LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – Five different Rebel sports will be represented during ceremonies this fall as the UNLV Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2026 was announced by the school Tuesday.
 
In what will be the hall's 17th all-time ceremony, five former Rebel standout players and a longtime staffer will join a distinguished contributor in being inducted on Thursday, Nov. 5, at the Strip View Pavilion at the Thomas & Mack Center on campus. The event, which is open to the public, begins with a 5:30 p.m. cocktail reception followed by a 6:45 p.m. dinner and ceremony. Table sponsorships are available by emailing Mike Ketcham of UNLV Athletics at michael.ketcham@unlv.edu. Individual tickets are available for purchase ($155, including fees) online by visiting UNLVTickets.com. The new Hall of Famers will also be introduced at the Nov. 7 home football game vs. Wyoming at Allegiant Stadium.
           
The Class of 2026 includes two greats from the world of golf – Dana Finkelstein Fall from the women's program and longtime pro Charley Hoffman of the 1998 National Champion men's team – UNLV's all-time leading rushing quarterback Jason Thomas, softball First Team All-American Marissa Nichols, and current Major League Baseball pitcher Erick Fedde. They will be joined by former longtime assistant football coach and athletics administrator Terry Cottle, as well as Distinguished Contributor Bill Paulos.
 
"Every two years we look forward to celebrating the people who have made UNLV such a special place and this upcoming class is another great example of what it takes to be a Rebel," said UNLV Director of Athletics Erick Harper. "Moving the ceremony back to a more traditional setting during a home basketball and football weekend will make it even more memorable for the inductees, their families, friends and all of Rebel Nation."
 
Born in 1987, UNLV's Athletics Hall of Fame will now grow to 148 members strong, including both individuals and teams. Under the hall's bylaws, former student-athletes must have completed their eligibility at least 10 years earlier to be selected. Coaches and administrators must have stopped working at the University five years previous. Nominations were accepted from the public during the 2025 football season and then voted on by an executive board that includes representatives from the athletics department, university and community.
 
UNLV ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2026
TERRY COTTLE - Staff (1984-2015)
ERICK FEDDE - Baseball Athlete (2012-14)
DANA FINKELSTEIN FALL - Women's Golf Athlete (2011-15)
CHARLEY HOFFMAN - Men's Golf Athlete (1995-99)
MARISSA NICHOLS - Softball Athlete (2005-10)
BILL PAULOS - Distinguished Contributor
JASON THOMAS - Football Athlete (2000-02)
 
CLASS OF 2026 INDUCTEE BIOS

TERRY COTTLE
Staff (1984-2015)

-A pillar of the Southern Nevada sports community who served 30 years in multiple roles inside the UNLV Athletics Department
-Joined UNLV in 1984 and served as an assistant with the football program for nearly 10 seasons, which at the time was the longest such streak in Rebel history
-A member of the coaching staff of the 1984 Big West and California Bowl championship squad that was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012
-The former starting quarterback at St. Mary's College continued his education at UNLV where he earned a master's degree
-Primary titles after coaching were recruiting coordinator, director of football operations, associate athletic director of marketing and director of community relations in sports marketing
-Oversaw UNLV Olympic sports programs baseball, men's and women's tennis, track and field and cross country during his long tenure in administration
-Served as the department's primary liaison to UNLV Rebel Football Foundation
-Involved in development of the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame and served on multiple boards, including Opportunity Village, Henderson Boys & Girls Club and the National Football Foundation's Las Vegas chapter
-Also served for many years on the UNLV Athletics Hall of Fame Committee
-Closed his distinguished career as an athletics administrator working at College of Southern Nevada from 2015-20


 

ERICK FEDDE
Baseball Athlete (2012-14)

