Tony Sanchez, who built a national powerhouse at Las Vegas’ Bishop Gorman High School, is now on his way to creating another consistent winner in town as the 11th head coach in UNLV football history.
Named to the job on Dec. 11, 2014, Sanchez in 2015 became the first Rebel coach to win at least three times in his first season since 1999. Sanchez also became only the third UNLV coach to win the fabled Fremont Cannon by defeating in-state rival UNR in his debut campaign and the first to do it on the road.
The improvement continued in 2016 when UNLV won four games and again in 2017 with five victories. That marked the first time in program history the Rebels won more games than the previous season for three straight years. Falling just one victory shy of reaching bowl-eligibility, the ‘17 Rebels finished with a .500 MW record, winning four league games for only the third time since the conference debuted in 1999. UNLV also won three road games in season for just the second time in 14 years and defeated three consecutive league opponents for the first time since winning the Big West Conference in 1994.
In 2018 the Rebels’ 4-8 record included winning at San Diego State for the first time in 18 years and ending the season with the biggest comeback in school history. After trailing UNR 23-0, UNLV went on to down the Wolf Pack 34-29 and make Sanchez only the second UNLV head coach since 1981 to defeat the school’s in-state rival more than once.
Overall, he heads into the 2019 season with more total wins in his first four seasons on campus than any UNLV head coach other than Hall of Famer John Robinson in the last quarter century.
Sanchez’s impact has been felt off the field as well. His unwavering fundraising efforts have led to the construction of the state-of-the-art $34 million Fertitta Football Complex slated to open on campus this fall. In addition, the Rebels have boasted record success in the classroom, including last year posting the highest semester and cumulative GPA in program history along with earning the most academic all-conference honorees and Dean’s List members the football team has ever seen.
UNLV in 2017 rewarded Sanchez with a contract extension that will take him through at least the 2021 season.
Sanchez, who turned 45 in January, became a rising star in coaching circles after spending the previous six seasons leading Bishop Gorman to an overall record of 85-5 and six consecutive state 4A championships to go with a top-25 national ranking each year. His 2014 top-ranked Gaels squad finished 15-0 and won the mythical national championship.
“I’m fired up and ready to create excitement in the Las Vegas community and make the Rebels everybody’s football team,” Sanchez said on the day he was hired. “UNLV is a great university. With this community’s help, we’re going to make it a great football place.”
Sanchez was well decorated for his efforts in his final season with the Gaels, being named USA TODAY’s All-USA Coach of the Year as well as the U.S. Army All-American Bowl National Coach of the Year and the Rawlings National High School Coach of the Year. His overall record as a head coach was 120-26 after having also spent five seasons leading California High School in San Roman, Calif., before coming to Southern Nevada. He also was part of staffs at Onate High School in Las Cruces, N.M., and Irvin High School in El Paso, Texas.
The winning head coach at the 2014 All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Sanchez saw 41 of his players earn collegiate football scholarships during his time in Las Vegas, including 31 to FBS programs. Now he has attracted national attention as only the fifth man in the modern era of college football to go from the high school level directly to the position of head coach of an FBS team.
Sanchez’s first major statement as the leader of the Rebels was to quickly attract a top-notch, experienced staff that was highlighted by Nebraska offensive coordinator Barney Cotton. Dividends from the impressive list of assistants joining Sanchez began immediately as just over a month later, the group secured a recruiting class that was ranked in the upper half of the Mountain West Conference by multiple national outlets. One year later, the Rebels’ class was one of the program’s best ever as it included a school-record 10 three-star signees.
Having come to campus as one of the youngest head coaches on the FBS level, Sanchez is a 1992 graduate of Granada High School in Livermore, Calif. A decorated two-way player, he went on to become a standout receiver at Laney College in Oakland before transferring to New Mexico State. He would letter two seasons for the Aggies and finished his senior campaign with 42 receptions for 546 yards, including grabbing five passes for 80 yards at Sam Boyd Stadium when he played against UNLV on Nov. 18, 1995. His first taste of coaching came the next season when he served as an undergraduate assistant at his alma mater.
The son of a career policeman in the Oakland area, Sanchez was born Jan. 25, 1974, at Travis Air Force Base in California while his father was serving in the military. He earned a bachelor’s degree in family and consumer science from NMSU in 1998 and then his master’s in special education in 2003. He has two children: daughter, Alyssa, graduated from Bishop Gorman in 2019 and son, Jason, currently attends Bishop Gorman.
THE TONY SANCHEZ FILE
COACHING EXPERIENCE
2015-SA UNLV - Head Coach
2009-14 Bishop Gorman High School (Las Vegas) - Head Coach, Offensive Coord.
2004-08 California High School (San Ramon, CA) - Head Coach, Offensive Coord.
2003 Onate High School (Las Cruces, NM) - Defensive Coord., Defensive Backs
2001-02 Onate High School (Las Cruces, NM) - Defensive Backs
2000 Irvin High School (El Paso, TX) - Wide Receivers
1998 Onate High School (Las Cruces, NM) - Wide Receivers
1996 New Mexico State - Undergraduate Assistant - Offense
PLAYING EXPERIENCE
1994-95 New Mexico State - Lettered two years at wide receiver
1992-93 Laney College (Oakland, CA) - Lettered two years at wide receiver
EDUCATION
New Mexico State University, 2003
Master's degree in special education
New Mexico State University, 1998 Bachelor's degree in family and consumer science
Laney College (Oakland, CA), 1994 Associate Degree in General Studies
PERSONAL DATA
Name: Tony Sanchez
Birthdate: Jan. 25, 1974
Birthplace: Travis Air Force Base, Fairfield, Calif.
Children: Daughter, Alyssa; Son, Jason
