| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1925-12-27)December 27, 1925 Jerome, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | August 2, 2020(2020-08-02) (aged 94) Reno, Nevada, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1943 | Pittsburgh |
| 1946–1948 | Nevada |
| Position(s) | Halfback,fullback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1949–1958 | Reno HS (NV) |
| 1959–1968 | Nevada |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1969–1986 | Nevada |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 40–48–3 (college) |
Richard Matthew Trachok (December 27, 1925[1] – August 2, 2020) was an American universityathletic director andcollege football coach. He served as the head coach at theUniversity of Nevada, Reno from 1959 to 1968. He amassed a 40–48–3 record during his tenure. Trachok served as the University of Nevada athletic director until 1986.
DuringWorld War II, he served in theUnited States Army Air Corps.[2] He then attended theUniversity of Nevada, Reno, where he played on thefootball team as ahalfback from 1946 to 1948.[3][4][5]
Trachok coached theReno High School football team, where theDeseret News described him as "one of Nevada's most successful high schoolgridiron coaches."[6] During a coaching clinic held in 1957 at theUniversity of Utah, he recommended that coaches keep their offenses and defenses simple.[6]
In April 1959, Nevada hired Trachok as its head coach.[7] In November 1960, Trachok canceled a six-hour flight toDenver in favor of a 32-hour bus ride after aplane crash killed sixteen players from California Polytechnic.[8] The Nevada flight had been booked with Arctic-Pacific, the same carrier that Cal Poly had used.[8] Trachok finished his coaching tenure with a 40–48–3 record, and took over as Nevada'sathletic director. He held that post until 1986.[9] In 1975, the university inducted Trachok into the Nevada Athletics Hall of Fame.[9]
Trachok died on August 2, 2020, at the age of 94.[10]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada Wolf Pack(Far Western Conference)(1959–1968) | |||||||||
| 1959 | Nevada | 4–3 | 3–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1960 | Nevada | 3–6 | 2–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1961 | Nevada | 5–4 | 2–3 | T–4th | |||||
| 1962 | Nevada | 5–3–1 | 2–2–1 | 3rd | |||||
| 1963 | Nevada | 3–6 | 2–3 | 5th | |||||
| 1964 | Nevada | 1–9 | 1–4 | 5th | |||||
| 1965 | Nevada | 6–4 | 4–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1966 | Nevada | 6–3 | 3–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1967 | Nevada | 4–4–1 | 2–3–1 | 5th | |||||
| 1968 | Nevada | 3–6–1 | 1–4–1 | T–6th | |||||
| Nevada: | 40–48–3 | 22–28–3 | |||||||
| Total: | 40–48–3 | ||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
