Las Vegas Bowl Moment 2: UNLV’s John Robinson improves bowl record
To celebrate the local bowl’s 25th anniversary milestone, the Review-Journal will rank the top 25 moments in Las Vegas Bowl history. We’ll relive one moment per day until game day Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium:
No. 2: UNLV’s John Robinson reaches another milestone
Date: Dec. 21, 2000
Score: UNLV 31, Arkansas 14
Back story: Legendary coach John Robinson was in his second season at UNLV and turning around the program. He went from 3-8 in his first season to 8-5 the following season and a third-place finish in the Mountain West. Robinson, who was best known for his days as a successful coach at Southern California and with the St. Louis Rams, was finally giving Rebels fans optimism. Arkansas entered the Las Vegas Bowl 6-5 overall and 3-5 in the Southeastern Conference.
Game: Arkansas took a 7-0 lead and settled for a 14-14 tie at halftime. The Rebels scored 17 unanswered points in the second half for their second Las Vegas Bowl victory. UNLV quarterback Jason Thomas, who threw for three touchdowns, was named the MVP. Robinson became the winningest — by percentage and minimum of eight appearances — bowl coach in college football history. He posted an 8-1 record with USC and UNLV.
Since: Robinson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2009. Robinson, who won four Rose Bowls at USC, was never able to turn the Rebels into a consistent winner. He finished with a 28-42 record in six seasons at UNLV. The Rebels didn’t return to a bowl game until 2014.
Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0492. Follow @gmanzano24 on Twitter.
