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Lil' General

Somehow he's been able to maintain a level of respect from the community 'earned' 20 years ago, against lesser competition. He's a dinosaur in a pre historic town - Our Kid on Wolf Pack football Head Coach Chris Ault

Our Kid's quote stems from the University of Nevada releasing their 2007 football schedule today and the absolute shock that they scheduled Divsion I AA powerhouse Nicholls State, the pride of Thibodaux, LA. Ault has been maintained that he wants to raise the bar on Wolf Pack football since he instated himself as head coach.

"When you add those non-conference games to our existing conference games and UNLV each year, it certainly raises the bar,” Nevada head coach Chris Ault said. “We are anxious to meet those expectations.”

The Pack start their season on the road against Nebraska and Northwestern. By the time they host Nicholls State they will be 0-2 but well on their way to thrashing a lesser opponent. Which I guess is no different then the Cornhuskers taking on the Wolf Pack.

I attended Nevada from 2002-05 and since then they produced one decent player, Nate Burleson. Their is some NFL Draft buzz going around about quarterback Jeff Rowe, who recently completed his senior season at the grip of The Pistol, but he is the product of a gadget offense in a bad conference. I can't remember Rowe playing well against the better teams (i.e. Boise State) but I guess 6'4" QB's are in demand.

With that said, Nevada football is stagnant and has been so for twenty years. They're not on the rise and they have really haven't bottomed out, essentially they're a average squad in a bad conference.

Why I Can't Stand Chris Ault

1. He's a bigger self promoter than I am. He was instrumental in getting Legacy Hall off the ground but his visage is the most prominent when you peruse the Hall of Fame Room. In the grand scheme of things Marion Motley is the greatest thing to come out the school and his display is towards and kind of obscure.

2. I am not from Nevada and I was not raised as a part of the Wolf Pack community and accordingly I can not fully grasp his impact/legacy. A friend that was born and raised in northern Nevada maintained that Ault's impact on the Wolf Pack was greater than Bill Walsh's on the 49ers. I can't stand Walsh either but I understand the connection.

3. During my time at Nevada Ault was responsible for hiring Chris Tormey. Tormey would ultimately have more players with felonies than victories on the field. He fired Tormey and was named head coach shortly afterwards. To me this will always be suspect. Also they got in trouble with the Black Coaches Association due to the Tormey firing fiasco.

4. He gets absolute credit for bringing Nevada football to the D1 level, and rightfully so, but the program has stalled and there is rarely a negative sentiment towards him as either administrator or coach. I realize he is the football program but he is not infallible. If Mike Ditka can be fired by the Chicago Bears then no one is truly safe.

In my mind Ault is a hall of famer but I maintain the 'what have you done for me lately' mentality. My time associated with Nevada has seen more negatives than positives with the football team. But if the Wolf Pack win more than six games this season I will issue a hand written and notorized apology to Coach Ault for all of my negativity.

Where Have You Gone, Johnny Thomas?

Johnny Thomas played one season at the University of Nevada and bounced around the football world. The highly touted defensive tackle played his first two seasons at Holmes Junior College and garnered All American honors after making 78 tackles and 13 sacks. In 2001, at Nevada, he played in 9 games and started 2. In his only D1 campaign he recovered one fumble, made 39 tackles and one sack.

The following season he briefly enrolled at Alabama State but never suited up and declared himself readly for the 2002 NFL Supplemental Draft. All teams passed on Thomas but the Dolphins invited him to their 2003 camp but he was injured in camp and did not make the final roster. He was also listed on the roster for the Frankfurt Galaxy in 2003. From 2004 - 2005 he played Arena Football for Chicago and New York.

Nevada's Choice Cuts

University of Nevada quarterback Jeff Rowe was drafted in the 5th round of the 2007 NFL Draft. For any Nevada alumnus NFL stardom is a long shot and Rowe has a tough road ahead of him before carving out his niche in the professional ranks. In light of the recent draft here is one man's opinion of Nevada's greatest contributions to the NFL.

1. Marion Motley (1940-42): The only University of Nevada player in the NFL Hall of Fame. Member of the NFL's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team. Helped integrate professional football.

2. Charles Mann (1980-82): Four time Pro Bowler and three time Super Bowl champion with the Washington Redskins and San Francisco 49ers. Amassed 83 sacks in 12 seasons from his defensive end spot.

3. Brock Marion (1989-92): A 7th round draft pick by the Dallas Cowboys in 1993 went to three Pro Bowl in his 12 year career.

4. Frank Hawkins (1977-80): A member of the College Football Hall of Fame and played 7 seasons with the Oakland Raiders. Finished his Nevada career with 5,333 rushing yards, third in NCAA history, and his number 27 was subsequently retired by the Wolf Pack.

5. Nate Burleson (2000-02): Parlayed second team All American status by the AP, CNN/SI and the Sporting News into a 3rd round selection by the Minnesota Vikings. Had a breakout season in 2004 with 1,006 receiving yards and 9 TD's while lining up with Randy Moss.

Honorable Mention: Charles Wright: AKA Papa Shango or the Godfather. Wright never made the NFL but had a memorable pro wrestling career and retired in 2002 from the WWE

Sawed Off

It seems that head coach Chris Ault is once again being viewed as a true visionary as the amateur ranks embrace his 'Pistol Offense'. Unfortunately Ault borrowed a page out of an Oscar Wilde text and embraced the value of "Talent borrows and genius steals."

"(Ault) thinks he invented a new offense but it's just a modified single-wing." Hawaii head coach June Jones in 2005

Ault's Pistol Offense has the QB lining up 5 yards behind the center (instead of the typical 7 yards) with a running back two or three yards behind the QB. The Pistol has numerous permutations with three wide receivers for a spread offense but it was implemented to bolster Nevada's running attack.

"The whole pistol thing is a joke. That's a little fancy name for an offense. The name pistol means nothing." -Arizona State coach Dirk Koetter

The Single Wing, or its numerous variations including Knute Rockne's Notre Dame Box Offense, have been used since the turn of the century. Though largely ignored for half a century the scheme pops up in the high school ranks now and then. Essentially Ault has taken the favorable elements of an archaic offense that is not suited for D1 football and gave it a dynamic title. The main difference between The Pistol and the aforementioned Single Wing is that Nevada is more apt to pass than most of their brethren.

The Pistol has gotten results but it is time for coach Ault to acknowledge his forefathers as opposed to taking credit where it is not due.

If I have seen further it is by standing on ye shoulders of giants - Isaac Newton