LaVell Edwards

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LaVell Edwards, 2010

Reuben LaVell Edwards (born  October 11, 1930 in Orem , †  December 29, 2016 in Provo ) was an American coach and player in the field of college football . He served as the head coach of the football team at Brigham Young University from 1972 to 2000 and won the National Championship of Division IA of the NCAA and 19 conference championships with the team in 1984 .

Life

LaVell Edwards was born in Orem, Utah , in 1930 and played between 1949 and 1951 as a center and linebacker for the Utah State Aggies , the football team at Utah State University . There he graduated in 1952 with a bachelor's degree in physical education . After a subsequent two-year service in the United States Army , he was initially active from 1954 to 1961 as a football coach at a high school in South Salt Lake . During this time he earned a Masters degree from the University of Utah in 1960 .

In 1962 he became assistant coach of the BYU Cougars at the Brigham Young University , where he ten years later assumed the position of head coach, a position he held until the year 2000th During this time, he won with the team in 1984 the national championship of Division IA of the National Collegiate Athletic Association as well as 19 conference championships of the WAC or MWC and seven bowl games. In 1996 , the BYU Cougars became the first team in college football history to win 14 games in one season. Ty Detmer , the team's quarterback between 1987 and 1991, won the 1990 Heisman Trophy for best college football player. Six quarterbacks of his teams, in addition to Ty Detmer, among others, Steve Young and Jim McMahon , were voted All-American . The coaches who began their careers as assistants in the coaching staff of LaVell Edwards and who later became successful in college or in the NFL include Brian Billick , Andy Reid , Kyle Whittingham and Mike Holmgren .

LaVell Edwards holding the 2002 Winter Olympics torch

During his time as a trainer at Brigham Young University , he received his doctorate there in 1978 in the field of educational science . After the end of the 2000/2001 season, he ended his coaching career at the age of 70. With an aggregate record of 257 wins, 101 losses and three draws, he is the most outstanding football coach in the history of Brigham Young University and one of the most successful coaches in the history of college football. The teams he trained were shaped by a pass-oriented offensive, with which he significantly influenced the development of football as a whole, especially in the 1970s and 1980s.

LaVell Edwards was married and had three children. He was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , for which he and his wife served a mission in New York in 2002/2003 . He died in Provo in December 2016 as a result of age-related complications following a hip fracture.

Awards

The LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah

LaVell Edwards received Coach of the Year awards in 1979 and 1984, and the 2003 Amos Alonzo Stagg Award from the American Football Coaches Association in recognition of his lifetime achievement . A year later he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame . The football stadium of Brigham Young University, with a capacity of around 63,500 seats, the largest sports arena in Utah, has been named LaVell Edwards Stadium in his honor since 2000 .

Works (selection)

  • Total Conditioning: The BYU Football Way. West Point NY 1985 (as co-author)
  • Winning Football with the Forward Pass. Boston 1985 (as co-author)
  • Achieving: A Guide to Building Self-esteem in Young Men. Orem 1985 (as co-author)

literature

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Edwards, LaVell
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Edwards, LaVell Reuben (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American coach and player in college football
DATE OF BIRTH October 11, 1930
PLACE OF BIRTH Orem
DATE OF DEATH December 29, 2016
Place of death Provo