Legendary BYU coach LaVell Edwards dies at age 86
LaVell Edwards, a legendary coach who spent nearly 30 years at BYU, has died. He was 86. According to his wife Patti, Edwards broke his hip on Christmas Eve, which contributed to his death.
Edwards became one of the most prominent college football coaches in the country after he took a middling BYU team and turned it into a national power. The Cougars won a national championship in 1984 and are the last Group of Five team or independent to win a national title.
“LaVell not only changed the program but he changed a lot of lives,” current BYU head football coach Kalani Sitake said. “He’s a great man, very wise, but I think more than anything he is so humble and such a great example. I hope I can be just like him. There are a lot of great things about him that I love.”
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Edwards’ record was 257-101-3 as BYU’s head coach from 1972-2000 and was twice named National Coach of the Year in 1979 and 1984. He had a losing season in 1973 and then didn’t have a losing campaign for the duration of his career with the Cougars. He coached Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer in 1990 and his teams boasted 34 All-Americans, including 10 consensus All-Americans. His teams also had some of the greatest quarterbacks in BYU history, including Jim McMahon, Steve Young, Detmer and Steve Sarkisian.
In 2004, Edwards was inducted into the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.
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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!
