Chris Ault, Nevada's head coach for two periods over the last 40 years, announced his decision to retire in a press conference today. Ault said he made the decision a week ago and Nevada president Marc Johnson told him to wait a week before fully committing to it.
Ault was emotional during the press conference when making the announcement, and has high hopes that Nevada will continue to grow as a program. Ault also wouldn't use the word "retire" saying he loves the game too much, leading some to think he may seek a coaching opportunity elsewhere. Its unlikely it would be a head coach at another university. It's possible a number of NFL teams would be interested in him as some sort of assistant, especially given the Pistol's foray into the NFL ranks this season.
Nevada's next head coach is yet to be determined and the search will begin immediately. Complicating matters is the university is still in the middle of the search for a new Athletic Director with current AD Cary Groth also set to step down. Furthermore, it will be tough for the university to secure anyone asking for much money-wise given the decreased budget compared to other universities (Nevada has one of the lowest athletic budgets in the MWC).
You can follow Chris Murray (@MurrayRGJ) and Dan Hinxman (@danhinxmanRGJ) on twitter for updates, quotes, and opinions from the press conference.