Marc Ratner moved to Las Vegas when he was in the seventh grade in 1957. His father became owner of a retail beauty supply business. It also was about the time Marc became a bar mitzvah. The Ratner family belonged to Temple Beth Sholom, as did everyone at the time, and a favorite memory he recalls is of sneaking a glimpse of crooner Eddie Fisher and actress Elizabeth Taylor getting married there. While growing up, Marc showed no particular interest in being a star athlete. He played little baseball and participated in track as a long jumper. Nevertheless, on the day of this oral history interview, Marc is sitting in his office surrounded by sports memorabilia. It is all a testimony, a museum highlighting his decades of officiating and regulating sports events. His stories include newsworthy boxing episodes that ranged from the infamous ?Fan Man? parachutist incident in 1963 during the Evander Holyfield vs Riddick Bowe fight at Caesars and the 1997 ?Bite Fight? when Mike Tyson took a bite out of Evander Holyfield?s ear. v In 2016, Marc was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, an extraordinary honor for a nonparticipant. He has long been a fan of the sport and talks about the first fight he ever attended, becoming a ring inspector in 1985 and then starting a new phase of his career in 2006, as Vice President of Regulatory Affairs for the Ultimate Fighting Championship [UFC]. In addition, Marc has dedicated much his life blowing the whistle at high school and college sports: he?s officiated on the football field for several conferences, bowl games and mentors would-be officials. He served as Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director for two decades. Among his community involvement is serving on the board of Jewish Family Services Agency. In 1997 he was honored by the National Council of Christians and Jews. Marc Ratner moved to Las Vegas when he was in the seventh grade in 1957. His father became owner of a retail beauty supply business. It also was about the time Marc became a bar mitzvah. The Ratner family belonged to Temple Beth Sholom, as did everyone at the time, and a favorite memory he recalls is of sneaking a glimpse of crooner Eddie Fisher and actress Elizabeth Taylor getting married there. While growing up, Marc showed no particular interest in being a star athlete. He played little baseball and participated in track as a long jumper. Nevertheless, on the day of this oral history interview, Marc is sitting in his office surrounded by sports memorabilia. It is all a testimony, a museum highlighting his decades of officiating and regulating sports events. His stories include newsworthy boxing episodes that ranged from the infamous ?Fan Man? parachutist incident in 1963 during the Evander Holyfield vs Riddick Bowe fight at Caesars and the 1997 ?Bite Fight? when Mike Tyson took a bite out of Evander Holyfield?s ear. v In 2016, Marc was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, an extraordinary honor for a nonparticipant. He has long been a fan of the sport and talks about the first fight he ever attended, becoming a ring inspector in 1985 and then starting a new phase of his career in 2006, as Vice President of Regulatory Affairs for the Ultimate Fighting Championship [UFC]. In addition, Marc has dedicated much his life blowing the whistle at high school and college sports: he?s officiated on the football field for several conferences, bowl games and mentors would-be officials. He served as Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director for two decades. Among his community involvement is serving on the board of Jewish Family Services Agency. In 1997 he was honored by the National Council of Christians and Jews. Marc Ratner moved to Las Vegas when he was in the seventh grade in 1957. His father became owner of a retail beauty supply business. It also was about the time Marc became a bar mitzvah. The Ratner family belonged to Temple Beth Sholom, as did everyone at the time, and a favorite memory he recalls is of sneaking a glimpse of crooner Eddie Fisher and actress Elizabeth Taylor getting married there. While growing up, Marc showed no particular interest in being a star athlete. He played little baseball and participated in track as a long jumper. Nevertheless, on the day of this oral history interview, Marc is sitting in his office surrounded by sports memorabilia. It is all a testimony, a museum highlighting his decades of officiating and regulating sports events. His stories include newsworthy boxing episodes that ranged from the infamous ?Fan Man? parachutist incident in 1963 during the Evander Holyfield vs Riddick Bowe fight at Caesars and the 1997 ?Bite Fight? when Mike Tyson took a bite out of Evander Holyfield?s ear. v In 2016, Marc was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, an extraordinary honor for a nonparticipant. He has long been a fan of the sport and talks about the first fight he ever attended, becoming a ring inspector in 1985 and then starting a new phase of his career in 2006, as Vice President of Regulatory Affairs for the Ultimate Fighting Championship [UFC]. In addition, Marc has dedicated much his life blowing the whistle at high school and college sports: he?s officiated on the football field for several conferences, bowl games and mentors would-be officials. He served as Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director for two decades. Among his community involvement is serving on the board of Jewish Family Services Agency. In 1997 he was honored by the National Council of Christians and Jews.
