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Winning Time: Who Is Jerry Tarkanian’s Wife Lois Tarkanian?

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William Howard

Published Jan 07, 2026

Jerry Tarkanian was an American basketball coach who was married to his wife Lois Tarkanian. Continue reading to learn more facts about the coach.

Jerry Tarkanian was a well-recognized American basketball coach. According to the reports, Jerry coached college basketball over five decades at three schools for 31 seasons.

Tarkanian spent most of his career serving UNLV Runnin’ Rebels as a coach, leading them to the Final Four, NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament four times, winning the national championship in 1990.

Overall, Jerry won over 700 games in his college coaching career, twice failing to win 20 games and never having a losing season. In 2013, the coach was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall.

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Winning Time: Who Is Jerry Tarkanian’s Wife Lois Tarkanian?

Jerry Tarkanian was married to his wife, Lois Tarkanian. The couple tied their knot in 1996 and had four children together.

Lois was a Las Vegas city councilwoman when she got married to Jerry. Las Vegas City Councilwoman was sworn into office as representing Ward 1 on February 2, 2005.

Likewise, her husband, Jerry Lois, was also born to make an impact. Lois holds a bachelor of arts in education, a master of arts in speech pathology, and a doctorate in human behavior and leadership.

Jerry and Lois were married for almost six decades and lived in California before moving to Las Vegas. Before serving on the City Council, Lois worked as a Clark County Board of School Trustees member for 12 years.

Lois has also served as a board member on different organizations, including the Clark County Public Education Foundation.

Everything To Know About Jerry Tarkanian Family

Jerry Tarkanian was born to American immigrants in Euclid, Ohio, in 1930. His mother’s name is Rosa; she was the survivor of the Armenian genocide.

As per the reports, his maternal grandfather, Mickael, was an Ottoman government official who has beheaded by the Turkish government. Turkish authorities also decapitated Mickael’s son.

Jerry’s mother then escaped the Ottoman Empire and settled in Lebanon, where she met George Tarkanian. Rose and George got married and later moved to the United States.

However, Jerry’s father, George, died when he was just 13 years old. Jerry married Lois in 1966 and had four children together, namely Danny Tarkanian, Pamela Tarkanian, Jodie Tarkanian, and George Tarkanian.

Moreover, he had ten grandchildren. Danny was an All-American Honorable Mention College basketball player. His granddaughter Dannielle Diamant is also a basketball player who played for Northwestern University for three years, from 2009 to 2012.

Jerry Tarkanian Net Worth Explored

As a well-recognized American basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian had a whopping net worth of millions. In contrast, the coach never shared any details of his net worth and career earnings with the public.

Tarkanian attended Pasadena City College and later enrolled at Fresno State and earned a bachelor’s degree while playing basketball.

Jerry was a head coach at the high school level until becoming a successful junior college coach at Riverside City College. He coached the team to win three state championships and returned to Pasadena, leading them to a state championship.

The coach also appeared on television with minor roles in the 1979 film, The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh, in the 1992 film, Honeymoon in Vegas, and the 1994 film, Blue Chips.

How Did Jerry Tarkanian Die?

American basketball coach, Jerry Tarkanian, passed away on February 11, 2015, at the age of 84, at Valley Hospital Medical Centre in Las Vegas.

Jerry was hospitalized a few days earlier after having difficulty in breathing. Tarkanian lost his life after battling an infection in 2015 at Valley Hospital.

In a tribute to Jerry, the city of Las Vegas lowered its flag at City Hall of half-staff on February 11, the day he passed away.