SOUTH JORDAN — For Shauna Borich, Christmas came early Wednesday.
Shauna's prayers were answered. Her oldest son, Mike, after an 11-year coaching hiatus from Utah, will be coming home. Having Gary Crowton named the new BYU coach means Mike Borich, who is the wide receivers coach with the Chicago Bears, will be an assistant coach with the Cougars.
Shauna Borich and her husband, Joe, were in Chicago this past weekend to watch the Bears lose to Green Bay.
"Joe and I have never interfered with what our children wanted, especially with Mike," Shauna Borich said. "We just really wanted them to be successful and respectful with their lives. We have always respected their wishes and supported them. But this is a big win for us to have Mike coming home."
Mike Borich started for two years under former Bingham coach Son Sudbury. He was all-state his senior year and played at Snow College, where the Badgers won the national junior college championship in 1985 while he led the nation in pass receiving. And he made a lifelong friendship with Snow's offensive coordinator, Crowton.
Mike Borich probably will assume the offensive coordinator's position for the Cougars. He was going to be considered the Bears' new offensive coordinator. That was his other option. But his friendship with Crowton prevailed once again.
"I followed Gary back to Western Illinois to play football (he led the Gateway Conference in receiving and was named all conference), and after I graduated, I got married and Gary called me up to see if I was interested in coaching. I said I was," Borich said.
"At that time, Gary was at New Hampshire. My wife, Christine, and I went with Gary. The only thing about the job was it was non-paying. Christine had to work, and in the winter I drove a snowplow. We've been gone 11 years, coaching in such places as North Eastern, a Division 1-AA team, Boston College, and Louisiana Tech, and of course, with the Bears.
"Actually, Christine is from Sanpete County, and I thought I was going to be a turkey farmer, and coach high school football. Lately, however, it's really been tough on me, because mom has been battling cancer, and I am so far away and haven't been able to help her."
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