The Thomas and Mack Center opened on this day in 1983. Home to the UNLV Runnin' Rebels since it opened, the arena is named after the financiers who paid for the original feasibility and land study. It is an on-campus arena, and remains the only one of its kind to have hosted the NBA All Star game. The Mountain West Conference Tournament has been played in the arena since 2007, and the agreement runs through the end of this season.
It was on this day 30 years ago that Bill Robinzine mysteriously committed suicide. Robinzine did not begin playing basketball until he was 17, but just a few years later he found himself as a 1st round NBA pick following a stellar career at DePaul. He was just 29 when he committed suicide, and had been in the NBA for seven years. His body was found inside his car which was parked inside of a storage space he owned. An autopsy concluded the death was caused by carbon monoxide poisoning.
Today's birthdays include: Bob Kinney 1920 (Rice), Bill McGill 1939 (Utah), Elgin Baylor 1964 (College of Idaho, and Seattle), Ron Brewer 1965 (Arkansas), Greg Buckner 1976 (Clemson), and Dan Dickau 1978 (Washington, and Gonzaga)
