Vai Taua, one of the best players in the history of Wolf Pack football, was standing in the rain at 5:30 in the morning waiting to meet to a man who knew almost nothing about him.
Taua had not been in Reno for nearly six years – since his pro day with the Wolf Pack – but returned to town last December in hopes of jump-starting his coaching career. Nevada had just hired Jay Norvell as its head football coach and Taua packed up his wife and young son and drove from Southern California to Reno just looking for a shot.