<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4Tq03N_0vjkj1sc00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4Tq03N_0vjkj1sc00" width="986" height="555" >Every other week, Nevada Sports Net will spotlight a local athlete as part of our "Legendary Athletes" series, which is presented in partnership with Legends Bay Casino. Today's featured person is Tom Dolan, a businessman,entrepreneur and philanthropist who had a huge impact on Nevada athletics overall and Wolf Pack baseball in general.T.J. Bruce andJake McKinley, Nevada baseball's last two head coaches, have vastly different "favorite stories" about Tom Dolan, the pillar of Northern Nevada who passed away earlier this month at age75.Bruce's top memory came in 2017 when the Los Angeles Dodgers— the favorite MLB team of the Dolans and Bruce— reached the World Series for the first time in29 years and Tom insisted Bruce attend Game 1 at Dodger Stadium on the Dolan's dime. Meanwhile, McKinley's favorite story came last year when he was having dinner withDon Weir, the man who gave Tom his big break in Reno. McKinley was in mid-sentence when he got hit in the head with an unidentified flying object."We didn't coordinate it, but Tom was at the restaurant and somebody threw a piece of bread at me from across the restaurant," McKinley recalled. "I looked up and it was Tom."Those two stories sum up Dolan. In addition to being a rousingly successful businessman and entrepreneur who owned several car dealerships in Northern Nevada, Dolan was one of the most fun-loving and generousphilanthropists in Reno's history. A self-made man who was born inAlbert Lea, Minn., and raised inRedlands, Calif., Dolan made his fame and fortune in Reno, moving to the Truckee Meadows to attend UNR after his older brother, Mike, earned a scholarship with the Wolf Pack."His legacy is Reno," Tom's son, Ryan, said. "It's weird — he wasn't born here, but he took this as his home. He loved this place. He loved the people in this place. He loved all the other community leaders."And he loved Nevada baseball, which was near and dear to his heart. Dolan's older brother, Bobby,a former baseball scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers, started an annual fundraiser for Nevada baseball now dubbed "The Bobby Dolan Dinner." That dinner and the Dolans' generosity are largely responsible for Wolf Pack baseball still existing."His family is just such a massive reason why we play baseball today at the University of Nevada," McKinley said. "Why I have a job. Why our players have an opportunity. And so I feel like there's something great in town in our baseball program, and I think his passion really derives from the fact that his family essentially rescued Nevada baseball from extinction. I simply don't think it would exist. Peccole Park would probably be a track or something like that."Dolan provided more than financial assistance to the Wolf Pack. Those who knew him became better coaches, better leaders and better familymen, Bruce said. Whoever was the Nevada baseball coach was always quickly introduced toDolan, but the relationship didn't stop there. That was just the beginning of a bond that would last a lifetime."Tom treated me as one of his own, so our conversations were very honest, very transparent," Bruce said. "He listened, yet gave really good advice but also gave me the truth. Whether that was in my life, whether that was on the baseball side, whether it was, 'I wish we had this. I wish we had that. Why can't we have this?' He always brought it back to what was really important, which was family and looking at what we did have while also striving for more."I always knew when I wanted an honest conversation and to maybe throw out an idea that I wasn't sure of, I knew I could go to Tommy and he would tell me straight. I can honestly say that the Dolans helped raise me into the head coach I am today and the dad I am and the father I am and the husband I am."Bruce, who has been on staffs at powerhouses like UCLA, TCU and Long Beach State, said Dolan's "love and affinity for Nevada baseball is something that's unmatched at a lot of places." And that love spread throughout the program, from the coaches to the players. Bruce said his coaching ability improved because of the example he had in Dolan, whose demand for excellence was one of the big reasons his automobile group was so successful."He held everybody to the same standard, which is excellence," Bruce said. "Being at UCLA and being at some other stops I've been at, that was a thing. But how Tom did it and how he had different strategies for different people while striving for that excellence standard, in my opinion, was what separated him from other people or other businesses."McKinley echoed Bruce's thoughts, saying the things he most loved about Dolan were his strive for excellence and unfiltered honesty, which he called refreshing.McKinley will always remember how gracious Dolan was when McKinley was hired to replace Bruce, who is now the head coach at Long Beach State. That warm welcome immediately made Reno feel like home. And the Wolf Pack baseball team's new home at Peccole Park will be named after Dolan, who made a large donation several years ago to upgrade the program's locker room. That locker room is under renovation and scheduled to open in November. It will be namedthe "Tom Dolan Locker Room." Nevada also will honor him in other ways this season."I reached out to athletics and asked if we can have some way to commemorate him on our jerseys," McKinley said. "That would be really important to me. We're playing Vanderbilt here in a couple weeks for a fall game and our pregame shirts for sure will honor him, and then something more permanent like a patch on our jerseys is what I would like to do. Signage is going to be prevalent at the field. The driveway that goes down the first-base side is going to be renamed Dolan Drive. It'll be the physical address of the field. That'll be really cool, and then there will be a good amount of Dolan branding on the field."Dolan was diagnosed withidiopathic lung fibrosis almost nine years ago and underwent alung transplant and bypass on his heart. Doctors did not foresee a long life thereafter, but the love of his family and his community continued to drive Dolan."We were blessed with eight-and-a-half more years of memories and laughs and cherished moments that as a family we'll hold on to, especially in these times of pain and suffering right now," his son, Brady, said. "It took a toll on his body. Most people, the longevity of that surgery is usually around one to two to three years, so he was quite the fighter. He fought all the way to the end, and it was a peaceful death surrounded by his family who he cherished and loved more than anything."A self-made business entrepreneur, Dolan believed if you worked hard, you could make it, and that's what he did, a storybook rags-to-riches tale. In Reno, he found the perfect home to make his American dream come true."He believed in this town," his son, Ryan, said. "He believed in our family. He believed that his legacy is, 'Do the right thing day in and day out. Be able to close your eyes at night and look yourself in the mirror.' He always taught us our biggest judge is the man looking at you. He told us to be ethical, do the right thing, be a good businessman, be a good father, a community leader and always give back because you never know when you might need it."Dolan always stressed to his children— he also had a daughter, Danielle— the importance of giving back to Reno because of what Reno gave their family. That especially extended to Nevada athletics and Wolf Pack baseball, one of his true loves. It was the school that originally brought him to Reno and paved the way for his future success, and he never forgot that. And those involved with Nevada athletics promise to never forget Dolan, either."What he's done over his lifetime is an impact that will be forever felt," Bruce said. "And I hope in 50 years we're still talking about the Dolan family and what they mean to Nevada baseball. It's honesty. It's trust. It's integrity. It's selflessness. It's all these buzzwords that we use in our culture and program, but I can honestly say that they lived it and that will live on forever."You can watch the NSN Tonight segment remembering Tom Dolan below.</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

Remembering Tom Dolan, who was many things, including a titan for Nevada baseball

Every other week, Nevada Sports Net will spotlight a local athlete as part of our \"Legendary Athletes\" series, which is presented in partnership with Legends Bay Casino. Today's featured person is Tom Dolan, a businessman,entrepreneur and philanthropist who had a huge impact on Nevada athletics overall and Wolf Pack baseball in general.

Every other week, Nevada Sports Net will spotlight a local athlete as part of our "Legendary Athletes" series, which is presented in partnership with Legends Bay Casino. Today's featured person is Tom Dolan, a businessman,entrepreneur and philanthropist who had a huge impact on Nevada athletics overall and Wolf Pack baseball in general.