Oct. 21, 2015
@TheRunninRebels on TWITTER
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - UNLV Athletics didn't have to look too far to develop its 2015-16 Runnin' Rebel marketing campaign: "AND NOW... Your Runnin' Rebels."
The theme is in honor of the simple yet powerful phrase which has opened UNLV's famous pregame fireworks show for the past three decades: "And now, your Runnin' Rebels." Dick Calvert, who is in his fifth decade as the public address announcer for UNLV men's basketball, has used the phrase since the Thomas & Mack Center opened in 1983.
"The idea was to take our fans to that special moment at the Thomas & Mack Center right before tipoff," said UNLV Director of Athletics Tina Kunzer-Murphy. "Rebel fans of all ages are familiar with Dick's voice and his unique way of letting us know it's time for the show. In many ways, Dick's `And now' is a rallying cry for UNLV fans and we wanted to celebrate that. We wanted to recreate that unique feeling for fans during the famous pregame show."
Head coach Dave Rice said he was a fan of the campaign concept immediately.
"The pregame show is important to our program," Rice said. "`And now' resonates with UNLV fans -- it's a part of our culture and has been for over 30 years. I still get excited every time the lights go down in the Thomas & Mack and I hear Dick say those words. It's a great moment for all Runnin' Rebels."
Kunzer-Murphy said the concept is also creative in introducing the 2015-16 squad.
"For many reasons, fans are excited about this year's edition of the Runnin' Rebels," she said. "While there are several key returnees, there are a lot of new faces and the program has a newness about it because of that. `AND NOW... Your Runnin' Rebels' represents introducing this new team to the fan base. It represents being excited about the possibilities."
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RUNNIN' REBEL MADNESS -- THURSDAY, OCT. 22 -- DOWNTOWN LAS VEGAS EVENTS CENTER
The UNLV men's basketball program will hold its free Runnin' Rebel Madness event at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center on Thursday, Oct. 22.
Doors will open at 6 p.m. with the event starting at 7 p.m. Tarkanian Court from the Thomas & Mack Center has been taken to the heart of Las Vegas for the music-festival style, midnight-madness type event that will include Runnin' Rebel 3-point and dunk contests. Complete information, including a parking map, may be found here.
