One of the top basketball coaches in UNLV Athletics history, Dan Ayala, passed away Monday afternoon in Las Vegas.
Ayala spent five seasons as the head coach for the UNLV women's basketball team, after first coming to Las Vegas as part of Jerry Tarkanian's staff as an assistant coach for the Runnin' Rebels in 1973. He moved over to the Lady Rebels starting in the 1975-76 season, and guided the team to a 26-5 record in his first campaign, the first of four 20-win seasons for the program under his guidance. UNLV advanced to four AIAW Regionals in his five years, and the only season the team did not reach 20 wins was in 1976-77 when it had an 18-game schedule and finished 14-4 overall.
UNLV went 109-23 over his tenure, and his winning percentage of .827 is easily the best in program history. Four players earned All-America honors under Ayala, including Kathy (Ricks) Olivier, who would return to the Lady Rebels in 2009 as head coach.
"Coach Ayala, he's the one that brought me to Las Vegas and UNLV, he taught me so much, not just about basketball but about life," Olivier said about her longtime mentor. "He constantly pushed and made us better, I know when I'm speaking I'm speaking for a lot of people, both male and female, that he made a huge impact on our life. He's a tough guy who had a huge heart who would do anything for his players and family. After I came back to UNLV, he would always call to check up on the Lady Rebels, and every time we talked he would always give me a piece of advice."
Prior to his move to Las Vegas, Ayala was a successful coach at the high school boys, junior college and collegiate men's levels in California. He turned in a 48-22 record at Beaumont High School, followed by three years at Mt. San Jacinto College where he posted a 57-18 mark. Ayala then moved on to Pasadena City College where his teams went 72-18, before taking a position on the Cal Poly, Pomona staff. After his time at UNLV, Ayala stayed in the area and became a successful businessman who was involved in several businesses in the Las Vegas Valley.
