Oral history interview with John Saccenti conducted by Claytee D. White and Stefani Evans on September 20, 2024 for the Game On! The Oral History of Las Vegas Sports project. In this interview, Saccenti recalls his childhood in New York and attending Runnin' Rebels basketball games at the Thomas & Mack Center while visiting family in the city. He enrolled at UNLV in 1993 as a Communications major, and was recruited to work for the Las Vegas Thunder indoor hockey team. Saccenti shares that after graduating from UNLV, he worked in marketing and sponsorships for the Thunder and the Las Vegas Stars minor league baseball team, owned by Ken Stickney and operated by Don Logan. When the hockey league folded in 1999, Logan encouraged him to be Vice President of Business for Vince McMahon's new XFL football league. Saccenti recalls that while the XFL League lasted only one year, he then was hired as the ESPN sports network employee representing UNLV, a position that grew to the Assistant Executive Director for Murphy and ESPN Events. In 2014, he became the Executive Director of the Las Vegas Bowl. He talks of Marc Badain, Don Logan, Rossi Ralenkotter, Dana White, and Marc Ratner and of the Las Vegas Bowl breaking Allegiant Stadium's attendance record. Digital audio available; no transcript available.
Archival Collection
Game On! The Oral History of Las Vegas Sports Interviews
Oral history interview with Randy “Coach” Minagil conducted by Claytee D. White and Stefani Evans on September 17, 2024 for the Game On! The Oral History of Las Vegas Sports project. In this interview, Minagil recalls moving from Connecticut to Las Vegas, Nevada with his family at the age of nine. He remembers playing baseball and soccer in high school, and later playing soccer at UNLV, and helping coach local high school teams. He shares his extensive coaching history post-graduation, leading many local schools to championships. Coach Minagil shares his philosophy for coaching, talks about the psychology of coaching, and the team is more important than the individual. He recalls UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian, football coach Ron Myer, baseball coach Dallimore and soccer coach Al McDaniels, and many others. He is the only soccer coach to be inducted into the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association (NIAA) Hall of Fame (2019). Digital audio available; no transcript available.
Archival Collection
Game On! The Oral History of Las Vegas Sports Interviews
Oral history interview with Jaki Baskow conducted by Claytee D. White and Stefani Evans on October 14, 2024 for the Game On! The Oral History of Las Vegas Sports project. In this interview, Baskow recalls arriving in Las Vegas, Nevada from New Jersey in 1976. She shares her early years running her own talent agency, and how her first client was Suzanne Sommers. Baskin recalls various businesses, business associates, and clients over time; and shares her thoughts on brand building, representing clients, and serving on the Super Bowl Host Committee. Baskow remembers how the Vegas Golden Knights became closely integrated into the Las Vegas community after the 1 October 2017 shooting. Lastly, she credits Oscar and Carolyn Goodman for their envisioning of Las Vegas as a sports town. Digital audio available; no transcript available.
Archival Collection
Game On! The Oral History of Las Vegas Sports Interviews
Oral history interview with Nancy Lough conducted by Claytee D. White and Stefani Evans on September 16 and October 14, 2024 for the Game On! The Oral History of Las Vegas Sports project. In this interview, Lough talks about women in sports, her personal athletic journey, her Sport Management Program and research at UNLV, and the impact of sports on the city of Las Vegas. She recalls her early life in Colorado, where she played many sports and eventually ran cross country for Adams State College in the 1980s. In 1988, she moved to Texas to work as a graduate assistant for Peggy V. Hill had the opportunity to coach the cross country team at the very beginning of their season. After that experience, Lough went on to coach various other teams and enjoyed tremendous success, but later shifted her focus and came to UNLV to start their Sports Management Program, which is still a successful program to this day. Digital audio available; no transcript available.
Archival Collection
Game On! The Oral History of Las Vegas Sports Interviews
Oral history interview with Jim Clinton conducted by Claytee D. White and Stefani Evans on October 8, 2024 for the UNLV Remembers: an Oral History of the 6 December 2023 Shootings project. In this interview, Clinton, UNLV's Associate Vice President of Finance and Operations in the Department of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement, recalls the events of December 6. He recalls being in the Foundation Building but cannot recall how the staff became aware of the shooting, because their cell phones did not work; they could neither next nor receive texts. Once he was made aware, he went to the front, secured the building, and began to account everyone. He gathered the staff into two conference rooms to make sure the team was protected and that any students had snacks and water. Eventually, police evacuated the building and sent everyone to the Thomas & Mack Center. There, Clinton saw only disorganization; no one seemed to know where to tell them to go. They decided to walk back across campus to get their cars to go home; they saw police everywhere, including some police interrogating a man who looked "out of place," but they allowed the group to continue. Those who were parked in the Cottage Grove parking structure could not access their cars, so those who had parked in Lot Y took their colleagues home. His cell phone connectivity problems meant that Clinton had not spoken to his wife until he returned home that evening. The next day, his wife helped him and his colleagues retrieve their cars and their belongings. He credits Sherandra Owen, Associate Director of IT and Facilities, for making sure the team were able to access the building and their belongings without having to go through the police. His experience with Bridge Counseling led him to reach out to his colleagues to suggest their services. In the interview, he reflects on how the events of December 6 bonded his team closer together. Digital audio and transcript available.
Archival Collection
UNLV Remembers: an Oral History of the 6 December 2023 Shooting interviews