Dear Rebel Fans,

It’s the middle of July and that means something special in the world of college athletics – football is right around the corner. Our players report and begin practice in less than three weeks.

At UNLV Athletics, building and sustaining a successful football program is vital to the overall health of our department and the health of every single one of our other 16 sports – including the community’s beloved Runnin’ Rebel basketball program. We will only be able to maximize our potential in other areas of the department with a healthier football program.

That’s what excites us at UNLV because of the future of our program under second-year head coach Bobby Hauck. We believe in Bobby. We see the changes taking place within the culture of the football program on a daily basis. We know success is on its way. Building winning programs in college athletics – particularly in football – does not happen overnight. But having been around this business for the past three-plus decades, I’ve experienced it while it was happening and then witnessed the positive results. And I see it happening at UNLV under Bobby and his staff right now.

We understand this program has had its challenges and you’ve had promises made to you before that were not kept. We’re not here to make any promises, but we are here to ask you to do one thing for this program and the community: be excited with us about the future of UNLV Football. There is a hope – and a lot of it. Yes, many times it takes courage to believe as there is always the chance of being disappointed once again. But if I have learned anything about Rebel fans during my first 19 months here, it’s that UNLV fans are not lacking in courage whatsoever.

It’s true that we have another challenging schedule this season with a very young squad, in fact, we may have one of the youngest teams in the nation again. But that excites me as a fan. Our young guys are bigger, faster and stronger and it is evident being around the players on a daily basis. And I can’t wait to see them grow throughout this season and seasons to come. We are going to be a team other teams do not want to face and a team fans are going to want to embrace.

For us to grow this program together, it’s crucial you feel informed about Rebel Football. We need you to take ownership of this program in order for us to win. Today’s email is an example of that. This is all about Rebel Football and we hope you learn something new today. And if you are one of our great loyal fans who already knew everything in this email, THANK YOU. You are going to enjoy these next few years more than anyone.

Fans, we hope you will join us in taking ownership of Rebel Football. The foundation is being laid and we are becoming a better program daily. Together, UNLV Football will establish itself in its rightful position as one of the most important pieces of the Las Vegas community.

A few things to know about Rebel Football:

REBEL FOOTBALL QUICK FACTS
- Last season, UNLV played 14 true freshmen, the fifth-highest number in college football. No less than 23 total freshmen played at least one game last fall, which ranked seventh in the nation. And the young talent is starting to show (see the next two bullets):

- The Rebels placed four players on the Rivals.com Freshman All-MW Team in 2010 – all of whom were true freshmen: CB Sidney Hodge, DE Ian Bobak, PK Nolan Kohorst and KOR Marcus Sullivan.

- UNLV rookie running back Tim Cornett became the first freshman to ever lead the Rebels in rushing in a season in 2010. Cornett also tied the freshmen school record for touchdowns in a season with eight.

- Last season, UNLV faced the 19th-toughest schedule in the nation… The Rebels faced nine bowl squads, five ranked teams and five schools that won at least a share of their respective conference championship.

SEASON TICKETS AS LOW AS $75
We wanted to give more people access to becoming a season ticket holder this season so we introduced a new entry level Value Zone season ticket package for just $75. There is nothing like owning season tickets for a team and being able to take your buddies out to a game or spending time with your family. It’s the best value in town… We also have our great Endzone season ticket package for just $100 and Sideline season tickets are $185… Many of the sideline season tickets also include Rebel Athletic Fund scholarship donations, but we even lowered many of these this year to make Rebel Football more accessible for fans… Remember, money spent on tickets for UNLV Football goes to help our department grow our student-athletes and we appreciate that support more than you know… For ticket information, call (702) 739-FANS or visit unlvtickets.com today.

HOME OPENER VS. HAWAII – SATURDAY, SEPT. 17
Please make your plans now to be at Sam Boyd Stadium for our Home Opener on Saturday, Sept. 17 as we face Hawaii at 7 p.m. PT. Hawaii always brings out a great number of fans and with this being our first home game, it will be a spirited atmosphere for college football. We can’t wait.

DOWNLOAD UNLV FOOTBALL WALLPAPER, SCHEDULE POSTER
Click here to download wallpaper for your desktop or a PDF file of the 2011 UNLV Rebel Football schedule poster. It’s all available at UNLVRebels.com. Support your Rebels at work and at home.

TWITTER AND FACEBOOK PROMOTIONS
Be sure to follow UNLV Athletics on both Twitter (@UNLVAthletics) and Facebook (UNLVAthletics) for exciting ticket, merchandise and experience giveaways this season… In fact, we’ll begin offering great giveaway opportunities for the Rebel Football season next week.

FAMILY NIGHT VS. SOUTHERN UTAH – SATURDAY, SEPT. 24
On Saturday, Sept. 24, we will host Southern Utah at 6 p.m. PT. with it being Family Night. Also, we want to thank our fans by offering two-for-one single game tickets to this game in select areas. Make plans to bring out the family and friends as we’ll have pre-game activities for kids. Look for more information about this event as we get closer to the game.

KICK-OFF THE SEASON ON ESPN – THURSDAY, SEPT. 1
Last year we had one of the Top 20 schedules in the nation and one of the toughest ever for a non-BCS team. This season starts off with a huge challenge as well, but we are excited about the opportunity as we open the year at Wisconsin on Thursday, Sept. 1 at 5 p.m. PT on ESPN. The following week, we will be at Washington State out of the Pac-12… Obviously, our guys will be challenged early with two difficult road games. But with great challenge comes the chance for great opportunity. After the two road games to start the season, we are hoping our fans will give our guys tremendous support at our first two home games on Sept. 17 (Hawaii) and 24 (Southern Utah).

“QUICK HITS” WITH BOBBY HAUCK
Throughout the season, we’ll be giving fans a unique look into play design from Coach Hauck through short “Quick Hits” videos on RebelTV, which is hosted on UNLVRebels.com… Click here for a sample of “Quick Hits.”

TAILGATING FOR REBEL FOOTBALL
What is better than tailgating for NCAA football games? Our grassy Star Nursery Fields on the north side of Sam Boyd Stadium offer a great tailgating experience for fans of all ages… For more information on reserved season tailgating spaces (30 ft. by 60 ft. and includes three parking passes), click here or call (702) 739-FANS.

REBEL KIDS CLUB
Is your son or daughter a member of the Rebel Kids Club, presented by Rapport Leadership International and NSR Business Solutions? If not, look into it today for the 2011-12 year. It’s a great opportunity for young Rebel fans to have experiences with players and coaches as well as obtain great discounts for Rebel games. Visit UNLVKidsClub.com for more information or to join. It’s just $30... And remember to bring your kids out to Family Day on Sept. 24 vs. Southern Utah.

HOMECOMING NOV. 5 VS. BOISE STATE
We welcome national power Boise State to the Mountain West this season and we’ll face off against the defending Maaco Bowl Las Vegas champs on Saturday, Nov. 5 at 7:30 p.m. PT. This will be our Homecoming game and we’re hoping to drive out a large number of UNLV alums for what we are sure will be a challenging game. Make your plans to be there today to Get Your Reb On.

Thank you for your continued support of Rebel Football and all of UNLV Athletics. It’s a GREAT time to be a Rebel. Get Your Reb On!

Sincerely,

 

Jim Livengood
Director of Athletics