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CHAPTER 1

LaVell Edwards

To BYU, Reuben LaVell Edwards was much more than just a football coach. What he meant to the football program, the university, his players, and the fans transcended what he accomplished as a coach, which was staggering in and of itself.

It's amazing to consider what might have happened had BYU passed on hiring the defensive coordinator with no collegiate head coaching experience in 1972. It took a group of BYU players showing up at the home of school president Dallin H. Oaks to help convince him the school should hire longtime assistant LaVell Edwards, who had never been a head coach at the college level and had been a part of only a few winning seasons in his coaching career to that point. Edwards had grown up on a dairy farm in nearby Orem as the eighth of 14 children. He played football at Utah State. Even in Provo, he wasn't exactly a household name.

Hiring Edwards was risky, but of course it proved to be a stroke of pure genius; it altered the trajectory of the BYU football program's future forever. Prior to Edwards, BYU had only had two coaches with winning records, and the program was, if not perennially downtrodden, mired in mediocrity. Edwards guided the Cougars to heights never dreamed of previously. During 29 seasons at the helm, he logged 257 wins — which ranks sixth in Division I history — 22 bowl appearances, 19 conference championships, one unlikely national championship, two National Coach of the Year honors, and a 2004 induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. That is just a fraction of his legacy.

Edwards helped revolutionize the sport in the late 1970s and 1980s. While most schools were running the football, he installed and unleashed an unconventional, relentless passing attack that produced a string of All-America quarterbacks. Edwards became universally respected not only for winning and changing college football by emphasizing the forward pass but also because of the way he coached. Like an effective CEO, he surrounded himself with talented, driven people on his coaching staff. He delegated responsibilities and he let his assistants coach. Unlike most other coaches, he didn't wear a headset and he didn't micromanage. USA Today once called him "a national coaching treasure."

Without Edwards, there probably would be no 63,000-seat stadium, and BYU would probably just be known as some religious school in Provo surrounded by large mountains. Edwards, in many ways, was a visionary man. "Brigham Young arrived in the desert 149 years ago, on the banks of a sea made of salt, and saw what hadn't been seen: a place to build a home," wrote Berry Tramel of the Daily Oklahoman in 1996. "We don't think much about Brigham Young when it comes to American pioneers, but we should; he was more at home on the frontier than Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone. LaVell Edwards arrived as a college head coach in 1972, on the campus named for the Father of Utah, and saw what hadn't been seen: a place to throw the football. We don't think much about LaVell Edwards when it comes to American football coaches, but we should; Bobby Bowden and Joe Paterno have nothing on him when it comes to building programs. Brigham Young put Utah on the map. Then along came Edwards to do the same for Young's university."

In 2000 Edwards retired, leaving players and fans with a lifetime of memories. Among many other things, he'll be remembered for his stoic sideline demeanor. He'll also be remembered for his courtesy, humor, and love for his players and for his family. He and his wife, Patti, who celebrated their 65 wedding anniversary in 2016, had three children: Ann Cannon (a writer), John (a doctor), and Jim (a lawyer). Edwards was not only synonymous with BYU football, he was a man for all seasons. To his family he was a devoted father and loving husband. To the players he coached, he was a father figure.

It was his style and personality that set him apart. Edwards was never consumed by football, nor was his perspective clouded by an obsession with winning. He didn't have the big contract with the big ego to match. He found time to listen to Willie Nelson's music, read voraciously, travel, golf, work in his flower garden, and serve his church and community. Integrity, humor, and humility were hallmarks of his career. While known for his stern outward appearance and for frequently folding his arms during games, he never took himself too seriously. "Someone once said I'm actually a happy guy," he said, "I just forgot to tell my face."

Edwards' serene approach and dry sense of humor belied his competitive nature. But his calm demeanor was at least partly responsible for BYU's ability to pull out so many close games and trademark comebacks. Perhaps the only person who doesn't see Edwards as a legend is Edwards himself. Fittingly, on the day he coached his last home game, the school and the LDS Church, which sponsors the school, changed the name of Cougar Stadium to LaVell Edwards Stadium. It was, after all, the House that LaVell Built.

