Erick Fedde, Dana Finkelstein Fall, Charley Hoffman, Marissa Nichols and Jason Thomas never crossed paths on the same playing surface during their time as UNLV athletes.
Now, though, the quintet of Rebel greats will be forever linked, as they headline the 2026 class of UNLV Athletics Hall of Fame inductees, which was revealed Monday.
Joining the five athletes — each of whom played different sports — is Terry Cottle, who spent three decades at the university as an assistant football coach and athletics administrator.
Rounding out the 17th class of UNLV Athletics Hall of Famers is distinguished contributor Bill Paulos, a UNLV alumnus and longtime supporter of Rebels athletics.
The seven new members will return to campus for the induction ceremony Nov. 5 at the Strip View Pavilion at the Thomas & Mack Center. The group also will be feted two days later when the Rebel football team hosts Wyoming at Allegiant Stadium.
“Every two years we look forward to celebrating the people who have made UNLV such a special place and this upcoming class is another great example of what it takes to be a Rebel,” said UNLV Director of Athletics Erick Harper.
Now featuring 148 members, the UNLV Athletics Hall of Fame was established in 1987 and welcomes a new class every two years. Here are some of the career highlights and accomplishments from this year’s honorees.
Erick Fedde (Baseball)
As a senior at Las Vegas High School, Erick Fedde received multiple scholarship offers. In the end, he elected to sign with his hometown university and went on to become one of the best pitchers to don a Hustlin’ Rebels uniform.
Over three seasons from 2012-14, the right-hander made 41 starts and went 21-10 with a 3.18 ERA (the fourth-lowest in UNLV history). Fedde’s best season was his last, as he went 8-2 with a 1.76 ERA, recorded 82 strikeouts in 76⅔ innings, and earned 2014 Mountain West Conference Pitcher of the Year honors.
Following that impressive junior season, Fedde also was named first team All-Mountain West and a Louisville Slugger second team All-American. A few weeks after securing those honors, he became the third Rebel to be selected in the first round of Major League Baseball’s amateur draft, going 18th overall to the Washington Nationals.
Now with the Chicago White Sox, Fedde has pitched in more than 180 games across nine seasons for five different organizations. He also spent 2023 in Korea, where he earned the Korean Baseball Organization’s equivalent of the Cy Young and MVP awards.
Dana Finkelstein Fall (Women’s Golf)
Pick an honor, any honor — there’s a good chance Dana Finkelstein’s name is attached to it.
During her four seasons with the UNLV women’s golf program, Finkelstein Fall was a two-time All-American (earning first team honors as a senior in 2015); a three-time Mountain West Conference Player of the Year (2013-15); the 2012 Mountain West co-Freshman of the Year; a four-time Mountain West first team honoree; and a three-time All-Region selection.
By the time her eligibility expired, Finkelstein Fall was the most decorated player in program history. Among her school records: five tournament victories (including three as a senior); 56 career rounds of par or better; lowest single-season scoring average (71.82); and most single-season birdies (124).
With Finkelstein Fall leading the way, the Rebels qualified for the NCAA Regionals four straight years (2012-15) and made consecutive NCAA Championship appearances in 2014 and 2015.
Finkelstein Fall turned professional in 2016, first competing on the Cactus Tour before quickly graduating to the EPSON Tour, where she has posted nine Top 25 finishes. After a successful rookie season on the EPSON Tour, Finkelstein Fall earned her LPGA Tour card in 2017. She still regularly competes on both tours.
Charley Hoffman (Men’s Golf)
Only two UNLV athletics programs have won Division I national championships — and Charley Hoffman played integral role in securing one of them.
Eight years after the Runnin’ Rebels became the first UNLV team to win it all, the 1998 men’s golf squad matched the feat, with Hoffman recording a top-20 individual finish during the championship tournament in Albuquerque.
During his four seasons with the Rebels from 1995-99, Hoffman posted a 73.54 scoring average. Seven years after leaving UNLV, he made his PGA Tour debut. Over the past two decades he has won four tournaments and finished runner-up in 10 others.
In all, Hoffman has amassed $36 million in career earnings, which ranks 52nd in PGA Tour history. Most importantly, he’s made a significant impact away from the course through his Charley Hoffman Foundation. The nonprofit has raised nearly $2 million to benefit charities in his native hometown (San Diego) and adopted hometown (Las Vegas).
Marissa Nichols (Softball)
To fully grasp Marissa Nichols’ impact as a UNLV athlete, just take a glance at the Rebel softball team’s record book — because her name is all over it.
