Rebel with a Cause: The True Story of Jerry Tarkanian

By: Danny Tarkanian

Narrated by: Rodney Miles

In this, the definitive biography of Hall of Fame inductee and one of college basketball's most controversial and successful coaches, son Danny Tarkanian takes us through a first-hand accounting of the life, controversy, and triumphs of historic UNLV coach Jerry "The Shark" Tarkanian.

From his immigrant roots through his own school days as an athlete, through the continual conflict with the NCAA and the eventual shocking outcome, with play-by-play action of the greatest games, and with a first-hand account of finally breaking through to win a national championship, Rebel with a Cause puts to rest the lies and establishes at last a worthy testimony to the life of this great man.

Written with stunning and engaging clarity and studded with excitement and celebrity, this is the first-hand account of Jerry's son, Danny, as he himself lived and observed. Rebel with a Cause takes us vividly through a remarkable life, expounds on winning principles, cherishes family and friends, and in the end, satisfies.

©2020 Daniel Tarkanian (P)2021 Daniel Tarkanian

The Best Coach Ever!

This book gets to the heart, the nitty-gritty details of a coach that believed in his players. Danny does an amazing job, providing copious amounts of intricate details, portraying his father to what he was - the best coach & dad anyone could ask for!

This would be 3.5 if that were an option

Jerry's son doth protest too much, methinks. Spending half a chapter explaining why Jerry isn't bad because John Wooden actually cheated more is probably overkill. Although, I respect a son for wanting to defend his dad. This should really be 3.5 stars but I'll round up for that. If you can get past the parts where he tells you why Jerry was more important for civil rights than MLK, then you should be able to enjoy the book. He's definitely a hugely underrated coach and such an interesting character that it made for a pretty enjoyable read for a big basketball fan. Also hard to get past some of the brutal mispronunciation. Basketball names are forgivable but ery common words were butchered. Odd.

pretty one sided in Tarkanians favor

it paints Jerry Tarkanian as a saint and the NCAA is always wrong. It's disappointing not to get both sides of the story