University of Nevada Athletics

Basketball, Golf Coach (1952-58, 1975-94)
A native of Winnemucca, Nev., John Legarza was a four-year basketball letterman, beginning his career at Nevada in 1952. He interrupted his education to serve in the U.S. Army but returned as basketball team captain during the 1956-57 and 1957-58 seasons. As a senior, he was second in the Far West Conference in scoring at 15.8 points per game. He became a graduate assistant basketball coach under Jack Spencer in 1962 and then later served as a full-time assistant from 1972 through 1977 under coaches Jim Padgett and Jim Carey. In 1975, he became the Nevada head golf coach, a position he held until his retirement in 1994. His teams won five conference championships (three in the West Coast Athletic Conference and two in the Big Sky). He took his teams to the NCAA Regionals six times and to the NCAA championship tournament twice (1988 and 1990). Legarza was NCAA Regional Coach of the Year twice and served on the NCAA regional committee for eight years, chairing the committee from 1988 to 1991.