UNLV aide Barney Cotton’s heart transplant called successful

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The family of UNLV assistant football coach Barney Cotton said Monday he is progressing well after a heart transplant in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska.

The operation was Oct. 22 at Nebraska Medical Center. The 63-year-old Cotton stepped away from his position as UNLV’s offensive coordinator and tight ends coach in July.

In a statement, the Cotton family said: “The medical staff tells us the surgery and recovery up to this point have gone as expected. While we had intended to keep the news regarding this procedure private for several weeks out of respect for the organ donor process, we greatly appreciate the outpouring of support and prayers that we have received.”

Cotton had been on UNLV’s staff since 2015. Cotton was a lineman at Nebraska from 1976-78 and a Cornhuskers assistant in 2003 and again from 2008-14.