University of Nevada Athletics

Boxing (1959-60)
A native of Lovelock, Nev., Joe Bliss won the second individual national title in school history and the first in boxing, capturing the 139-pound title in 1959. He reached the championship round in three straight years. A member of the Pauite tribe, Bliss was a five-sport star at Pershing County High School in Lovelock and was making a run to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Boxing Team before being drafted into the United States Army in 1953. He served for two years in Germany during the Korean War and continued to box while in the Army. He enrolled at the University of Nevada in the late 1950s and quickly because Nevada’s first great boxer. As a sophomore, he reached the national championship round in the 139 pound weight class, losing a split decision to San Jose State’s Welvin Stroud. A year later, he returned to the championship round and defeated Washington State’s Darrel Whitmore at Nevada’s Old Gym to earn Nevada’s first NCAA title in boxing. In 1960, Bliss advanced to the title match again and fell to Wisconsin’s Charlie Mohr but was named the Outstanding Sportsman of the championship. After college, he competed in 1960 Olympic Qualifier in San Francisco but was forced to withdraw after a head butt in the semifinals. Bliss went on to work in the casino industry, spending 40 years at the Cal Neva. The last surviving member of the inaugural Hall of Fame class, Bliss passed away in September of 2020.