Christmas apparel for UNLV sports – Las Vegas Sun News

What makes Christmas season so, well, Christmassy? Is it the gifts? The music? The movies and TV specials? The food?

The answer is, it’s not any one of those things — it’s all of them, and more.

They all contribute to that holiday feeling, as do clothes. For real. Think about the cottage industry that is Christmas sweaters, and all the other seasonal apparel that comes out in December and brings about collective cheer. How we dress absolutely matters at this time of year.

With that in mind, let’s clean out the closet and dress UNLV sports figures in some festive Christmas apparel.

Sweater (earnest)

Your traditional Christmas sweater is a lot of things. It’s functional. It’s no-nonsense. It gets the job done. And most of all, it sets the tone. The same could be said of UNLV linebacker Jackson Woodard, who served in the middle of the Scarlet and Gray defense for the past two years and leaves the program as one of the best and most reliable players in school history. Woodard was a team captain, took UNLV to consecutive bowl games and was named Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year in 2024. And just like your favorite Christmas sweater, he’ll still be welcomed back with glad tidings five, 10 or 25 years from now.

Sweater (ugly)

The ugly sweater has become ubiquitous over the past 20 years, even outshining the traditional sweater in some circles. That’s what the transfer portal has done to traditional high-school recruiting, and new UNLV football coach Dan Mullen will have to double down on that strategy. Most of the players responsible for the Scarlet and Gray’s 11-3 season and LA Bowl victory have departed, so unless Mullen is planning to take a step back in 2025, he’ll need to restock the roster with veteran players capable of winning now. Like the ugly sweater, this is the new normal in college football.

Scarf and mittens

These two go hand in hand, so much so that they’re often sewn together — just like UNLV women’s basketball and Mountain West championships. Lindy La Rocque’s high-scoring squad has won three titles in a row and the 2024-25 roster is loaded with talent and winning experience, so they’re favorites to make it a four-peat in 2025.

Novelty antlers

Does anything say “life of the holiday party” like a pair of antlers? And right now, they’re being worn by Dan Mullen, who appears to be having a blast since being announced as UNLV’s new football coach two weeks ago. Mullen was a big-time winner in the SEC, and after three years in the television booth he is bringing his high-flying offense to UNLV. Soon enough he’ll begin the hard work of rebuilding the program, but right now it’s all pep rallies and fan engagement and sitting in on the LA Bowl TV broadcast. It’s a party and Mullen, with his $3.5 million-per-year contract, has to be loving it.

Ice skates

The ultimate “good time, not a long time” accessories go to former UNLV offensive coordinator Brennan Marion. When you strap on a pair of ice skates, you know you’re going to have a delightful 30 minutes ahead of you, and then the magic fades fast. That’s how it felt watching Marion’s go-go offense; it was thrilling and took the Scarlet and Gray to new heights (this season they ranked No. 14 in scoring in the entire nation), but it was too good to last. Marion was hired as the head coach at Sacramento State the day before UNLV’s bowl game.

Snow boots

Your mom always told you to put on snow boots before going out into the wintry elements, and even if you were initially reluctant, you knew in your heart it was the right thing to do. This season, some Mountain West volleyball teams forfeited their matches against San Jose State because they didn’t want to share the court with a transgender player; it wasn’t exactly “Profiles in Courage.” But the Scarlet and Gray competed and downed SJSU twice during conference play, so props to the UNLV women’s volleyball team for doing the right thing, just like a good pair of water-proof boots.

Christmas morning pajamas

Can’t you just picture your dad on Christmas morning, sitting in his easy chair, kicking back, finally relaxing? And what is he wearing? Pajamas. That’s what UNLV athletic director Erick Harper deserves. First, he made a genius hire by bringing in Barry Odom to run the football team, and after Odom was poached by Purdue, Harper hit another home run by convincing Mullen to come out of the TV booth and take over an ascending program. It couldn’t have been easy, so if anyone has earned a contented rest, it’s Harper.

Ear muffs

Sure, ear muffs can be cute and fashionable and a statement piece on top of a killer Christmas outfit. But they have an important job to do, and that’s to muffle. And that’s something Kevin Kruger could probably use this holiday season as he tries to block out the negative noise surrounding his men’s basketball team. In his fourth year as head coach the Scarlet and Gray are heading into the holiday break with an underwhelming 6-5 record, and fans are getting impatient. Yeah, a good, thick set of ear muffs will come in handy for Kruger if the team doesn’t turn things around in the second half.

Socks and underwear

Ah, the standard gift of responsible grandmas everywhere. And while you didn’t always appreciate the socks and underwear right away — heck, there were newly unwrapped remote-control cars and video games to get excited about — you came to understand their true value over time. That goes for Hajj-Malik Williams, who flew under the radar as an offseason transfer and began the season as the No. 2 quarterback on UNLV’s depth chart. We didn’t know what a gift he was until he was thrust into action in Week 4, and Williams’ value became apparent as he accounted for 28 touchdowns and led the Scarlet and Gray within a win of the College Football Playoff.

Puff-ball hat

What better way to signal youthful exuberance than to pull on a pom beanie and head outside to build a snowman? Here’s hoping D.J. Thomas can hold on to that sense of childlike wonder. Thomas enjoyed a phenomenal freshman season in 2023-24, but his sophomore follow-up hasn’t been so delightful; while he has upped his scoring to a team-high 16.6 points per game, it hasn’t translated to the win-loss column. As the season heads into the harsh winter months, Thomas will have to keep smiling and trust that the wins will come.

Dog outfits

When the holidays roll around, dog owners love to dress up their four-legged darlings as elves, reindeers, gingerbread cookies — you name it, there’s a dog costume for it. Of course, the dogs don’t understand it and don’t enjoy it, as the owners are simply trying to do too much. That goes double for the teams that are leaving the Mountain West Conference to re-form another version of the Mountain West Conference while dressing it up and calling it the Pac-12 (or Pac-8, or Pac-2; it’s kind of TBD).

Santa suit

The ultimate Christmas outfit for those that go above and beyond. Some dads are so dedicated to making the holidays merry and bright, they’ll schlep to a costume rental place, put down a triple-digit deposit and seal themselves inside a hot, stuffy Santa suit just to make their families happy, even if just for a brief moment. Barry Odom did that at UNLV. It wasn’t an easy job; in fact, when he signed on as head coach in December 2023, many thought it was impossible to win in Las Vegas. But Odom proved it could be done, leading the Scarlet and Gray to consecutive Mountain West title games before returning his beard, belt and red suit and taking a $6.5-million per year offer to move to Purdue.

Tiny Tim crutch

A crutch is more of an accessory than an article of clothing, sure, but it’s also the trademark of Tiny Tim, the most destitute character in any Christmas tale. Here’s to Matthew Sluka, who came to UNLV on a promise of $100,000 to be the team’s quarterback, only to be stiffed and sent on his way with nary a penny in his pocket. Bah humbug.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.