In 2005 alone, Nichols set single-season school records for hits (89), runs scored (66), home runs (18), total bases (176), and stolen bases (35). The outfielder also was named Mountain West Conference Player of the Week six times.
And that was her freshman season.
Following that sensational debut — which included an NCAA Tournament appearance — Nichols earned first team All-America and first team All-West Region honors, and was named the 2005 UNLV Sportswoman of the Year.
Nichols suffered a serious injury in the middle of her sophomore season and missed the ensuing two years. However, she preserved and helped the Rebels get back to the NCAA Tournament in 2009, batting .318 with 10 home runs and 25 RBI.
Nichols posted even bigger numbers as a senior in 2010, batting .354 with 12 homers and 39 RBI — good enough to earn a third career first team All-Mountain West selection.
More than 15 years after hanging up her Rebels uniform, Nichols still ranks in the school’s top 10 in nine different categories, including third in both stolen bases (55) and total bases (406); fourth in home runs (40); and fifth in both runs (157) and doubles (47).
Off the field, Nichols became a triple UNLV graduate, earning degrees in human services counseling (’08 BS), counselor education (’10 M.Ed.), and educational psychology & higher education (’17 Ph.D.). Those degrees helped Nichols return to the world of collegiate athletics, as she currently serves as the senior associate athletics director/senior woman administrator at Cal.
Jason Thomas (Football)
After three straight non-competitive seasons near the end of the last century, the UNLV football program made headlines with the hiring of legendary coach John Robinson.
A year later, the Rebels made national news again when heralded quarterback Jason Thomas announced he was transferring from USC — ironically, the same school Robinson led to the 1978 national championship in the first of his two stints with the university.
Upon landing in Las Vegas, Thomas immediately delivered, guiding the 2000 Rebels to an 8-5 record — the program’s most wins in 16 years and first winning season in six years. In the biggest game of the year, Thomas completed 12 of 17 passes for 217 yards and three touchdowns as the Rebels shocked Arkansas 31-14 in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Despite playing only three seasons at UNLV, Thomas still ranks sixth in school history with 4,997 passing yards. He also remains the Rebels’ all-time leader in rushing yards by a quarterback (1,528) and rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (24).
Thomas went on to earn his sociology degree from UNLV in 2004, and he currently works as a talent liaison for the Vegas Chamber.
Terry Cottle (Assistant Football Coach & Administrator)
If you walked into the UNLV athletics offices from 1984 to 2015, there’s an excellent chance you ran into Terry Cottle more than a few times.
The affable Cottle first arrived on campus as an assistant football coach, and in his debut season UNLV went 11-2 — still the best winning percentage in school history. In addition to claiming the Pacific Coast Athletic Association championship, the 1984 Rebels won the school’s first postseason game, crushing Toledo 30-13 in the California Raisin Bowl.
Following 10 seasons on the sidelines — at the time, the longest coaching tenure in program history — Cottle transitioned to athletics administration. Over the next two decades, he served in several capacities, including recruiting coordinator, director of football operations, and associate athletic director of marketing.
Additionally, Cottle was the athletics department’s primary liaison to the UNLV Football Foundation and was involved in developing the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame.
Away from campus, Cottle served the greater Las Vegas community through stints on multiple boards, including Opportunity Village and the Henderson Boys & Girls Club.
Bill Paulos (Distinguished Contributor)
Bill Paulos’ birth certificate says he was born in New Jersey. However, he’s spent the vast majority of his life making a significant impact in Las Vegas,.
Paulos moved to the desert in the mid-1960s after he was accepted into UNLV’s then-fledgling Harrah Hotel College. After earning his degree in 1969 as a member of the college’s first graduating class, Paulos landed a job with the Fremont Hotel & Casino.
Thus began his ascent up the casino executive ladder, including a lengthy run with Circus Circus Enterprises that began in 1980.
Along the way, Paulos has never forgotten his alma mater. For the past 50 years, he and his wife, Bonnie, have given generously to numerous university entities, including the Rebel Athletic Fund, the Coaches Continuity Fund, and the Jerry Vallen Professional Endowment.
Paulos was among the donors whose contributions led to the creation of the Mendenhall Center, the state-of-the-art practice home for the Runnin’ Rebels. He also served as president and key contributor of the Runnin’ Rebel Club, which generates revenue to boost the men’s basketball team’s budget.
Additionally, the 2006 College of Hospitality Alumnus of the Year served on the Rebel Golf Foundation’s Board of Directors, and played a key role in building the Fertitta Football Complex, a modern-day marvel that has helped lift the football program to national prominence.
