PROVO — When BYU and Tulane kick off today, it will be the first time in 57 years LaVell Edwards won't be watching from an up-close-and-personal location.
No more standing close enough to hear players huffing as they run past.
No more dodging the end sweeps.
Edwards was an on-field participant during seven decades, as a football coach or player. Today marks a new era, in which he is merely a spectator. It's hard to imagine, even a little nostalgic. But sad?
Not for Edwards. If he were coaching today's game, he says, "I'd be worrying a lot more."
In his first year away from football, Edwards is loving life. Earlier this week, he and his wife, Patti, spent an afternoon strolling through the gardens at Thanksgiving Point. Normally, he would have been strolling along the sidelines of the practice field. He has been filling daytime canning assignments at the local LDS welfare facility — something he was previously never able to do.
On Tuesday, heavy afternoon rains ruined the Cougars' practice schedule. "I'm glad I don't have to worry about that anymore," Edwards told Patti.
Fund raising for an indoor practice facility, golf charities, speaking engagements, attending his grand-children's football games, eating out with his wife and taking in daytime movies are all on his agenda. "We are both just giddy," says Patti.
(It's safe to say "giddy" was never used to describe Edwards as a coach, even in his best years.)
Edwards is a happy man who did his job well, then left. A year ago he announced he would be retiring at season's end. There were good and bad ramifications to that. On the bad side were the honors, fetes and interviews that stretched from the first game to beyond the last. His final season had the feel of a rock-and-roll farewell tour. It was just the sort of thing Edwards wanted to avoid.
Nevertheless, had he kept his retirement a secret until season's end, it may have appeared he was bailing out after a disappointing 6-6 season. The Cougars did rally at the end to beat New Mexico and Utah in the final two games, putting a nice wrap on a remarkable career.
"The way it all ended, the way it transpired, it sort of put a closure to the whole thing," says Edwards. "So I haven't really had any pangs or second thoughts."
Second thoughts aren't Edwards' nature, anyway. He never did define himself by his football persona. He was a father, husband, grandfather, churchgoer, backyard gardener, golf enthusiast and farm boy from Orem. He read books, attended concerts, chatted with his neighbors.
Never did he consider himself anything above the ordinary.
This year he mostly avoided spring drills and August two-a-days, to allow new coach Gary Crowton ample space. But he will be the center of attention one more time. Today he will light the "Y" at Cougar Stadium, an honor reserved for high-level dignitaries. Still, he has no burning desire to be on the sidelines.
"It does feel a little funny when you drive by the stadium or see an article, and it gives you a little bit of a start, but reality sets in in a hurry. Almost instantaneously, everything that (coaching) entails hits you," he says.
"And, frankly, it had run its course."
It all began when he made the football team as a ninth-grader. Since then, he has never missed a game — and can't even recall missing a practice — as a player or coach.
In the military, he played on the base team one year and coached the next. As a coach, he won his first three games and lost the fourth. He wryly points out that on the Tuesday following his only loss, he was shipped to Japan.
"I'm sure losing that fourth game had nothing to do with it," he chuckles.
There were the college playing days at USU, the coaching stint at Granite High and the 10 years as an assistant coach, before taking over the BYU program.
Now there are no more games to coach, only games to watch. He'll be in a luxury suite today with Patti and some friends, rather than on the sidelines or even in the bleacher seats.
"I don't want to be out in the stands and get asked a jillion times, 'How does it feel?' " he says.
But if he does get asked, he will say it feels fine. He isn't depressed, lost or considering a comeback.
And by the way, the movie he saw this week was great.
But thanks for asking.
E-mail: rock@desnews.com