RENO, Nev. – After 11 seasons at the University of Nevada, running backs coach Jim Mastro said Thursday that he has accepted a position at UCLA.
“I’m excited for Jim,” Nevada head coach Chris Ault said. “I have watched him grow into the best running backs coach I’ve had. He was a major contributor, on and off the field for our program. Jim is a great hire for UCLA. There’s no question he will bring accountability to the offensive side of the ball, especially the run game.
“I wish him all the best. From my perspective, he will always be a part of the Pack.”
Ault said there is no timetable in hiring a new coach for the staff and that the focus of the program right now is on winter conditioning and preparing for spring drills, which begin March 24.
Mastro came to Nevada in 2000 as the team’s running backs coach and later added the title of recruiting coordinator. The Wolf Pack’s running back corps has been perhaps the best in the Western Athletic Conference in that time. Nevada produced nine 1,000-yard seasons from its running backs under Mastro’s direction and a Wolf Pack back led the WAC in rushing in five of Mastro’s 11 seasons.
Mastro will coach tight ends and F-backs at UCLA and will play a major role in the running game with the Bruins.
The following is a statement from Mastro:
“First and foremost, I want to thank Coach Ault for his dedication and example over the years. He's a great, great coach and an even better person. Nevada football, and much of the institution that makes up the University of Nevada, wouldn’t be anything like it is today if it wasn't for his tireless work ethic. I've been very fortunate to have learned from such a great individual. He gave me the opportunity and I could never thank him enough for that.
“I also want to thank Wolf Pack fans for their support. They've been tremendous, and the rise of the Nevada program nationally has been the greatest years of my coaching career. We've done some amazing things here, and there's not a coach across the country that hasn't noticed it. Reno is my home too, and I not only plan to keep my house here in the area, but return when my career is over.
“UCLA is just a great, great opportunity for me to take on a new challenge. And that's really what this comes down to. I felt like I had the greatest job in the world at Nevada and I was working for the best head coach in America. What he accomplished here with so little is absolutely amazing and it has readied me for this move. That's why even contemplating a different move was so difficult. But Coach Neuheisel has set a new bar for me with this opportunity. I have new goals already, and that's something I am now focused on.
“I have always said that when Coach Ault felt the time was right for me to move on he would be the first to tell me it’s time to go. That is exactly what he told me this morning, and that alone shows the type of man, coach and person he is.
“Again, it has been an honor to work for him and learn from him.”
