Aug. 17, 2004

LAS VEGAS - Longtime coach and former UNLV assistant Gene Dahlquist will join the Rebel football radio broadcast team this season, which highlights a pair of additions announced Tuesday by ESPN Regional at UNLV General Manager Tina Kunzer-Murphy. Dahlquist joins new Rebel play-by-play announcer Dave McCann as game analyst in the booth while Las Vegas veteran broadcaster Jon Sandler will round out the radio team as the program's new sideline reporter. "We think we've assembled a very knowledgeable and entertaining group to bring Rebel fans all of the action this fall," Kunzer-Murphy said. "Gene obviously has a wealth of football knowledge while Jon has experience reporting from down on the fields of play. This should be a top team covering what looks to be a very exciting UNLV team in 2004." Most recently, Dahlquist was the head coach of the Scottish Claymores of NFL Europe through the 2003 season. He was an original member of head coach John Robinson's UNLV staff in 1999, serving as passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach for one season before leaving for Europe in the summer of 2000. The veteran of 35 years previously served six seasons as offensive coordinator at Texas (1992-97) after three years directing the Illinois offense (1987-89). He also turned in coaching stints at Iowa State, Boise State, Utah, Oregon and Idaho State. A native of Mt. Prospect, Ill., Dahlquist is a graduate of Arizona and was a quarterback and punter for the Wildcats in the early 1960s. Sandler, who as previously announced will take over as play-by-play voice for the Runnin' Rebel basketball team later this year, also called games for the Rebel baseball team in 2004. Previously, he was the radio and TV broadcaster for the Las Vegas Stars (now 51s) AAA baseball franchise from 1993-2000. The Stanford graduate earned his law degree from Virginia and the former attorney also called games for the Palm Springs Angels and Salinas Spurs before coming to Las Vegas.