After retiring, his autumns were free from football for the first time in 56 years. He spent his time with his beloved Patti, children, and grandchildren. He fulfilled a dream of serving an LDS mission in New York City with his wife.

Super Bowl–winning quarterback Steve Young, who arrived at BYU as a walk-on in 1980, credits Edwards for helping instill confidence and launching Young's NFL Hall of Fame career: "I remember going on my recruiting trip to BYU, and there was a big line of guys wanting to talk to LaVell outside his office. I was the last guy. LaVell knew my name but not much else. I didn't know if he was going to offer me a scholarship or not. In his office he was sitting in his chair, and I saw a bunch of spiritual books — I was pretty impressed. I didn't think the two could mix. As he sat there I thought for a second he had fallen asleep. He started chewing on his tongue, like he was looking for inspiration. Then he said, 'I think we'll give you a scholarship.' I'm grateful he gave me, an option quarterback, a chance. He [saw] more in you than you [could] see in yourself. That's the greatest compliment you can give a coach."

Edwards died on December 29, 2016, at the age of 86. That evening, the lights at LaVell Edwards Stadium lit up the night sky in tribute to the legendary coach ... and legendary man.

When LaVell Almost Became a Lion

In 1999 LaVell Edwards coached in a domed stadium for the first time in his storied career when the Cougars faced Marshall in the Motor City Bowl in Detroit, Michigan. But if it had been up to the Detroit Lions, Edwards' first game on the sideline at the Pontiac Silverdome would have happened a lot sooner, and a lot more often.

After BYU defeated the Michigan Wolverines in the December 21, 1984, Holiday Bowl and claimed the 1984 national championship, Edwards was contacted by Lions officials about filling their head coaching vacancy. The opportunity was intriguing to him at first. "I had decided I wouldn't go anywhere else unless it was an NFL job," Edwards said.

But he was so busy when the Lions came calling that he had a difficult time meeting up with team officials. His hectic schedule included coaching in the East-West Shrine Game in San Francisco, the National Coaches Association banquet to pick up his National Coach of the Year Award, and a visit to the White House at the request of President Ronald Reagan, who wanted to congratulate Edwards on his team's championship season.

It was at a Washington, DC, hotel that Edwards finally discussed the job opening with Lions general manager Russ Thomas. When Edwards returned to Provo, Lions owner William Clay Ford called and officially offered him the position over the phone. Ford asked Edwards to fly to Detroit, but Edwards said he couldn't leave that weekend because he had some recruits coming into town. "It became evident in my mind I couldn't pick up and leave," Edwards said. "I realized I wasn't willing to drop everything for this. It wasn't right for me." So he turned down the job offer.

It wasn't the first time Edwards had been courted. The University of Minnesota, the University of Colorado, and the University of Miami are among the schools that each had expressed interest in him prior to the Lions' offer. But the Detroit Lions' offer was the closest Edwards ever came to leaving BYU, and he said he never regretted the decision. "The guy they ended up hiring, Darryl Rogers, they fired three years later," Edwards said. "That would have been me."

CHAPTER 2

1984 National Championship

More than three decades later, it still reads kind of like a made-for-Disney movie script. The story of BYU's improbable 1984 national football championship season had unlikely heroes (Adam Haysbert, for example), villains (Bryant Gumbel and Barry Switzer come to mind), dramatic moments (who can forget the image of Robbie Bosco hobbling around on one leg in the Holiday Bowl?), serendipitous events (one by one, teams ahead of the Cougars in the polls fell), an unmistakable underdog quality (devoid of star players at the time, BYU started the season unranked), a certain moxie (four fourth-quarter comebacks), and a penchant for accomplishing something unprecedented (how in the heck did a team from the Western Athletic Conference, from the Mountain time zone, win a national title?).

"The way it all came together, it almost had to work just the way it did for it to happen," recalled legendary coach LaVell Edwards. "It was a magical year." Maybe it was magic. Maybe it was fate. Maybe it was destiny. Maybe the Cougars were somewhat lucky, too. "In spite of everything we did, it still took a little bit of luck," admitted Glen Kozlowski, a wide receiver on the 1984 team. "It still came down to a lot of factors that we had no control over."

