Four decades ago in 1984, Brigham Young University completed a remarkable march to the national football championship. It was the year that BYU football was indeed second to none on the gridiron.
“The ‘84 team was lucky, I think, because they weren’t expected to do it,” said Lee Benson, a long-time Deseret News sportswriter and columnist.
Looking back, that season and the foundation it laid matter today, said Dick Harmon, also a Deseret News sportswriter and columnist. “I think that all of those things that [BYU Head Coach LaVell Edwards] built led up to a resume that pushed it over the edge to get into the Big 12,” Harmon said.
In this Deseret News video, titled “Champions,” Benson and Harmon join Dave McCann, also of the Deseret News, in a roundtable discussion to share memories, musings and never-before-told stories of BYU’s rise.
“Mark Bellini, one of the receivers, told me that the relationship with his guys far outweighs the trophy that they won after all these years,” said McCann.
Deseret News has created a commemorative magazine to celebrate the 40th anniversary of BYU’s remarkable season. Buy your copy here.