As word spread of the passing of former BYU football coach R. LaVell Edwards (EdD ’78) on Dec. 29, past players offered tributes for the coaching legend. Here are three:
Thomas A. Holmoe (BS ’83, MS ’95), BYU athletic director
“LaVell had a pure heart. He was the dream coach of every parent. His example will forever be with me, and I will strive to live a life of love as he always did.”
Steve Young (BA ’84, JD ’94), ESPN analyst
“The no. 1 quality that Coach had was a gift . . . to see things that you didn’t see, to see potential in you that you didn’t know about. . . . He was like Johnny Appleseed, just spreading seeds of goodwill and positivity” (ESPN interview).
Trevor A. Matich (’84), ESPN analyst
“He made [his team] better players . . . , but more than that, he made them better husbands, better fathers, better men. That’s the trophy—that’s the legacy of LaVell Edwards” (ESPN interview).
