Paul Pucciarelli retires after 31 years as UNLV football equipment director

It was many football moons ago, when UNLV, for the briefest of times, was pretty good at football — when John Robinson was coach. UNLV was scheduled to play Air Force at Sam Boyd Stadium, in the relative cool of the evening, before the networks switched kickoff to the oppressive heat of the afternoon.

Paul Pucciarelli, UNLV’s longtime equipment manager, was supposed to set up cooling fans on the Falcons’ side of the field. He delegated one of his assistants to perform the task, because this is what longtime equipment managers do.

It either never got done or the really good fans, the high-powered oscillating ones — the ones with high BTUs or whatever — did not get set up on the Air Force side of the field. They got set up on UNLV’s side, which was the shady side.

Air Force wilted.

UNLV won going away.

When it came time to award the game ball, John Robinson, who knew the value of a loyal behind-the-scenes guy such as Paul Pucciarelli, handed it to the big guy with the big heart known only as “Pooch.”

Different versions of that story were told Tuesday when dozens of Pooch’s pals turned out at the new baseball building to wish him well. One of the longest tenured athletic department employees, Paul Pucciarelli, 62, is stepping down as equipment manager after 31 years.

Fisher DeBerry, the old Air Force coach, probably won’t miss him. But everybody else will.

The City of Las Vegas proclaimed Tuesday Paul Pucciarelli Day, and the big man with the big heart thanked his friends and the others for coming out. Naturally, stories were told —most humorous or bordering on truth, one or two that tugged at the heart.

Pooch was presented some nice stuff and keepsakes that included a framed UNLV football jersey with No. 31 on front, surrounded by photos of himself. His assistant Rocky Rutledge said you could tell these were old photos because they showed Pooch actually doing stuff.

The big man gestured to his fellow Mountain West equipment managers who were in town for a seminar. Pooch thanked them for forsaking their drinking and strip joint time so they could drop by the baseball building to bid him adieu.

“(To) all you guys who have chosen the same life as myself, God bless you,” he said. “It’s not easy, and it’s not getting easier, but we all can make a difference.”

For 31 years, Paul Pucciarelli, the big man with the big heart known only as “Pooch,” made a difference. Not only on that hot day when the Rebels played Air Force but also on all the days it wasn’t so hot — when only servitude and dedication and loyalty were called for, and his never wavered.

POSSE PRACTICE FIELD OBLITERATED

They counted it down, and then they blew up the Las Vegas Posse’s practice field on live TV the other night.

That’s not the way Dave Courvoisier and the others described it, however.

The TV types called it the Implosion of the Riviera. They mostly talked about the hotel-casino’s colorful history that began with Liberace cutting the ribbon in 1955, that ended in a cloud of dust that would have done Woody Hayes and other proponents of advancing the football in 3-yard increments proud.

Dave Courvoisier didn’t mention that when Las Vegas was granted a doomed franchise in the Canadian Football League, the team had training camp at the Riv and practiced multiple men in motion plays in the parking lot, where a swatch of sod was put down over steaming asphalt.

This idea was ridiculed by the Canadian press, as was most everything about the Posse. But when the practice field (and the rest of the Riv) was blown up on TV, it served to remind that the team was sort of fun while it lasted, or at least sort of mildly interesting while it lasted.

51s GET 86’D

Minor League Baseball has announced its top 25 franchises in licensed merchandise sales for 2015, and again the 51s were not on it.

(I still find their alternative caps to be stylish in a traditional way. New Era 39Thirty. Medium-Large.)

The top 25 sellers, listed alphabetically, are: Albuquerque Isotopes, Biloxi Shuckers, Charlotte Knights, Columbus Clippers, Dayton Dragons, Durham Bulls, El Paso Chihuahuas, Fort Wayne TinCaps, Frisco RoughRiders, Indianapolis Indians, Lake Elsinore Storm, Lakewood BlueClaws, Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Louisville Bats, Nashville Sounds, Oklahoma City Dodgers, Pawtucket Red Sox, Reno Aces, Sacramento River Cats, Salt Lake Bees, San Antonio Missions, South Bend Cubs, Tacoma Rainiers, Toledo Mud Hens, Trenton Thunder.

My prediction is that if the 51s changed their name to the Las Vegas Bad News Bears, they would easily climb into the top 10 and probably give the Lehigh Valley IronPigs a real run for their money.

K.B. AT THE W.H.

Kris Bryant took time out from opposing pitchers not giving him much to hit to visit the White House when the Cubs were in D.C. to play the Washington Nationals in a three-game series last week.

Spent our morning checking out The White House pic.twitter.com/6dLG3WyfOL

— Kris Bryant (@KrisBryant_23) June 13, 2016

The Las Vegas slugger, teammate Albert Almora and female acquaintances posed with President Obama’s Portuguese Water Dogs, Bo and Sunny. It was sort of like posing with Nats’ closer Jonathan Papelbon, with the exception that Papelbon usually scratches himself more vigorously.

Congrats to my man @albertalmora on his first big league knock! Pretty good in the outfield too👊🏼

— Kris Bryant (@KrisBryant_23) June 8, 2016

PUNKY QB RESURFACES

Speaking of Chicago sports, there’s a watering hole on Blue Diamond Road called Brando’s, and it’s the meeting place for a club called Chicagoans in the Desert. It’s a great place to watch a Blackhawks game during hockey season, and a Cubs or White Sox game during baseball season.

Sometimes they show both the Cubs and White Sox on the same night at Brando’s. It’s billed as a party, and only a few fights break out over who was better, Dick Allen or Ernie Banks.

Here is a photo taken recently of two guys at Brando’s. The guy on the right is Nick Brandonisio. He owns the bar. The man on the left is the Punky QB Known as McMahon.

Jim McMahon shuffled into Brando’s recently, and I’m told he had a good time, and perhaps one or two adult beverages.

@UsportsNV @ronkantowski happened at Brando's last night #former #chicagoans #inthedesert #brandossportsbar pic.twitter.com/bEt4oMk3t8

— CITD (@ChicagoanMary) June 4, 2016

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ron Kantowski can be reached at rkantowski@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0352. Follow him on Twitter: @ronkantowski.