Pistolero

Last week I photographed former Nevada football coach Chris Ault. The story, "A College Offense Graduates to the Pros," written by Greg Bishop, ran Sunday in the New York Times sports section.

Bishop wrote about the in vogue pistol offense (search Google News for "Pistol Offense" and it delivers more than 14,000 recent results), Ault's legacy and his relationship with Super Bowl-bound quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

In college, I covered more than a dozen Nevada football games and even photographed Ault away from the field a few times.

In 2004—my first freelance assignment for the Associated Press—I photographed the press conference announcing his return to the sidelines. In 2005, I traveled to Honolulu with the Pack and covered Ault's first bowl game in nearly a decade. The following year I went to Boise.

But this was the most fun I've had around him.

The three of us met Thursday at the Napa-Sonoma Grocery Company a few blocks from my house. Bishop asked questions, Ault diagramed plays with salt and pepper shakers, I sat and listened. Infrequently, I took pictures. Afterward we went to the University. Coach gave us a short tour. And I made a few portraits.

The interview lasted a couple of hours and although it didn't reveal anything new (they rarely do), it was cool listening to Ault explain the pistol and discuss his legacy and future plans (...maybe in the NFL?).

Here are a few photos from the assignment as well as some archive images of Kaepernick and Ault.

Enjoy.