It is kind of ironic that yesterdays post was about the Boise State Broncos, UNLV Runnin Rebels, Jim Criner, Tony Knap and the new stadium proposed for the University of Nevada Las Vegas.
In today's Idaho Statesman they had a feature story about Coach Knap. In that story I was once again shown how flawed my memory has become. I stand corrected when I said the 1976 meeting between Boise State and the UNLV Runnin Rebels was the last time they played. They did play in Bronco Stadium in 1977 and Boise won handily 45-7. It was the last time Tony Knapp ever prowled the sidelines at Bronco Stadium.
Coach Knap is 96 now and the Statesman reports he moved to a retirement home,Bishop's Place in Pullman, Washington. Sadly the report included Knap suffers from Alzheimer's disease. His wife Mickey, age 90 is with the venerable old coach. In fact the good Lord willing, The Knap's, their children, grand children and great grand children will help Tony and Mickey on April 5th of this year, celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary. Wow isn't that something, 70 years of marriage. That is more years married than most of worlds current population has been alive.
Tony Knap took the reigns of Bronco football in 1968, the first year Boise State became a 4 year school and played 4 year football, it was called Boise College back then.
When Knapp took over the Broncos many fans were worried if he could continue the winning ways of Lyle Smith. Knap did and exceeded all expectations. During his time the Broncos never had a losing season and Knapp took them to their first 10 game winning season. He finished his career at Boise State 71-19-1.
When Knap moved onto UNLV he took his winning ways with him. He coached the Runnin Rebels from 1976 through 1981 retiring at age 66. In UNLV's 40 some years as a football team, Tony Knapp still leads the pack of coaches that preceded him and have followed him with 47 wins.
Knap was known as the Silver Fox because of his silver mane of hair and his offensive genius. While at UNLV he established the four best offensive seasons in school history. The Rebels averaged a record 491.3 yards per game in 1981, 472.1 in 1979, 453.7 in 1977 and 446.2 in 1980. UNLV has averaged 400 yards only four times in the 29 years since Knap retired.
One of Knap's greatest honors came after his stellar coaching career was over. A former player of Knaps from Utah State, Merlin Olsen asked his old coach to induct him into Cooperstown and the Football Hall of fame.
Tony Knap helped make Boise State and UNLV football power houses during his time at each school. Sadly many of today's fans have never heard of the old coach and have no idea what they are missing. It was nothing for a Knap team to throw the ball 40 times per game.
In closing Boise State owes much of its success to Tony Knap and he believed in the Broncos and said something once that left an audience speechless and kind of prophetic when considering most of this last season Boise State was in the chase for the national title game.
One day in Boise, Coach Knap got up before stunned Bronco boosters and media and proclaimed that “ Boise State will one day be a major football power, not just at Division II but in all of college football.”
How did he know that?
That…..is the story of a legend.
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