How Erick Harper, UNLV Landed Dan Mullen—And Potentially Saved Its Football Program

When UNLV Rebels athletic director Erick Harper was able to lure new head coach Dan Mullen away from ESPN and to Las Vegas it was a stunning turn of events for many. Mullen was one of the most coveted free agent coaches in the country and former head coach of the Florida Gators in the SEC. It was incredible that Harper was able to get him to come to a G5 school in the Mountain West Conference. 

Not to be dramatic, but it could have been a program saving investment. The Rebels were mired in debt and were facing the reality that the head coach Barry Odom, who had brought the program to relevancy, had accepted the Purdue Boilermakers job and was moving on from UNLV. The Rebels quite literally couldn't afford a steep decline in ticket sales and everything else that comes with a declining team. 

Somehow Harper worked his magic, even if he doesn't quite know how he did it. It could go down as a historic moment in the UNLV history. Especially when you consider the new financial deal with the Mountain West Conference that locks them in until 2032 while many of the other big named schools in the conference are exiting for the new-look Pac-12. 

Harper On Signing Dan Mullen:

"The number of ADs and others that called me and asked, 'How the hell did you do that? 'Sometimes you have to sit back and just say, 'I'm not really sure,'" Harper said.

Harper On Dan Mullen's Approach In Las Vegas:

"It's constantly reinventing itself, it's constantly being innovative and creative. You're not going to see the same thing every day."

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