University of Nevada Athletics

Football (1990-92)
Shahriar Pourdanesh was an All-America offensive tackle and one of the anchors of teams that ranked among the nation's elite at the Division I-AA level and then made a remarkable transition to Division I. Standing 6-7 and weighing more than 300 pounds, the amiable Pourdanesh, who moved to America with his family from his native Iran following the revolution in 1979, was one of the key contributors to the Wolf Pack's highly successful aerial attack. In his three years as a Wolf Pack starter in 1990-92, Nevada was at or near the top of the nation's team passing statistics. Pourdanesh was a first-team All-Big West Conference selection in 1992 as Nevada became the first team in NCAA history to jump from the Division I-AA ranks to Division I and land in a bowl game in its first season. Notably, during his entire career as a starter, Pourdanesh never allowed a sack as the Wolf Pack was ranked No. 1 in the country in both 1990 and 1991 among Division I-AA teams. Pourdanesh went on to a distinguished professional career where he named the 1994 Lineman of the Year in the Canadian Football League as a member of the Baltimore Stallions and spent time in the NFL as a starter with the Washington Redskins, Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders.