Aug. 7, 2001

LAS VEGAS - The UNLV football team has earned a top-25 ranking by Sports Illustrated magazine for the first time in school history.

The Rebels, who are coming off an 8-5 record, are No. 25 in the publication's 2001 preseason issue, which is dated August 13 and hits stands later this week.

The ranking comes with a full-page team preview by writer Kelli Anderson with the headline "John Robinson's gamble will continue to pay off for the up-and-coming Rebels."

The team, which is the only Mountain West Conference program included in the top 25, is listed in the complete national rankings with the following note -- "Don't be surprised if (junior quarterback) Jason Thomas makes a Heisman run."

The ranking is even more historic when considering the team's recent predicted finishes by the same magazine. The 2000 Rebels were listed at No. 58 and fifth in the MWC by Sports Illustrated while Head Coach John Robinson's first UNLV team in 1999 appeared at 89 and seventh in the league. The team was ranked as low as No. 99 in the nation by the magazine five seasons ago.

UNLV, which also was ranked No. 24 in Football Digest's 2001 preseason list and No. 26 by Lindy's, has never been ranked in the top 25 in either the writers' or coaches' polls. The Rebels, who will enter their 34th season of football this fall, received a school-record 12 points in the USA TODAY/ESPN poll released Monday.

UNLV IN RECENT SPORTS ILLUSTRATED RANKINGS
YEAR    NAT RK  LEAGUE RK (CONFERENCE)
2001    25  1 (MWC)2000    58  5 (MWC)1999    89  7 (MWC)1998    98  7 (WAC Division)1997    93  6 (WAC Division)1996    99  7 (WAC Division)