-A hometown hero who chose to attend UNLV after graduating from Las Vegas High School
-A current member of the Chicago White Sox
-Is in his ninth season as a Major League Baseball pitcher, having appeared in more than 180 games with the White Sox, Nationals, Cardinals, Braves and Brewers
-Spent one season playing in Korea and won the pitching triple crown to earn the equivalent of the Cy Young Award and MVP trophy of the KBO in 2023
-Became the third Rebel in school history to be taken in the first round when he was selected 18th overall by the Washington Nationals in 2014
-Named Louisville Slugger Second Team All-America in 2014
-Named Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America in 2012
-2014 Mountain West Pitcher of the Year
-2014 First Team All-Mountain West
-2012 Second Team All-Mountain West
-Compiled a 21-10 career record at UNLV to go with a 3.18 ERA, which is the fourth-lowest in school history
-Struck out 231 batters in 263.1 innings of work and held opponents to a .247 batting average
-Had two complete games as part of his 41 career appearances, all starts, for the Rebels
-As a junior, Fedde finished the year with a team-best 1.76 ERA to go with an 8-2 record in 76.2 innings of work. His season was cut short due to injury with three weeks left in the season
-The third UNLV pitcher to earn Mountain West Pitcher of the Year honors and allowed just 22 runs, which was the lowest number of runs allowed in at least 60 innings of work in school history
-Finished the year with 82 strikeouts and held opponents to a .209 batting average
-Named to both the 2014 preseason and midseason Golden Spikes Award watch list, an honor that goes to the nation's top college baseball player
-Voted to the 2014 CoSIDA District Academic All-District Baseball Team
-Named the Mountain West Pitcher of the Week for his performance against Central Michigan in week 1
-In summer 2013 he played for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox in the Cape Cod League
-Named the Midseason Outstanding Pitcher and went 3-1 with a 2.34 ERA in five starts for the Red Sox
-Left Cape Cod and joined the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team on July 15
-Became the fourth Rebel to play for USA Baseball while still in school, joining UNLV Hall of Famers Ryan Ludwick (1998) and Matt Williams (1985) as the only other Rebels to play for the Collegiate National Team, while Mel Stottlemyre Jr. pitched on the 1984 Olympic team
-Started the fourth game of the series between Team USA and Cuba and allowed two runs on three hits while striking out three in 2.2 innings of work
-Finished 7-3 with a 3.92 ERA in 15 starts as a sophomore for the Rebels
-Recorded 83 strikeouts, which ranked fourth in the Mountain West in 2013
-Went 6-5 with a 3.59 ERA in 15 starts as a true freshman for the Rebels
-As a rookie, recorded the most innings pitched (90.1), strikeouts (66), starts (15) and wins (6) on the Rebels
 
 

DANA FINKELSTEIN FALL
Women's Golf Athlete (2011-15)

-A two-time All-American at UNLV who is arguably the best golfer in Mountain West history
-As a senior in 2015, she was a consensus First Team All-America
-As a junior in 2014, she earned Second Team All-America honors from two different organizations (WGCA and Golfweek)
-A three-time Mountain West Player of the Year (2013, '14 and '15)
-Named Mountain West Freshman of the Year (co-) in 2012
-A four-time MW All-Conference First Team selection
-A three-time All-Region honoree
-As a senior, finished as runner-up for the ANNIKA Award, which honors the player of the year in collegiate women's golf
-Named the Mountain West Golfer of the Week/Month a staggering 11 times as a Rebel, which is still the league record
-The most decorated women's golfer in history completed her fourth and final season as a Rebel at the NCAA Championship tournament on May 25, 2015
-Finished career ranked No. 4 in the country according to Golfweek, No. 6 according to the World Amateur Golf Rankings and No. 11 according to Golfstat
-Just the second golfer in conference history to earn Mountain West Golfer of the Year honors three times in her career
-Left as the winningest golfer in school history with five career tournament victories, including three as a senior
-Holds school records for a single season in scoring average (71.82) and birdies (124), setting both during her final year (2014-15)
-Ranks second with 363 career birdies
-Holds UNLV record with 56 career rounds at par-or-better
-Ranks third in program history with a career scoring average of 73.26, trailing only Da Sol Chung (73.20) and 2022 UNLV Hall of Fame Inductee Therese Koelbaek (73.25)
-Finished career with 363 career birdies, the second most in program history
-Led the Rebels to NCAA Regionals all four years and back-to-back NCAA Championship appearances as junior and senior
-Traveled to Switzerland with Team USA in the summer of 2014 and helped the Americans earn a second-place finish in the World University Golf Championship, while finishing ninth overall and sixth amongst all amateurs
-Advanced to the Round of 32 at the Women's Western Golf Association's 113th National Amateur Championship during the summer of 2013
-Advanced to the round of 32 at the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship in the summer of 2012
-In her first post-UNLV event, captured her first career professional victory after turning in a score of 9-under-par 207 at the Silverstone Golf Club, which was the 15th tournament on the Cactus Tour's 2015 schedule
-Went on to play professionally on the LPGA Tour after earning her card through the EPSON Tour
-Posted nine Top 25 finishes on the LPGA Tour and 18 top-10 finishes on the EPSON
 

CHARLEY HOFFMAN 
Men's Golf Athlete (1995-99)

-1998 Honorable Mention All-America under coach Dwaine Knight
-Integral part of UNLV's 1998 national championship won in Albuquerque
-Member of the 1998 title team that was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008
-Helped the Rebels to the crown by recording a top-20 individual finish
-Finished his collegiate career with a 73.54 scoring average
-First season on the PGA Tour came in 2006
-Career earnings on the PGA Tour are $36 million, which ranks 52nd in the history of the sport
-A four-time winner on the PGA Tour:
2007 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic
2010 Deutsche Bank Championship
2015 OHL Classic at Mayakoba
2016 Valero Texas Open
-Runner up at 10 PGA events, including three career playoffs
-Member of the 2017 President Cup Team
-Finished a career-best 12th at the 2018 Masters
-Founded the Charley Hoffman Foundation to raise funds for charities benefiting children in his native and adopted hometowns of San Diego and Las Vegas. The Foundation has raised more than $1.8 million for charities in San Diego and Las Vegas.
 
