Nicknamed “Magic” by his teammates for an uncanny ability to deliver victory whenever the Wolf Pack trailed, was a the helm during the greatest comeback in NCAA history in 1991 against Weber State, when Nevada rallied from a 35-point deficit for a 55-49 victory. He is a member of Nevada’s All-Century team. Vargas also led Nevada to two straight come-from-behind overtime victories during the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs in 1990, as Nevada qualified for its first and only I-AA championship game appearance. In 1992, Vargas’ efforts helped Nevada to its first bowl appearance in 44 years, as he was named the MVP of the 1992 Las Vegas Bowl. Coming off the bench and playing only one half of football against Bowling Green, Vargas threw for 283 yards and two touchdowns as Nevada erased a 28-3 halftime deficit to lead 34-28 before losing in the final 22 seconds on the game. After splitting time with starter Fred Gatlin for his first three years at Nevada, Vargas became Nevada’s starter in 1993 for his senior seasons. He recorded one of the greatest seasons for a Nevada quarterback, throwing for 4,265 yards and 34 touchdowns. After graduation from Nevada, Vargas went to become a starting quarterback in the Canadian Football League for five seasons with Edmonton, British Columbia and Winnipeg. “Varg was just unflappable,” said Nevada football coach Chris Ault, who coached the Woodland, Calif., native during Vargas’ first three seasons at Nevada. “He was the architect of so many of those great comeback victories in the ‘90s. He was a special person, a special quarterback, and his teammates always knew he was capable of special things whenever he trotted out onto the field for the Wolf Pack.
Thu Dec 24, 2009, 09:55pm
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