Sanford named football coach at UNLV

LAS VEGAS, Dec. 6 (UPI) -- Former Utah offensive coach Mike Sanford was hired Monday as head football coach at UNLV to succeed retired John Robinson.

Sanford spent the last two seasons as offensive coordinator at Utah. The Utes went 21-2 overall and 13-1 in the Mountain West Conference during that time. The 2004 Utes won a spot in the Fiesta Bowl as part of the Bowl Championship Series.

Sanford, a 27-year college and NFL coaching veteran, came to Utah from Stanford, where he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2002. Most of his coaching career has been spent at the collegiate level, although he spent three years as the receivers coach for the NFL's San Diego Chargers from 1999-2001.

His NCAA Division I coaching experience includes jobs at Notre Dame, USC, Purdue, Long Beach State, Virginia Military Institute and Army.

As a player, Sanford was a reserve quarterback for USC's 1973 and 1974 Rose Bowl teams.