33 Facts About Tom Wiesner

Tom Wiesner was an owner of the Marina Hotel, which later became the MGM Grand resort.

In 1986, Tom Wiesner was elected as Nevada's Republican National Committeeman, a position he held until his death.

In 1996, Tom Wiesner was elected to the Nevada State Higher Education System Board of Regents.

Tom Wiesner founded Big Dog's Hospitality Group, a local chain of restaurant-bar-casino properties.

Tom Wiesner was inducted into the Southern Nevada Hall of Sports Fame in 2000, and later died of leukemia in 2002.

Tom Wiesner was posthumously inducted into the UW Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008.

Tom Wiesner was born in Wausau, Wisconsin, on February 28,1939.

Tom Wiesner was the son of Frank Wiesner, and had six brothers.

Tom Wiesner played as a fullback and a linebacker for the Wisconsin Badgers football team from 1958 to 1960.

Tom Wiesner was captain of the team in 1959, and a co-captain and most valuable player in 1960.

Tom Wiesner served as captain when the Badgers played in the 1960 Rose Bowl.

Tom Wiesner was later traded to the Los Angeles Rams and played pre-season games before being cut from the team.

Tom Wiesner then tried out for a position with the San Diego Chargers and the Montreal Alouettes, although he never played in a pro game for either team.

In 1970, Tom Wiesner was elected to the Clark County Commission, defeating two-term Democrat Darwin Lamb.

At the age of 31, Tom Wiesner was the youngest person to ever be elected to the commission.

Tom Wiesner co-founded Southwest Securities Development Company in 1972, and long served as a managing partner for the company.

Tom Wiesner was the founder of Tom Wiesner Investment Company, which subsequently built the Las Vegas Athletic Club.

Tom Wiesner was approved because he would not be involved in the project's casino operations.

In 1978, Tom Wiesner lost the primary battle to Republican opponent Carl Milzner, who subsequently lost the commission seat to his Democratic opponent, Jack Petitti.

In 1986, Tom Wiesner was elected as Nevada's Republican National Committeeman.

Tom Wiesner ran for mayor of Las Vegas in 1987, but lost during the primary.

In 1990, Tom Wiesner founded Big Dog's Hospitality Group, a local chain of Wisconsin-themed bar-restaurant-casino properties that included the Draft House, and would later include the Holy Cow Casino and Brewery, Las Vegas' first brewery.

Tom Wiesner had to persuade the state to change its laws to allow the operation of breweries in Las Vegas.

In 1992, Tom Wiesner created Las Vegas' Badger Desert Golf Classic.

Tom Wiesner was a supporter of University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and founded the UNLV Football Foundation.

In 1999, Tom Wiesner was named "Educator of the Year" by the Nevada Restaurant Association.

In 2000, Tom Wiesner was inducted into the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame.

Later that year, Tom Wiesner served as one of Nevada's electors in the 2000 US presidential election.

Tom Wiesner married Lynn Geary, a schoolteacher, on August 14,1965, at St Anne Catholic Church in Barrington, Illinois.

Tom Wiesner resigned from the Board of Regents to focus on beating his illness.

Tom Wiesner died of leukemia at a Seattle hospital on June 25,2002.

Tom Wiesner had served as Nevada's Republican National Committeeman longer than any prior committeemen in the state's history, and was one of the longest serving committeemen in the United States.

Former Republican senator Paul Laxalt, a friend of Tom Wiesner, was among the speakers.