RIP Lavell Edwards

[bluegoose]

No major Lavell stories for me, but I did get to meet him briefly at the graduation party at the stadium right around the time of commencement. Very friendly and affable.

The only other time that I was somewhat near him was my first week in the MTC. Like obedient new missionaries we started our first P Day with a trip to the temple for an early morning endowment session. Lavell sat just down the row from me and gave us all a smile and a thumbs up.

[wuapinmon]

Burger Stop, I hope. Otherwise, you shouldn't have been eating in Dog Town.

Everywhere I've ever eaten in Washington County sucks unless it was Chili's chips and salsa or I cooked it, so, it's all the same to me.

[Donuthole]

Everywhere I've ever eaten in Washington County sucks unless it was Chili's chips and salsa or I cooked it, so, it's all the same to me.

Well, you said Washington, UT, where options are much more limited than Washington County.

And stop being so dramatic. The best Mexican food in the world is served right there in Bloomington. And Paúla's Cazuela is a close second.

[Uncle Ted]

Another minor story I was told about the person Lavell was.

As you all know BYU Wrestling was cut but before it was cut there was the possibility if the local community raised enough funds they would keep the program. Lavell Edwards was one of the first to donate a substantial amount to help save the program. The funds were raised.

In the end it was just a bluff that was called but it was another example of how supportive Lavell was to all athletic programs at BYU.

Cool story. It sucks that they didn't keep wrestling.

[grapevine]

I stopped by a practice as a kid while visiting relatives. Saw coaches work with players but didn,t chat with Elder Ecwards. I called post game a couple of times and chatted with Paul James after game, but Elder Edwards usually left by then. I was deejay at Ricks station and someone had game on when the lds radio network did commercials. Didn,t on Sunday but our station had game on. Big no no for non commercial station. I went to studio and fixed it. Fellow dj tried to call in but did not get through. I did though, then turned off lds network.

Senior year of Hs traveled to Usu to see aBYU lose to Usu and people were calling right and left chewing out coach. Someone asked about screening. Can do that better now. Just have to take it. Elder Edwards was character in post game shows it seems like, eat and talk at same time, check other games, interesting. Getting falls in Idaho mixed up, wrong funeral viewing, character.

[Bo Diddley]

I stopped by a practice as a kid while visiting relatives. Saw coaches work with players but didn,t chat with Elder Ecwards. I called post game a couple of times and chatted with Paul James after game, but Elder Edwards usually left by then. I was deejay at Ricks station and someone had game on when the lds radio network did commercials. Didn,t on Sunday but our station had game on. Big no no for non commercial station. I went to studio and fixed it. Fellow dj tried to call in but did not get through. I did though, then turned off lds network.

Senior year of Hs traveled to Usu to see aBYU lose to Usu and people were calling right and left chewing out coach. Someone asked about screening. Can do that better now. Just have to take it. Elder Edwards was character in post game shows it seems like, eat and talk at same time, check other games, interesting. Getting falls in Idaho mixed up, wrong funeral viewing, character.

Elder Edwards--I like it.

[happyone]

When I was on my mission in 1977 the Y didn't go to a bowl so, the BYU football team came to Japan and conducted a bunch of camps for Japanese college football teams and then played an exhibition game against a Japanese College All Star team. While they were in our mission several of us got to translate for them. My companion at the time had been LaVell's home teaching companion while he was in high school. Lavell took about 15-20 minutes to talk with just us - actually mostly my companion. One of the most gracious men I have ever met.

[byu71]

Was that the game that prompted the infamous post game call-in show call;

Caller: Wondering why you didn't go for 2 and the win.

St. LaVell: A tie gave us a share of the conference title.

Caller: I would've gone for 2.

Yes that was the game. I remember driving back from the stadium and listening to the guy argue with LaVell. I remember clearly after the caller said he would have gone for two, Lavell replied.

That is why you are calling in and I am coaching. My all time favorite Lavell comeback.

I also remember a time some Lady called in and asked why Lavell doesn't make sure he makes his players follow the honor code. She said the previous week on Friday night she saw some players in Park City and they were drinking at the restaurant she was at. Lavell said yes he wants them to follow the HC and he would look into it. While the Lady was going on about how bad it was not to have the players follow the HC you could hear Paul saying something to LaVell.

When she finished Lavell said, mam we were playing a game last Friday night against Utah State and I am sure no players were in Park City drinking. She just hung up.

The guy just had all the right stuff. He will always be one of my all time favorites.

[Eddie]

Lavell spoke at the baccalaureate for my daughter's high school graduation.

After, he came into the audience and greeted many of the graduating kids and their families.

My father-in-law played for Lavell when he coached at Granite High school, yet he still remembered him, his nickname, and could tell a couple of quick anecdotes. I was impressed.

Lavell will be missed for sure.

[Green Monstah]

I didn't grow up with regular access to BYU football, so I didn't grow up admiring LaVell, or even knowing who he was.

I saw him twice: once when I was walking in and he was walking out of Mr. Mac. I think he noticed that I was starstruck and about to stumble over my words, and he gave me a re-assuring nod. I nodded back and picked up my suits. The second was four years ago at a charity event in Houston. Coach was a few weeks from open-heart surgery, so Brian Santiago was making sure LaVell was not getting stopped by fans/admirers, but Coach made sure to get a pic with all of us.

I've enjoyed listening to his former players basically say the same thing about him: great person who saw the best in people; people didn't want to disappoint him because his opinion was so highly regarded; treated people with sincerity and kindness. It's basically universal (Ronnie Mac reiterated it). Pretty amazing.

[BigFatMeanie]

The old coach's call-in show was pure radio gold. Lavell was a master at it.

[wally]

I loved Lavell. R.I.P.

[grapevine]

Who read Paul James Cougar tales. When Elder Edwards came to show would check tv for highlights, grab a sandwich, answer question twice while downing sandwich, once hung up phone that hooked up to broadcast line, multitasking. When cougar club members saw him do interview he did not change win or lose. When callers got out of hand maybe before you could delay caller to air sequence. Can do that now to keep bad words off.

But USU beat BYU my senior year and coming home from game people asked about conditioning played was hurt, and ripped him a new one. Some lady asked about screening, and Paul and Elder Edwards says goes with the territory. A few supportive callers but got a lot of jackasses falling and chewing him out.

[Clark Addison]

When LaVell passed, I saw somewhere (maybe here?) that his family had requested donations to the Boys and Girls Club of Utah County. I figured that the happiness in my life that can be directly traced back to LaVell was enough that it was worth a few dollars to his favorite charity. Lest anyone think this is any sort of brag on my part, the amount I donated was, if I remember correctly, $25. It was a very modest amount.

Today, I received a hand-addressed and handwritten card in the mail from Patti thanking me for my donation. There are no perfect people in this world, but I don't know if I have ever been disappointed, let down, or embarrassed by anything that any of the Edwards family has ever done. What an awesome legacy they have left BYU.

[myboynoah]

But happy she's with Lavell.

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