"It was the confluence of the right group of guys with the right scheme against the rest of the college football world of that moment," explained 1984 offensive lineman Trevor Matich, who is now an ESPN college football analyst. "BYU was the mouse that roared. Nobody knew who we were. We were the first school nobody had ever heard of that rose up and grabbed the college football world by the neck and said, 'You will know who I am. You have no choice.'"

The 1984 season catapulted the BYU football program — as well as the LDS Church and the state of Utah — into the national consciousness. "It was really crazy with all of the media [attention]," said Bosco. "I can remember after the Pitt game going up to Salt Lake with LaVell to be on Good Morning America. It was like, 'Why do they want to talk to us?'"

The season began with a stunning upset over No. 3 Pitt on the road and culminated in a victory over a Michigan team with an average record in the Holiday Bowl, which led to controversy as people around the country debated BYU's worthiness as the nation's top-ranked team. The undefeated 13–0 Cougars had to wait two weeks after defeating the Wolverines before they were officially voted No. 1 by both the Associated Press and United Press International polls on January 3, 1985, touching off a celebration around the state. Not long after securing the national championship, Edwards visited the White House and met with President Ronald Reagan.

BYU still stands as the last team to enter a season unranked and win a national championship. The Cougars are also the last team from a non–Power 5 conference to win a national title in football. For those who played on that national championship team, that accomplishment is sweeter than ever. "One of the great things about winning a national championship is the whole team is involved," Bosco said. "It's a team award. You can celebrate that with everybody, and you can talk about it forever."

Of all the great seasons BYU enjoyed in the early 1980s, 1984 seemed the least likely to end in a national championship. The Cougars had lost quarterback Steve Young, tight end Gordon Hudson, and linebacker Todd Shell from a 1983 team that went 11–1, winning its last 11 straight games and finishing with a No. 7 national ranking.

Not only were the '84 Cougars unranked, but in its preseason college football preview, Sports Illustrated picked them to finish No. 3 — in the WAC. It looked like a rebuilding year in Provo for a team breaking in a new starting quarterback and several others at skill positions. "Going into spring football, there were low expectations around the conference and around the country," said Kozlowski. "We had been so dominant in our conference, everybody thought '84 was the year they could beat us. By the end of spring ball, we made a commitment to each other that we were going to try and prove everybody wrong."

When the season-opening opponent, Pittsburgh, debuted at No. 3 in the national rankings, the Cougars sensed an opportunity. On the eve of the season opener, in a Pittsburgh hotel, the team convened for a meeting. "We talked about the fact if we could win that game, and go undefeated, we could win the national championship," said Kozlowski.

The relatively low expectations going into the season may actually have helped the '84 team. "With the enormous pressure [a national ranking] places on a team, I don't know if we would have been able to do what we did," said return specialist Vai Sikahema. "We started the season with such low expectations, and as the expectations grew, our team grew. We peaked at the right time."

During the 1984 season, Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer and Today show host Bryant Gumbel complained loudly that the Cougars didn't deserve a No. 1 ranking or a national championship. They contended BYU played a weak "Bo Diddley Tech" schedule. The Cougars' most notable wins came against a Pitt team that finished with only three victories and a 6–5 Michigan team in the Holiday Bowl.

That '84 title is still one of the most disputed college football championships. But to safety Kyle Morrell, the record speaks for itself: "We went out and played our schedule and beat 13 teams in a row. Other teams would come to play us like they never came to play in any other football game. We were undefeated. Our schedule wasn't the toughest in the nation, but we were 13–0, and I believe we deserved the national championship." And indeed this is the most compelling argument in favor of the '84 squad when BYU fans debate which Cougars team is the best all-time; no other team in school history has recorded an undefeated season.

Matich said what he misses most about his days at BYU is the camaraderie with his teammates. Their brotherhood was galvanized through a grueling yet rewarding national championship season. "That bond is something we'll have the rest of our lives, whether we have lunch every day or whether we see each other every ten years. When we get together, it's like we've never been apart. It's like it's 1984," he said.

(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "100 Things BYU Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die"
by .
Copyright © 2017 Jeff Call.
Excerpted by permission of Triumph Books LLC.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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