UNLV Athletics Hall Of Fame
The lone non-athlete honoree among this year's class is longtime Rebel supporter Mel Wolzinger. The Dallas, Texas, native and Air Force veteran eventually headed out West with wife Ruth and made his fortune in the gaming business along with longtime partner, the late Earl E. Wilson. His successes included partnering with Steve Wynn in the now-legendary turnaround of the Golden Nugget and the eventual development of Strip palaces such as the Mirage, Treasure Island and Bellagio. In fact, Wolzinger continues to serve on the board for MGM Mirage. Over the last three-plus decades, he has made various significant financial contributions to UNLV and its athletics department. In the early 1990s, Mel and Jay Brown, who were co-trustees of the Earl and Hazel Mae Wilson Estate, presented UNLV its largest gift in history at the time at $6.5 million. The gift benefited several areas on the UNLV campus and $1.2 million was used for the construction of the Earl E. Wilson Baseball Stadium. Groundbreaking for the state-of-the-art facility was held on May 27, 1993, and opening ceremonies took place just eight months later in front of a record crowd. Still very much active in his community, Wolzinger was presented with the Silver Rebel Award at 2000's Hall of Fame Ceremonies and now enters the Hall as a Distinguished Contributor.
