Nevada Names Its Football Field For Chris Ault

September 1, 2012; Berkeley, CA, USA; Nevada Wolf Pack head coach Chris Ault celebrates with running back Nick Hale (32) after a Wolf Pack touchdown during the fourth quarter against the California Golden Bears at Memorial Stadium. The Wolf Pack defeated the Golden Bears 31-24. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The first line of his bio on the official Nevada athletic website says it all:

"Simply put, Chris Ault is University of Nevada football."

And on Wednesday, the university’s athletic department solidified this sentiment when it announced that the field in Mackay Stadium will be known as Chris Ault Field.

Ault, a two-time Nevada graduate, was hired to take over the university’s then-Div. II football program in 1976. Thirty-seven years and three tours of duty later, he has established one of the most consistently winning teams in college football. The Wolf Pack has played in eight straight bowl games since Ault began his third stint as head coach in 2004.

His legacy includes the introduction of a new offensive scheme into football’s public consciousness, the Pistol. He conceived the formation in 2004, and its impact has been profound. Not only has Nevada taken Chris Ault’s brainchild to eight straight postseasons, it’s made its way into the NFL — and so has Ault. The Kansas City Chiefs hired him as a consultant earlier this month.

With consummate Pistol quarterback Colin Kaepernick operating out of the formation, Ault’s 2010 team made history. It finished the campaign 13-1 and ranked in the top 13 of both national polls.

But the longtime head coach and former athletic director said his lasting impression was about so much more than offensive innovation or games won: