Hall of Fame
Football, Track & Field (1946-49), Coach & Director of Athletics (1959-86)
An athlete, teacher, coach and administrator, Dick Trachok left an indelible mark on the history of Nevada Athletics, serving the University for parts of nine decades and being involved in nearly every significant development since the late 1940s.
Trachok was a standout on the football team from 1946-48, helping the Wolf Pack to a 25-6 record. He played fullback and halfback and played in the first two bowl games in school history: the 1948 Salad Bowl in Phoenix and the 1949 Harbor Bowl in San Diego. Dick was also a member of the track team and ran the quarter mile. It is said that he was never beaten in that event.
After graduation in 1949, Trachok taught mathematics and coached at Reno High School from 1949-58. The Desert News described Trachok as "one of Nevada's most successful high school gridiron coaches." During his tenure, he led Reno to six state championships. Trachok became head football coach at the University of Nevada in 1959, serving in that capacity for 10 seasons through 1968.
Trachok was named the director of athletics in 1969, taking over for his mentor and friend, Glenn “Jake” Lawlor, and served in that role until 1986. As athletics director, Trachok presided over some of the most significant events in Wolf Pack athletics department history, including the move to the Big Sky Conference in 1979, the first two NCAA appearances in the history of the Wolf Pack men’s basketball program, the 1979 AIAW small college national championship by the Wolf Pack women’s swimming and diving program, the hiring of future College Football Hall of Fame coach Chris Ault, the construction of Lawlor Events Center and the renovation of Mackay Stadium.
He is also credited with founding the Governor's Dinner in 1969, which has become one of the major fundraisers for the Wolf Pack athletics department, and the Nevada Athletics Hall of Fame in 1973. Trachok was inducted into the Hall of Fame he created in 1975.
Trachok and his late wife, Fran, were named Distinguished Nevadans in 2013, celebrating the contributions they have made to the University and state of Nevada over the course of their 67-year marriage. That is the most prestigious award conferred by the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education and is given to individuals who have made significant achievements that have contributed to the cultural, scientific or social advancement of Nevada.
Trachok’s three children, Rick, Margo and Cathy, are all University graduates, while several of his grandchildren have also attended the University of Nevada. His son, Rick, has served as a member of the Nevada System of High Education Board of Regents, including two terms as board chair.
Trachok continued to serve the University as athletics director emeritus from 1986 until his death in 2020, rarely missing a home game in football or basketball, coming into the office nearly every day, keeping in touch with alumni and educating department coaches and staff in the history of Wolf Pack Athletics.
