Robinson Reportedly Set to Take Job

Nevada Las Vegas may be on the verge of signing John Robinson as its next football coach.

The former USC coach reportedly flew to Las Vegas on Wednesday to talk with Nevada Las Vegas officials and try to complete a deal for the vacant job.

The Las Vegas Sun quoted an unnamed source as saying a deal with Robinson was “about 80% done” and that a press conference could be held as early as Wednesday night to announce his selection.

Robinson, 63, declined to discuss his talks with Nevada Las Vegas, but told the Sun “it would be fun and exciting to try and build a program in a city that has as much going for it as Las Vegas does.”

Nevada Las Vegas Athletic Director Charles Cavagnaro was said to be in meetings Wednesday and unavailable for comment.

The job became open following the firing of Jeff Horton, whose team won only four games in the last three seasons and has lost 16 straight.

Robinson, with two tenures as USC’s coach and another with the Los Angeles Rams, would bring instant credibility to the Nevada Las Vegas program, which will open play next year in the new Mountain West Conference.

Robinson was fired by USC following the 1997 season, after going 12-11 over the previous two years. Overall, in 12 years at USC he was 104-35-4.

In between his two stints at USC, Robinson coached the Rams for nine years, going 79-74 and reaching the NFC championship game twice.

Robinson is known as a strong recruiter and his strong ties to the Southern California area would be a natural fit in trying to recruit players to Nevada Las Vegas. Many current Nevada Las Vegas players are from the Los Angeles area.

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About 300 Wisconsin students rose early Wednesday in Madison, Wis., to get vouchers for tickets to the Rose Bowl, where the Badgers will play New Year’s Day.

About 60 students arrived at the Kohl Center box office before dawn, disregarding the university ticket office’s requests for them not to line up before 7:30 a.m.

By 7:15 a.m., about 300 students formed a line that stretched for blocks to pay $110 for vouchers that would guarantee them Rose Bowl tickets.

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Every University of North Carolina student is entitled to a free ticket to the Las Vegas Bowl, where the Tar Heels face San Diego State on Dec. 19, school officials said in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Athletic Director Dick Baddour said students must come to the North Carolina ticket office to sign up for a free ticket. They pick up their free tickets in Las Vegas at Sam Boyd Stadium on game day, he said.

When they claim their tickets, students also will have the opportunity to buy additional tickets in seats next to theirs for $45 apiece, Baddour said.