PROVO — Clad in a dress shirt and a tie, Robbie Bosco strode to the podium during a Monday morning news conference and admitted his attire seemed a little strange. After all, it was quite a contrast to what he's been accustomed to wearing to work as a BYU football coach the past 15 years.
"I still feel more comfortable in sweats," he said.
The formal attire Bosco wore symbolized the major change he has made in his life. BYU officials announced Monday that Bosco, who quarterbacked the Cougars to the 1984 national championship, has stepped down as the co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach to accept a position within the school's athletic department in fund-raising.
Despite the Cougars' offensive woes this season (they averaged a mere 16 points per game), sources around the football program insist this move wasn't an attempt by head coach Gary Crowton to shake up his coaching staff. Apparently, the idea of leaving the program was all Bosco's.
Bosco expressed his desire to spend more time with his wife, Karen, and their six children, and said he had been considering the possibility of removing himself from the sidelines for a while.
"I never really got into coaching thinking this would be a career choice for me like a LaVell Edwards, until I retire," Bosco said. "The last few months I've seriously considered making a change and thought this was a good time to do that."
"During the season, he knew he was going to do this," said Tom Holmoe, who played with Bosco in the early 1980s and is now the associate athletic director. "We talked about it a little bit. I told Robbie, 'You can't drop any intensity.' I watched him very closely from the sideline. He gave everything he had. I've read the crap on the Internet about that he wasn't into it. That's just bogus. I think he coached harder this year than he ever did."
Bosco said being part of back-to-back losing campaigns at BYU "did not affect my decision at all. I love coaching because I love the kids and the adrenaline rush of going out there on Saturdays."
Soon after the season-ending loss to Utah last month, Bosco informed Crowton about possibly leaving the staff. Bosco then met with athletic director Val Hale and advancement vice president Fred Skousen to discuss a job in BYU's athletics administration. As it turned out, the school had an opening in fund-raising.
"We thought it would be a perfect fit for him," Hale said.
Still, it won't be an easy job. Bosco will take a pay cut and will be expected to meet demanding fund-raising quotas. But, by taking the position, he can continue to live in the Provo area and won't have to uproot his family. Karen Bosco said she is relieved about her husband's career change partly because it will allow him to spend more time watching his children participate in athletics.
"I'm looking forward to this," she said.
When Crowton was hired three years ago, Bosco told him he was thinking about quitting the coaching profession, but Crowton convinced him to stick with it because he wanted Bosco's experience on his staff. "He's done a tremendous job the 15 years he's been here," Crowton said. "We're going to miss him."
This past season, Bosco was named the co-offensive coordinator along with Todd Bradford. He called the plays in several games, though Crowton was still heavily involved in the play-calling process. "That was a tough thing this year and that probably wasn't good for me doing that with Robbie at times," Crowton said.
Bosco begins his new job immediately. One of the graduate assistants on staff will take over his recruiting responsibilities.
The transition to administrative work will be a completely new role for Bosco, but he said he's ready for the challenge.
"I feel honored to still be here at BYU. This is the place that I love," he said. "I've had some great times at BYU. Of the last 22 years, 19 I've spent here. I've played on a lot of great teams and I have a lot of fond memories."
As part of his duties, Bosco will report to Holmoe, who is thrilled to be working again with his former teammate.
"I know Robbie Bosco's a champion," Holmoe said. "When the opportunity came up for Robbie to join our team in fund-raising, there was absolutely no hesitation. I don't know if there are many people that have been in BYU athletics that have done more for the university. That name, Robbie Bosco, will be synonymous with winning."
Bosco said what he'll miss most about coaching is the relationships with the players. When asked, he did not rule out a possible return to coaching someday.
"I'm not going to give that up 100 percent. There may be an opportunity somewhere down the road," he said. "Right now I'm going to go full forward on working on fund-raising. I think it will be a smooth (transition). I look forward to helping BYU athletics the best that I can."
E-MAIL: jeffc@desnews.com