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
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Collection Number: OH-03922 Collection Name: Game On! The Oral History of Las Vegas Sports Interviews Box/Folder: Digital File 00
Dorothy Bell Scans UNLV-Public Lands Institute. Labeled on back: Film Stars Enjoy the Winter Sports at St. Moritz, Switzerland. Left to right, left seat: Clara Bow, the famous "It" girl of the screen and Mrs. Knoph. Left to right seat: - Mrs. Goulding and Vilma Banky, the film star, off for a sleigh ride. S. & G. 11-1-33. Copyright stamp on back: Sport & General Press Agency, Limited. London. Copyright
Oral history interview with Mason Gordon conducted by Claytee D. White and Stefani Evans on September 4, 2024 for the Game On! The Oral History of Las Vegas Sports project. In this interview, Gordon recalls his childhood and early years in California playing basketball, later earning a B.A. in Philosophy and History from Claremont McKenna University. After graduation, he began writing for Tollin/Robbins Productions, co-founded by Mike Tollin, as the company's weekend basketball commentator. Tollin then co-founded Mandalay Sports Media, which became Mike Tollin Productions, a sports-focused media company. At Mandalay Sports Media, Gordon served as producer, executive producer, and eventually, president. Gordon describes later approaching Tollin about creating a new sport: SlamBall. The partners built a court in a warehouse in East Los Angeles, became certified to train, developed new equipment, and recruited athletes for their new sport. In 2023, Gordon moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in the hopes of riding the “new sports wave” in the city. To that end, Derek Stevens (Circa) is a founding partner in the first SlamBall league. Besides relaunching SlamBall at Cox Pavilion in 2023, Gordon also wants to help write a curriculum for sports business. Digital audio and photographs available; no transcript available.
Archival Collection
Game On! The Oral History of Las Vegas Sports Interviews
To request this item in person:
Collection Number: OH-03922 Collection Name: Game On! The Oral History of Las Vegas Sports Interviews Box/Folder: Digital File 00
The Hank deLespinasse Photographs (approximately 1960-2002) contain the professional work of Hank deLespinasse while working in Las Vegas, Nevada. The photographs document a variety of events in the region. DeLespinasse photographed for Sports Illustrated and covered regional news events for TIME, Newsweek, and other local, national, and international publications. The collection contains 35mm, 120mm, and 4x5 film, slides, and contact sheets. Assignment numbers (also referred to as set numbers) are included when provided. Some assignment folders also contain contracts, newspaper clippings, and shoot-specific notes taken by deLespinasse.
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Department of Athletic Records consist of UNLV sports memorabilia, programs, magazines, media guides, and newsletters from the athletics department. The collection has materials documenting both women and men's teams including basketball, swimming and diving, and golf. Other teams include track and field, cheer and dance, and softball. There are also materials that document Jerry Tarkanian's role coaching the men's basketball team.
Oral history interview with Dan Coronel conducted by Claytee D. White and Stefani Evans on May 23, 2024 for the Game On! The Oral History of Las Vegas Sports project. In this interview, Coronel discusses when he began playing lacrosse in the sixth grade while living with his family in Baltimore, Maryland. When Coronel moved to California, he began to play on the Malibu lacrosse team whose home field was at Pepperdine University. He recalls later switching to the South Bay Club, and as the sport gained more popularity in Las Vegas, he found himself refereeing games in the city often. Eventually, he describes making connections with the two original clubs in Las Vegas: the Centennial Bull Dogs and Palo Verde Panthers. He talks about working across the 11 districts in the United States and in many foreign countries as a referee, and his excitement about seeing lacrosse in the 2028 Olympics. He discusses lacrosse not being santioned in Clark County School District, which means it is still a club sport. However, Coronel works to make sure anyone interested can play lacrosse, connecting equipment manufacturers and others who may have a surplus with those in need. Digital audio and photographs available.
Archival Collection
Game On! The Oral History of Las Vegas Sports Interviews
To request this item in person:
Collection Number: OH-03922 Collection Name: Game On! The Oral History of Las Vegas Sports Interviews Box/Folder: Digital File 00