DALLAS — Roughly one-third of the 31,172 college football fans who watched Brigham Young University defeat Southern Methodist University 18-15 last Friday night at Gerald J. Ford Stadium were cheering for the Cougars.
Dozens and dozens of those fans were missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who are serving full-time missions for the faith that sponsors and supports BYU.
At halftime, the missionaries made their way from the upper southeast corner of the 32,000-seat stadium to the field and performed the patriotic song “America The Beautiful.” The choir stretched from one 40-yard-line to the other and faced the press box at the stadium on the SMU campus just north of downtown Dallas.
With SMU leading 9-7 at halftime, a message on the stadium’s big screen welcomed the missionaries and said they were from the Texas Dallas South Mission.
The president of the mission is Scott Tanner of Fruit Heights, Utah. He told the Provo Daily Herald that a member of the Church works with SMU’s athletic department and facilitated the missionaries’ attendance at the game, the halftime song, and some service they performed the day before and day after the contest.
“Our goal is to shine light in the community, show that we’re part of the community and we love our country and we love all people,” Tanner told the Daily Herald. “It’s a really great opportunity for us.”
Former BYU football stars Robbie Bosco and Chad Lewis talked to the group before the game.
According to a BYU athletics news release in August, nearly half of the players on BYU’s 2024 football roster have served full-time missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“That is routinely the case,” the release notes.
At least 55 players on the current roster have served missions in 32 different countries. They speak 14 languages, according to data compiled by Jon McBride, BYU’s associate athletic director for communications and media strategy.
There are also 24 players who have signed or committed to BYU who are currently serving missions in 13 different countries, and speaking six different languages.
One of BYU’s stars in the Week 2 win, safety Crew Wakley, served his mission in Dallas, according to the former Jordan High star’s profile at BYUCougars.com.
Defensive tackle Dallin Havea served in McAllen, Texas, while defensive end Nuuletau Sellesin served in Houston (Spanish speaking). Receiver Marquis Taliulu, from Snow College, served in Houston as well.
