Jerry Tarkanian Heart Attack Concerns: College Basketball Coach in ICU
Former college basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian, also known as "Tark the Shark," suffered a heart attack on Wednesday.
A Las Vegas hospital kept Tarkanian overnight Wednesday, after he reportedly suffered a mild heart attack. Despite changing plans to release him, Mountainview Hospital spokeswoman Amanda Powell said he was doing "very well."
Further details regarding his condition have yet to be released.
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Tarkanian began his Division I basketball career at Long Beach State from 1968-1973 and earned a reputation after he became one of the first coaches to play more than three black starters. He then moved on to the University of Nevada Las Vegas where he led his team to a 1990 NCAA championship.
Tarkanian's son, Danny, reported that his father was in ICU as of last night, dealing with oxygen level problems and undergoing tests for pneumonia. Danny told The Washington Post that his sister, who is a nurse, was positive about her father's condition.
"She's not too worried yet," he said. "At his age, pneumonia could be a pretty serious thing. We hope that's not it and we certainly hope they find out what the problem is with why the oxygen's not getting through."
"It was a mild heart attack," Danny added."He said he feels pretty good, but he was scared."
Tarkanian was forced to resign from ULNV in 1992 following player scandals connected to Richard Perry, a well known gambler who had been previously convicted for sports bribery.
The college basketball coach was then offered two NBA coaching positions, one for the L.A. Lakers and another for the San Antonio Spurs. After declining the Lakers, Tarkanian coached with the Spurs for 20 games before having a disagreement with the team's owner and walking away with a $1.3 million settlement.
Tarkanian then used the money to sue the NCAA for harassment, a case which was settled outside of court with another $2.5 million settlement.
