10 events that defined Las Vegas sports history

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewsik, center, offers his congratulations to UNLV players Stacey Augmon, left, and Larry Johnson, right, following the NCAA Final Four Championship game, April 2, 1990, in Denver, Colorado. The Rebels overwhelmed Duke with a 103-73 victory for the national title. (Ed Reinke/AP)

UNLV basketball forward Larry Johnson gets off shot beyond the defensive reach of Duke's Alaa Abdelnaby April 3, 1990, in Denver. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Larry Johnson, second from right, celebrates with UNLV teammates Stacey Augmon and Greg Anthony, and coach Jerry Tarkanian after all three players were selected in the first round of the 1991 NBA Draft. Johnson was chosen No. 1 overall by the Charlotte Hornets. (File AP Photo)

UNLV forward Larry Johnson does some fancy stepping along the sideline to make a behind-the-back pass over two Duke players during the Rebels’ record-setting 103-73 victory in the NCAA championship game 25 years ago today, April 2, 1990, at McNichols Sports Arena in Denver. (Jeff Scheid/Las Vegas Review-Journal File)

UNLV forward Larry Johnson gets off shot beyond the defensive reach of Duke's Alaa Abdelnaby April 3,1990, in Denver, Colo. The Running Rebels kept the game out of reach for the Blue Devils by winning the Final Four championship game 103-73. (Eric Risberg/AP)

A look at the seminal events that have helped shape Las Vegas’ sporting landscape:

RAIDERS MOVE TO LAS VEGAS

Elvis left the building in 1977, and the NFL’s Raiders will enter it in 2020 — and perhaps even sooner, if Sam Boyd Stadium receives a makeover. Does it get any bigger than an NFL team entering one’s $1.9 billion building? To (sort of) paraphrase “Dandy” Don Meredith on “Monday Night Football,” turn on the lights, the party’s only getting started.

UNLV WINS 1990 NCAA TITLE

Anderson Hunt scored 29 points, Larry Johnson had 22 points and 11 rebounds and Stacey Augmon doled out seven assists as the Rebels routed Duke 103-73 at Denver’s McNichols Arena. It was the biggest blowout in NCAA championship game history. It made Jerry Tarkanian cry, and it put Las Vegas on the national sports topography with a seismic eruption.

BIG TIME FIGHTS

Gerry Cooney vs. Larry Holmes in 1982; Thomas Hearns vs. Marvin Hagler in 1985; Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2015 … the list goes on and on. Next to those big turbines at Hoover Dam, is there anything that can generate electricity like a Big Fight Night in Las Vegas?

VEGAS GETS NHL HOCKEY

The NHL’s Rangers and Kings defied the odds and the weathermen in 1991 by playing an exhibition game outdoors, in 85-degree heat at Caesars Palace. Who knew it would lead to 41 Vegas Golden Knights games, plus preseason games, plus (maybe someday) playoff games, starting in 2017-18?

VEGAS GETS NBA ALL-STAR WEEKEND

Yes, it got a little crazy in the local gentlemen’s clubs, and, like defense in the game, the tips left by NBA fans came up a little short. But the 2007 NBA All-Star Game at the Thomas &Mack Center was fun for a while, especially when Charles Barkley challenged NBA referee Dick Bavetta to a footrace on All-Star Saturday.

VEGAS GETS NASCAR

After Caesars Palace hosted Formula One and IndyCar Grand Prix races during the 1980s, the city’s reputation as a hotbed for major league auto racing grew exponentially with the opening of Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 1996, and the announcement the NASCAR Cup Series would race here in 1998. Gentlemen, start your pocketbooks.

VEGAS MADNESS

It’s almost to where March Madness couldn’t exist without Vegas Madness — at least for seeding purposes. With no fewer than four conference basketball tournaments — West Coast, Mountain West, Pac-12 and Western Athletic — now being contested in Las Vegas, can an NCAA West Regional or Final Four be far behind?

GAMES THAT COUNT

During the 1983-84 season, the Utah Jazz played 11 games at the Thomas &Mack Center, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sank a sky hook over Mark Eaton to set the NBA career scoring record. The Oakland A’s added to Las Vegas’ viability as a pro sports venue by opening the baseball season here in 1996 while Oakland Coliseum was being renovated.

NATIONAL FINALS RODEO

For 10 days every December, Las Vegas still takes great pride in being called a cow town. The National Finals Rodeo moved from Oklahoma City to the Thomas &Mack Center in 1985, explaining why local tourism officials no longer worry about filling hotel rooms and whiskey glasses during what used to be a slow time of the year.

EVEL KNIEVEL’S EPIC FAIL

On New Year’s Eve 1967, daredevil Evel Knievel failed to jump the iconic fountains at Caesars Palace, suffering a crushed pelvis and femur, fractures to his hip, wrist and both ankles and a concussion. ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” passed on the original broadcast. It paid handsomely to show the replay.

Contact Ron Kantowski at rkantowski@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0352. Follow @ronkantowski on Twitter.