I know, I know — it’s a stretch tying BYU Football to Family Home Evening. But come on, it could work!
Bronco Mendenhall, the coach of the BYU Cougars Football team, hosted a day for the football alumni yesterday. What a blast it was to see old friends, legends and new acquaintances. I stood between my husband and 1965’s running back, Mr. Swanson (either Dave or LaVern), as we watched the Cougars scrimmage. Here’s the joke I was told: “What happens to people who say shoot? They go to heck.” Corny, yes. But did it make me laugh, yes.
It was great to be a part of such a tradition at Brigham Young University. Yesterday, Coach Mendenhall spent some time going over the program, his intentions and the upcoming year. I liked it. I like what this man is doing. He has implemented a motto of Tradition, Integrity and Honor. When they look for players who come to BYU, they look first for character, then playing ability, then GPA and finally — hmmm, I forgot what the last one was. I was too impressed with the first three. He has a team goal of a collective 3.0 GPA, they are currently at 2.94 and he’s not happy with that. He is holding his players to a higher standard and has every expectation that they will meet it. The alumni were welcomed home and asked to become an active part of the program. I heard from players who were on the field in the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. It was great to see such history around me. (I’m sure they’d hate to be called “history”. Sorry.) I’m impressed how he has re-established that connection between today’s team and the legends of the past.
Excitement filled the air, it actually had a tangible presence. Watching practice and the scrimmage was fun. There were a few players who caught my eye: David Oswald (OL), he looked tough on the field. McKay Jacobson (WR), he had some good hands. He caught pretty much everything that came his way. Andrew George (TE), great backup for Jonny Harline and will soon be a star in his own right. Sete Auliu (OL), he was playing center yesterday. That is one tough kid. (He’s my nephew, but he is one tough player.) Of course, we had a great number of returning players and they look great too. I’m excited for the Arizona game. I swear, the Cougars will get nothing but better from this day out. I liked what I saw. Go Cougars!
Tradition – Integrity – Honor ∙ What better motto could we all have?