Tales from the BYU Sidelines

By Brad Rock

For over two decades, Brigham Young University was the dominant football team in the Western Athletic Conference and one of the best in the western United States. The Cougars' innovative passing game made them a feared and fabled opponent. Originally an unheralded private college, hard against the slopes of the Wasatch Mountains, BYU was best known for its high-scoring basketball program. That was before LaVell Edwards arrived. Along the way, legends arose. Some were remarkable players, noted for their ability to perform in difficult circumstances. Others were known more for their locker-room pranks and off-field idiosyncrasies. Tales from the BYU Sidelines unveils the characters behind the helmets, as well as the details behind the big plays. It also chronicles some of the legendary stories surrounding the program. Like the time Edwards drove to Idaho Falls, Idaho for a speaking engagement, only to find he was 163 miles off the mark. And the day Jim McMahon -- Mad Mac himself -- swung from the balcony of a high-rise hotel in Honolulu, right into the room of his favorite wide receiver. There's something comical about the image of assistant coach Roger "The Creature" French, lying flat on his stomach during a game, hoping to get a better look at the first-down yardage. Steve Young's bowl game-winning pass reception looked brilliant. But it made Edwards cringe. Big lab test coming up for a couple of players? No problem. Just bring a shark cadaver along on the plane. It happened. Here, then, are the adventures of the great and the not-so-great, the colorful and the clownish, the champions and the chumps, detailed by award-winning Salt Lake sports columnist Brad Rock. Some say you just had to be there to appreciate the moment. In a sense, now you can say you have been. Book jacket.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1582615527
• ISBN13: 9781582615523
• Release Date: September 2003
• Publisher: Sports Publishing LLC
• Length: 181 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.7" x 8.6"