UNLV is moving Dan Mullen’s coaching debut for the Rebels to make way for the super-middleweight fight between Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez at Allegiant Stadium. The Rebels were originally scheduled to face the Idaho State Bengals on September 13, but have moved the game to become their season opener on August 23.
On Friday, UNLV announced that the NCAA approved its waiver to start their season in Week 0 to make the stadium available for the highly anticipated fight. In a statement, UNLV athletic director Erick Harper noted that the program explored several options while dealing with the scheduling conflict.
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“The World Championship Boxing Match is important to Las Vegas, and the impact it will have on tourism is unmatched,” Harper said. “Las Vegas is the Sports and Entertainment Capital, and we are a part of this amazing epicenter. As community members and an institution that works closely with many of the city’s great constituents, we felt it was important to request a waiver to show our commitment to the community.
Harper added that the program looked at several alternatives to moving the game to Week 0, but that solution was “the most logical.”
After getting fired from Florida in 2021, Mullen took a hiatus from coaching and volunteered at Lake Oconee Academy in 2022.
He arrives in Las Vegas after former head coach Barry Odom left to take the head coaching job at Purdue. In two seasons in charge of the team, Odom led the Rebels to 9-5 and 10-3 records. Mullen previously coached at Mississippi State before Florida. He led the Bulldogs to a 69-46 record from 2009-2017 and the Gators to a 34-15 record from 2018-2021.
