Legendary BYU Coach to Step Down

P R O V O, Utah, Aug. 18 -- LaVell Edwards, who won a national title andbuilt one of the most prolific passing offenses in college footballhistory, is retiring as coach at BYU after this season.

Under Edwards, who will be 70 in October, the Cougars won the1984 national championship with a 13-0 record, and he was selectedthe national coach of the year.

“You reach a point where it’s time to move on and let someoneelse take a run at it,” Edwards said Thursday. “It’s turned out awhole lot better than I ever, ever, ever dreamed.”

Produced Star Quarterbacks

Edwards’ teams won 20 conference titles and played in 22 bowlgames. BYU also claimed a Heisman Trophy winner, Ty Detmer in 1990,and produced a string of other star quarterbacks including SteveYoung and Jim McMahon.

Penn State coach Joe Paterno called Edwards “one of the giantsof our profession. There isn’t anyone I respect more in coachingthan LaVell.”

Athletic director Val Hale said a search for a successor willbegin “at some point where the timing is better.”

“We’re going to put the focus on this season,” Hale said.

Decided in January

Edwards said he made the decision to retire in January and knewin spring practice this would be his last season.

He told his players of his decision during a team meetingThursday morning.

“It was really silent in that room and I even felt a littleteary-eyed,” said defensive end and team captain Setema Gnali.“You could feel a happy kind of sadness. We’re happy for him, butit’s sad because everyone thinks of coach Edwards and BYU as thesame thing.”

Edwards’ prolific quarterbacks grew into some of the biggestpassers in NCAA history, including four Davey O’Brien Trophywinners.

The string started with Gary Scheide and Gifford Nielsen in the1970s and continued with McMahon, Young, Detmer and others.

Nearly 57 Miles of Passing