker Sr. Football Fields at Bill “Wildcat” Morris Rebel Park The UBU synthetic sports surface covers two full football fields on campus. ne of college football’s largest and most impressive areas of its kind, Bill “Wildcat” Morris Rebel Park has been transformed into an athletic showcase over the past decade. In 2010, Oa state-of-the-art UBU synthetic surface was installed at a cost of $700,000. The artificial surface was originally installed in 2002 thanks to a $1 million gift from the family of Ernie Becker Sr. A completely new lighting system soon followed. Also, Bruce Bayne of Peccole Nevada and Ernie Becker Jr. helped develop an all-new grand entrance to the park, complete with pine trees, desert rocks and an archway. The palm-tree-lined area includes two full-sized practice fields. Also, Terry Manley of Champion Homes is responsible for the UNLV Football Manley Corner, which welcomes visitors, staff and student-athletes onto campus and into the heart of Rebel Football. 5 ACADEMICS IN THE COMMUNITY RE C ORD CLASSROOM SU cc ESS o less than 17 UNLV football players were named to the 2009 Academic UNLV ACADEMIC All-Mountain West Conference team, which highlighted another strong Nyear in the classroom by the Rebels. The total number of honorees, ALL-CONFERENCE which ranked third in the league, was the second-most ever recorded by the 2009-MWC (17) Casey Flair, WR 2000-MWC (9) program (20 set just one year previous) while marking the 11th consecutive Rodelin Anthony, WR Jacob Hales, DL Bill Cofer, LB season that at least seven UNLV players appeared on the academic team. Mark Barefield, WR Mario Jeberaeel, OL John Greer, OL David Blair, LB Maquel Martin, DB Ryan Hanson, QB In fact, academic advising for football, which boasts three full-time advisors, Omar Clayton, QB Mike McKiski, OL Joe Haro, DB has helped produce 128 such honorees since the school joined the Mountain Mike Donato, OL Aaron Mueller, C Joel Menendez, OL West Conference in 1999. Two players – WR Ryan Wolfe and WR Rodelin John Gianninoto, OL Aaron Straiten, WR Dillon Pieffer, PK Kamu Kapanui, LS Ryan Tillman, DB Nate Rydalch, WR Anthony – ended their college careers as rare four-time conference academic Tate Knutson, WR Ryan Wolfe, WR Toby Smeltzer, DB honorees. Andrew Mack, OL Ryan Worthen, FB Trevan Sorensen, TE In addition, eight Rebel gridders earned spots on the UNLV Dean’s List Marquel Martin, DB Matt Murphy, OL 2005-MWC (7) 1999-MWC (11) during 2009-10. In 2009, the program placed a player on the ESPN The Beau Orth, LB Casey Flair, WR Bill Cofer, LB Magazine Academic All-District First Team for the third consecutive season. Ryan Tillman, DB Jacob Hales, DE BJ Edwards, FB Travis Trickey, LB Ryan Heise, DL Kris Fisher, TE Shane Watterson, OL Jarrod Jackson, QB John Greer, OL Ryan Wolfe, WR Kamu Kapanui, FB Joe Haro, RB Doug Zismann, OL Mike McKiski, OL Blake Livingood, OL Flair REBELS ON THE DEAN’S LIST 2009-10 Ryan Worthen, FB Tim O’Reilly, PK Jesse Backerman, David Blair, 2008-MWC (20) Jason Palmucci, LB Caleb Herring, Tate Knutson, Les Obie, Rodelin Anthony, WR 2004-MWC (8) Danny Pacheco, OL Omar Clayton, QB Reggie Butler, LB Nate Rydalch, WR Beau Orth, Shane Waterman, C.J. Cox, RB Tyler Crandal, OL Toby Smeltzer, DB Doug Zismann Mike Donato, OL Michael Freund, TE Casey Flair, WR Tim Goins, OL 1998-WAC (5) Jacob Hales, DL Mike McKiski, OL Kawika Batoon, DB Ben Jaekle, PK Kurt Nantkes, QB Brandon Ellena, OL Mario Jeberaeel, OL Hubi Schulze Zumkley, PK John Greer, OL Kamu Kapanui, LS Ryan Welter, LB Blake Livingood, OL One of the top student-athletes in UNLV history, record-setting receiver Terrance Lee, DB Tim O’Reilly, PK Evan Marchal, OL 2003-MWC (10) Casey Flair (above) in 2009 became the first Rebel gridder to twice be named Matt Murphy, OL Reggie Butler, LB 1997-WAC (8) to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District First Team, which is voted Beau Orth, LB Ryan Claridge, LB Kawika Batoon, DB on by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Phillip Payne, WR Tyler Crandal, OL Rob Bone, QB Deante’ Purvis, DB Larry Croom, RB Brandon Ellena, OL Martin Tevaseu, DL Chris Eagen, DE John Greer, OL Ryan Tillman, DB Michael Freund, TE Tim O’Reilly, PK Ryan Wolfe, WR Kurt Nantkes, QB Mac Smith, OL Rusty Worthen, LB David Olsen, DB Chad Reed, QB Ryan Worthen, RB Derek Olsen, DB Mike Reily, OL Dillon Pieffer, PK 2007-MWC (16) 1996-WAC (3) Rodelin Anthony, WR 2002-MWC (9) Rob Bone, QB Omar Clayton, QB Bill Cofer, LB Mike Reily, OL Casey Flair, WR Larry Croom, RB Mac Smith, OL John Gianninoto, OL Michael Freund, TE Jacob Hales, DL Joe Haro, RB 1995-BIG WEST (3) Shane Horton, DB Kurt Nantkes, QB Rob Bone, QB Mario Jeberaeel, OL David Olsen, DB Mike Reily, OL Tate Knutson, WR Derek Olsen, LB David White, TE Evan Marchal, OL Toby Smeltzer, WR Marquel Martin, DB Chameion Sutton, DB 1994-BIG WEST (4) Mike McKiski, OL Brad Faunce, P Sifa Moala, OL 2001-MWC (7) Darin Lovat, OL Matt Murphy, OL Joe Haro, RB Howard McGowan, OL Richie Plunkett, OL Kurt Nantkes, QB David White, TE Ryan Wolfe, WR Derek Olsen, DB Ryan Worthen, TE Dillon Pieffer, PK 1993-BIG WEST (4) All-time UNLV and MWC receptions Hubi Schulze Zumkley, PK Brad Faunce, P leader Ryan Wolfe played last fall as a 2006-MWC (14) Toby Smeltzer, WR Howard McGowan, OL graduate student after having earned Rodelin Anthony, WR Trevan Sorensen, DE Jonathan Perez, RB his bachelor’s degree. KC Asiodu, LB David White, QB Chris Butler, TE Tony Cade, DB 6 IN THE COMMUNITY RE B ELS FOR A CAUSE NLV and its student-athletes are committed to success both on and off the fields of play.