Ault Sees Disrespect In ’UNR’ Press Passes

What’s in a name? Just ask Chris Ault.

“We’re not UNR or Nevada-Reno,” Ault said. “This is the University of Nevada. We would never disrespect their university and call them Vegas or Las Vegas. I would never do that.”

The passes, issued by the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, were given to University of Nevada personnel (coaches and support staff) to wear on the sideline during the football game, won by the Wolf Pack, 44-26. Ault would also not allow his staff to wear the passes during the game and handed them back to a Wolf Pack media services member to give back to UNLV after the game.

“I would absolutely not wear those passes,” Ault said on Monday. “I just feel strongly that is a simple respect that we’ve earned.  I would not allow our university to disrespect their university in that way. I’d never do that. I don’t know why they (UNLV) continue to disrespect our university.”

Ault was Nevada’s athletic director in the early 1990s when the university officially changed its name from Nevada-Reno to Nevada.  “We spent a lot of good money to do that,” Ault said. “We had to change our logo, everything. We are the University of Nevada. Why wouldn’t (UNLV) want to play the University of Nevada?”

Ault would just like for UNLV to respect the name of his university.

“I respect that school,” Ault said. “They gave me my start in coaching (he was a Rebel assistant from 1973-75). I will always respect that school. When I coached at UNLV I would always tell (then Rebels head coach Ron Meyer), ‘Call them Nevada. Don’t call them Reno. ’

“I’ve always believed that you should call a university what they want to be called. They’ve earned that respect. You should never disrespect another university by not respecting their name.”