PROVO — Kyle Morrell has made many trips down the ramp to the field at LaVell Edwards Stadium, but this one was completely different than those in his stardom seasons from 1981 to 1985.
Morrell, one of the toughest safeties to ever play football at BYU, came down the tunnel as an honorary flag-bearer before the BYU game with Liberty in mid-November. Under a blazing setting sun, flanked by his children and riding a golf cart, Morrell was joined by former teammates Glen Kozlowski, Jim Herrmann, Jay McDonald and Robbie Bosco. They later shared a game-day loge in the press box to watch the Cougars beat Liberty, remember old times, and celebrate their bond of sweat and gridiron blood.
An on-field punisher back in the day, Morrell suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He now weighs 130 pounds, and while he can talk, he can only walk 10 to 15 steps at a time. He has yet to take on a wheelchair full time.
“Kyle was an elite athlete with sub-4.5 speed and he had a great vertical jump,” said his teammate McDonald, who has kept close to Morrell over the years. “He has been a loyal teammate and friend and it hurts to see what he’s going through right now. He had great football instincts, he was a player.”
On that mid-November day, memories were sharper, smiles patiently enjoyed, the moment savored.
Morrell’s goal-line dive cross the line of scrimmage to grab and stop Hawaii’s Raphel Cherry in BYU’s fourth game of the 1984 season is an iconic historical play. Late in the game, Morrell’s move prevented a Hawaii touchdown and the Rainbows had to settle for a field goal and a 13-12 lead. Bosco later hit Kozlowski for the winning touchdown that kept the No. 6 Cougars on course for an undefeated season and eventual national championship.
The younger brother of Utah star Guy Morrell, Kyle went on to play for the Minnesota Vikings before retiring from football.
According to the American Brain Society, ALS is a disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal column. Specifically, the disease attacks motor neurons, the nerve cells that control the movement of muscles throughout the body. ALS causes the neurons to slowly die over time, and as they do, the patient loses the ability to control or use his or her muscles.
“ALS is sometimes called Lou Gehrig’s Disease in reference to the famous baseball player who developed the disease in the 1930s. Unfortunately, there is no cure for the disease, and it is eventually fatal. However, some treatments may extend the life expectancy of some patients,” according to a description on the ALS website.
Morrell’s heroics were timely in the Hawaii game. Cherry went on to play for the Redskins and Lions in the NFL, but on that day, he could not get past a flying Morrell. The BYU captain was the last stopper on BYU’s defense, where linebackers Cary Whittingham and Marv Allen became two of the best in school history.
Morrell’s teammate Vai Sikahema told the Deseret News on the 25th anniversary of the 1984 season: “I have said this at numerous events at BYU. Sometimes it’s met with raised eyebrows. It’s arguable, but the greatest single play in BYU sports was Kyle Morrell’s leap over the line at Hawaii. Our offense wasn’t playing very well that night. That play, to me, kept us on course that season. That one play, to me, epitomized an entire season. It was a microcosm of the entire season. Guys on our team did that — left their assignments for the greater good of the team, to make a play.”
This fall, athletic director Tom Holmoe thought it the right time to invite Morrell and his teammates to carry the team banner into a game. Folks have wondered what’s happened to Morrell and some may wonder if he’s OK.
“It’s ALS,” said Holmoe. “That’s what it is and people should know.”
Holmoe would like to see Morrell graduate from BYU like Jim McMahon did long after he left the school. It would qualify him for the school’s athletic Hall of Fame.
Morrell has lived a challenging life and has endured hard and tragic times, including being run over by a car a few years ago.
“He was lucky he wasn’t killed,” said McDonald.
But his BYU family has always stood behind him and does so now, elevating him that November day in front of a stadium crowd of tens of thousands.
McDonald remembers a different set of wheels that carried Morrell around Provo back in the ‘80s, when he, Morrell and Bosco lived with Whittingham, son of the late Fred Whittingham. They lived at the Whittingham home when Big Fred went to coach for the Los Angeles Rams.
Morrell drove a silver blacktop Fleetwood Cadillac. It always had Motown music blaring through the stereo and a special favorite was Diana Ross and the Supremes. The former Viewmont High star enjoyed the comfort and tunes.
“When I first got to know him, he was kind of quiet and he talked a lot about his friends, his teammates and wasn’t hard to get to know. He never brought up his play at Hawaii other than to say he was in the right place at the right time and anybody would have done it. He didn’t make a big deal about it, but it has followed him around all his life,” said McDonald, who later bought the Fleetwood from Morrell’s father.
“He sold it to me 10 years later for $1,000 and he financed it for $100 a month for 10 months. “He wanted to keep it in the family,” said McDonald.
McDonald later sold that Fleetwood to Big Fred. “He wanted the big engine to tow his boat,” said McDonald.
It is unknown if Morrell’s issues with ALS and his nervous system are linked to his football career, but there are studies being done to examine the myriad issues connected with the brain and hard hits to the head over time by athletes, be it football or boxing.
Morrell isn’t going to jump over this line of scrimmage. It will eventually get him like it did the former Yankees great.
But that remarkable play in Aloha Stadium in Hawaii is stamped on film for all time.
And so is the love his teammates have for their ailing pal.
On teams, once that bond is set, it is there forever, a camaraderie that cannot die. In late November, all across the land, high school and college football teams are finishing seasons and emotions flow hard. For many, it’s a game they will never play again.
That autumn scene at LES with Morrell and his teammates, stars of 1984, reminds one of a few of the lyrics to a song by Marta Keen called “Homeward Bound.”
In the quiet misty morning / When the moon has gone to bed
When the sparrows stop their singing / And the sky is clear and red
When the summer’s ceased its gleaming / When the corn is past its prime
When adventure’s lost its meaning / I’ll be homeward bound in time.
It is a moment we can all recognize as something to be grateful for this month when we see teams say goodbye, and for those who saw Morrell come down the tunnel for what could be his last time — doing so with aging men who were boys when it all began.