 

MARISSA NICHOLS
Softball Athlete (2005-10)                  

-Played outfield during a six-season career for the Rebels
-Dr. Nichols, one of the leaders in the landscape of intercollegiate student-athlete development, currently serves as Senior Associate Athletics Director/Senior Woman Administrator at Cal
-Helped team reach the NCAA Tournament in both 2005 and 2009
-Served as team captain in five of her six seasons at UNLV
-Named a 2007 NFCA Scholar All-American
-A 2005 NFCA All-American First Team selection (OF)
-2005 NFCA First Team All-West Region  
-2005 UNLV Sportswoman of the Year
-Three-time First Team All-Mountain West selection
-Seven-time MW Player of the Week (six times in 2005, once in 2010)
-Program record holder in single-season runs (66 in 2005)
-Program single-season record for hits (89 in 2005)
-Program single-season record for home runs (18 in 2005)
-Program single-season record for total bases (176 in 2005)
-Program single-season record for stolen bases (35 in 2005)
-Ranked second in single-season slugging percentage (.842 in 2005)
-Ranked second in single-season doubles (18 in 2010)
-Ranked second in single-season triples (8 in 2005)
-Stands fifth in single-season batting average (.426 in 2005)
-Tied for single-game triples with two (done twice)
-Ranks third in career total bases (406)
-Ranks third in career stolen bases (55)
-Ranks fourth in career slugging percentage (.672)
-Ranks fourth in career home runs (40)
-Ranks fifth in career runs (157)
-Ranks fifth in career doubles (47)
-Ranks sixth in career on-base percentage (.440)
-Ranks seventh in career hits (219)
-Ranks seventh in career batting average (.363)
 

BILL PAULOS
Distinguished Contributor

-Legendary local gaming executive who has been a major supporter of UNLV Athletics for five decades
-Longtime donor who was an invaluable part of the group that made the Runnin' Rebels' state-of-the-art practice facility, the Mendenhall Center, a reality
-Served as President and a key contributor of Runnin' Rebel Club (RRC) to generate revenue to enhance the budget of Runnin' Rebel Basketball
-Served a major role in the construction of the Fertitta Football Complex, the nationally recognized day-to-day home of the Rebel football program
-A key member of the Rebel Golf Foundation Board of Directors
-Most recently spearheaded UNLV Athletics' NIL efforts to help the department compete in fast-evolving landscape of collegiate athletics
-A New Jersey native who moved to Las Vegas to become a Rebel and graduated from UNLV in 1969
-A member of the first graduating class of the Harrah Hotel College
-Named 2006 William F. Harrah College of Hospitality Alumnus of the Year
-He and his wife, Bonnie, have been ardent supporters of the Rebel Athletics Fund, the Coaches Continuity Fund, and the Jerry Vallen Professorship Endowment, showing their Rebel pride at every opportunity
-Started his career at the Fremont Hotel & Casino and the Royal Las Vegas Hotel & Casino
-Joined Circus Circus Enterprises in 1980 and his leadership in developing new properties helped the company grow into one of the most successful operators in Nevada
-Named 1992's Casino Industry Executive of the Year by the International Gaming Business Executives
-After developing the only full-scale casino in Melbourne, Australia, in 1994, he returned to Las Vegas, where, in 1997, he co-founded Millennium Management Group (MMG)
-He and his partner later formed Cannery Casino Resorts and formerly served as co-CEOs
 

JASON THOMAS
Football Athlete (2000-02)

-Quarterbacked the Rebels under legendary head coach John Robinson
-A high-profile athlete who made national news by transferring to UNLV from USC
-Still ranks sixth in career passing yards with 4,997 in just three seasons in Las Vegas
-The career rushing leader at UNLV among all quarterbacks with 1,528 yards
-Ran for more touchdowns than any quarterback in school history with 24, which ranks seventh for any UNLV player in a career
-Turned in seven 200-yard passing games
-Posted a trio of 100-yard rushing games as a quarterback
-Led the Mountain West in rushing touchdowns with 11 in 2000
-Pushed UNLV to a 3-0 record in bowl games by engineering a memorable 31-14 upset win over Arkansas of the SEC at Sam Boyd Stadium on Dec. 21, 2000
-Completed 12-of-17 pass attempts for 217 yards and three touchdowns vs. the Razorbacks en route to being named Las Vegas Bowl MVP
-The Rebels finished the season at 8-5 – their most wins in 16 years
-Honorable Mention All-Mountain West in 2000
-Named Mountain West Player of the Week twice in career (2000 and '02)
-Named a 2001 top-20 preseason Heisman Trophy candidate by Lindy's, Phil Steele's and CBS
-Ran for a school-record three first-quarter touchdowns in overtime win over Wyoming in 2002
-Played in 2003 East-West Shrine Game after senior season