Posted September 24, 2025 | Chris Bonnell
LAS VEGAS – UNLV’s football team has been riding an unprecedented wave of success for the past three seasons, but a quarter of a century ago, it was a different version of the Rebels that won over the city.
Playing one of the toughest schedules in school history, the 2000 team went 8-5 and topped off the season with a convincing 31-14 win over SEC foe Arkansas in the Las Vegas Bowl. On New Year’s Eve, members of that team will be honored during this year’s SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl at Allegiant Stadium.
“This was probably one of, if not the, most special UNLV football teams we’ve had here in Las Vegas,” said John Saccenti, Executive Director of the Las Vegas Bowl. “Long before we had major professional sports teams in the Valley, we had UNLV. For so many years, it was the basketball team that made headlines, but this particular UNLV football team energized the entire city. It will be an honor to welcome those guys back to the Las Vegas Bowl.”
Led by second-year and Hall of Fame coach John Robinson and bowl MVP, quarterback Jason Thomas, the Rebels broke a 14-14 halftime tie and blitzed the Razorbacks in the second half. Thomas tossed three touchdown passes and Nate Turner caught eight passes for 126 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead the Rebels.
“That was a special team and we’re all grateful to the Las Vegas Bowl for welcoming us back 25 years later,” said Thomas, who now works as a talent liaison for the Vegas Chamber. “I see some of these guys all the time and some of us probably haven’t been together since that season. I think I can speak for all the guys, that we’re honored to be taking part in this year’s Las Vegas Bowl.”
Members of the 2000 team will be guests of bowl organizers at the game and will be recognized on the field during the game. This year’s SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl will kick off at 12:30 p.m. PT on Dec. 31 and will pit a team from the Big Ten against a current or past Pac-12 squad on ESPN.
The SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl is owned and operated by ESPN.
Follow the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl on social media:
Website: www.lvbowl.com
X/Twitter: @LasVegasBowl
Facebook: facebook.com/lvbowl
Instagram: @lvbowl
About ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. In the 2025-26 academic year, the 35-event schedule includes three early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events, two college volleyball events, the premiere regular season college softball and gymnastics events, as well as the Band of the Year National Championship. Collectively, these events account for over 400 hours of live programming on ESPN platforms, reaching 60 million viewers and attracting more than 650,000 annual attendees. Each year, the portfolio of events features more than 20 Division I conferences and hosts over 4,000 participating student-athletes. With satellite offices in more than 10 cities across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.
Follow ESPN Events on Instagram, Facebook, X and YouTube pages.
Media Contacts
Jeff Motley, Position Sports: [email protected]
Patrick O’Connell, Position Sports: [email protected]
Mark Wallington, UNLV Athletics: [email protected]
