PROVO — Of all the great quarterbacks BYU has produced over the past 40 years, many regard Jim McMahon as the best.
Twenty-three years after McMahon completed his eligibility, BYU announced Thursday that it will retire McMahon’s No. 9 jersey during a halftime ceremony of the BYU-Utah State game on Oct. 3.
McMahon is also scheduled to be inducted into the BYU Athletic Hall of Fame as part of the 2014 class on Oct. 2.
McMahon's No. 9 will be just the sixth football jersey retired at BYU, along with Eldon "The Phantom" Fortie (No. 40), Marion Probert (No. 81), Steve Young (No. 8) and Gifford Nielsen and Ty Detmer (both No. 14).
As part of the ceremony, a banner with McMahon’s name and number will be unveiled and permanently displayed on the LaVell Edwards Stadium press box.
One of the requirements for induction into the BYU Hall of Fame and having a jersey retired is earning a degree. McMahon recently finished his academic work.
“I love the example Jim has set by completing his degree. I’m proud of him for finishing after all these years,” said BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe. “Jim is one of the elite college quarterbacks of all time. He loved the game of football and always played the game like he was having fun. He was a great leader and a great teammate. I know there are a lot of people all over the country who are excited for Jim to be formally recognized as one of the Cougar greats.”
A member of the College Football Hall of Fame, McMahon finished his Cougar football career in 1981 with an astonishing 70 NCAA records. From 1977-81, he completed 653 passes for 9,536 yards and 84 touchdowns, with a career passing efficiency of 156.9.
"I’m very proud of Jim finishing his degree. He is a competitor and a finisher,” said legendary coach LaVell Edwards. “Completing his education at BYU is evidence of the type of person he is. Jim was a great leader and had a complete understanding of the game of football. He is very deserving of the hall of fame and having his jersey retired.”
McMahon received the inaugural Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award and the Sammy Baugh Trophy. He was named NCAA Co-Offensive Player of the Year along with Marcus Allen of USC and finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting.
Many fans will always remember McMahon for engineering 21 points in the last 2:33 minutes of the 1980 Holiday Bowl to defeat SMU 46-45. That marked the Cougars’ first bowl victory. McMahon was named Offensive MVP of the 1980 and 1981 Holiday Bowls.
After his remarkable BYU career, McMahon was drafted No. 5 overall in the first round of the 1982 NFL draft by the Chicago Bears. He led the Bears to the Super Bowl championship in 1986.
McMahon played 16 seasons in the NFL for seven teams.
EXTRA POINTS: The BYU-Virginia contest Saturday is a whiteout game. Fans are encouraged to wear white to Edwards Stadium. … The last time BYU played an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent was 2013. The Cougars beat Georgia Tech, 38-20, in Provo. … Virginia is the only team in the nation to play three ranked opponents in the first four weeks of the season.
FIVE HEADED TO ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME: Along with McMahon, the others headed to the BYU Athletic Hall of Fame include Kelly Parkinson Evanson (gymnastics), Dmitri Malinovski (swimming), Tara Rohatinsky Northcutt (cross country/track) and Aleisha Cramer Rose (soccer). The induction ceremony will take place Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. MDT at the Marriott Center.
All five Hall of Fame inductees will be honored during halftime of the Cougars' game against the Aggies.
Parkinson Evanson competed for BYU gymnastics from 1999-2002 and finished her college career with nine of the top 10 all-around scores in Cougar history, including the top mark of 39.700.
Malinovski, who began competing for BYU in the 1996-97 season and earned All-America honors his senior year, set the school record in the 100 breaststroke (53.15 seconds), a record that still stands.
Rohatinsky Northcutt was a key member of the BYU women's cross country teams that won national championships in 1999 and 2001, as well as finished second nationally in 2000. She earned first-team All-America honors each of those seasons, and in track, Rohatinsky Northcutt garnered four All-America citations.
Cramer Rose was a four-time All-American for the Cougars from 2000-2003 and is entering her 10th season as an assistant coach with the women's soccer team. She set the school's career assist mark and led BYU to four straight NCAA tournament appearances, in addition to four straight Mountain West Conference titles.
Brandon Judd also contributed to this report.