As the final game at Sam Boyd Stadium nears, UNLV Athletics has posted its top five favorite moments in the stadium’s long history here in Southern Nevada. From Wayne Newton to a Bellagio-esque sprinkler malfunction, UNLV’s sports information team compiled a quality list of its top memories at the old Silver Bowl.
UNLV Football will be leaving the Sam Boyd for good after Saturday, moving into the $2 billion Allegiant Stadium closer to campus. The Rebels kick off against San Jose State at 1 p.m. but the pregame tailgates are expected to be a fun final goodbye to the stadium out near the marsh. Here is UNLV Athletics’ top five favorite Sam Boyd moments, per UNLVRebels.com.
‘Mr. Las Vegas’ to the rescue (1978)
Now known as the Star of Nevada Marching Band, UNLV’s student music group that appears at Sam Boyd Stadium once went by the moniker UNLV Showband of the Stars. That unusual title came about because prior to 1978, there was no band at the games. All that changed when entertainment icon and Las Vegas resident Wayne Newton decided to throw a concert with the proceeds going to start a marching band program at his hometown university.
A sold-out crowd at the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts enjoyed a start-studded night of performances from not only Newton but also his pals Paul Anka Glen Campbell, Sammy Davis Jr., Robert Goulet, comedian Shecky Greene and — no doubt fresh from a run on the $10,000 Pyramid — Mr. Nipsey Russell. In its first season, the aptly named Showband of the Stars made a cameo on the ABC television series “VEGA$” and a year later traveled to Los Angeles to do the pregame and halftime shows at the Coliseum as the Rams hosted the New York Giants. By 1979, the 130-piece group also included the Stardusters Rifle Corps, the Silver Stars Drill Team and the Silver Stars Twirlers.
