We all know what happened to the “Star Wars” franchise the moment Darth Vader was written out of the script. With Kyle Whittingham stepping down as Utah’s head football coach, could the BYU-Utah rivalry suffer the same fate?
Hardly, but it’s going to be different without him. In the Cougar galaxy, and with a strong taste of hyperbole, Whittingham is BYU’s Darth Vader.
The son of a former Cougar player and coach and raised not far from LaVell Edwards Stadium, Whittingham arrived on campus full of promise. He wasn’t the “chosen one” per se. Those labels were already taken by his Jedi Knight-like teammates Marc Wilson, Jim McMahon and Steve Young.
Schooled in “the force” of BYU’s sustained success, Whittingham set out to carve his own path. He switched positions from fullback to linebacker to do it.
During the Cougars first Holiday Bowl victory in 1980 and just prior to McMahon’s historic pass to Clay Brown to stun SMU 46-45, Whittingham collected his game-high 16th tackle. The following season, he was named the WAC’s Defensive Player of the Year. Several years later, Whittingham rejoined the Cougars as a graduate assistant while attaining his master’s degree.
This is where the plot in the screenplay takes a turn. A staffing decision by LaVell Edwards to hire Claude Bassett meant Whittingham would have to go elsewhere for full-time employment. As the unproven legend suggests, that was the moment when his transition truly began.
Whittingham relocated first to the College of Eastern Utah and then to an even colder area of the galaxy (Pocatello). After six years of additional training at Idaho State, Utah’s reigning emperor (Ron McBride) lured him to Salt Lake City to spend the rest of his career fighting BYU.
Hired first as the defensive line coach in 1994, Whittingham advanced to defensive coordinator a year later and was named head coach of the Ute empire in 2005 and much of his reign has been a pain for his alma mater.
Over the 21 years at Utah’s helm, Whittingham won a lot of big games — but none were more personal or appeared more enjoyable than on those 11 days he conquered the Cougars. It bugged BYU fans to see a former Cougar relishing in their own demise.
Still, even amidst BYU’s strong efforts to defeat him, the Cougars never stopped trying to get him back. BYU reportedly offered him the head job on two occasions and depending on who you talk too, they nearly got him.
Whittingham couldn’t or wouldn’t let go. But mostly, he had a good-paying job, his wife (Jamie) loved their life, and their kids loved their schools.
During Utah’s years in the Pac-12 and BYU’s time as an independent, Cougar fans feared Whittingham was building an unconquerable Death Star up north. They were beating BYU in the national polls, recruiting, scheduling, television and bowl game revenue.
Getting invited into the Big 12 brought BYU back to life and the collapse of the Pac-12 restored an even playing field with Utah. The No. 12 Cougars have since beaten the Utes three straight games and gone 22-4 over the last two seasons.
Whittingham’s final act at Utah will play out against Nebraska on Dec. 31 in the Las Vegas Bowl. What happens after that with him and the rivalry is anyone’s guess. For sure, the BYU-Utah game will be much different without his lightening-rod influence.
As for Whittingham, it could get interesting. Once Darth Vader was unmasked and back to his old self as Anakin, he started to see things differently. Maybe once he gets away from all the noise, Whittingham will too.
We have seen this movie before.
Not long after his retirement, McBride went from LaVell Edwards’ on-the-field nemesis to becoming a close friend and a beloved character on both sides of the rivalry. He never relinquished his Utah roots, but he began recognizing Kalani Sitake and his staff for the good they were doing at BYU.
Today when McBride attends a Cougars practice, Sitake gives him a golf cart to ride in and a headset so he can listen to the play-calling. On occasion, the former Utah coach will even pose for a picture with BYU President Shane Reese.
Whittingham has the same opportunity. He and Sitake are already longtime friends and many on the BYU staff used to work for him. A few kind words here or there will go a long way toward a softer narrative. Utah fans may not ever pull for BYU, but they don’t diss Sitake, who coached Whittingham’s defense for 10 years.
Respect and admiration can eventually trump rivalries and angst.
There is a day coming when Whittingham will be justly recognized by Cougar Nation as a former BYU star who has done good in the world — even if it was for the program they dislike the most. But a lot of that is up to him.
Embracing the past while being loyal to the present as he charges into the future might seem like a pill too big to swallow now, but just like today’s Big Mac, things get smaller over time.
It’s time for Whittingham to become more than just a former head coach at Utah, he is also a former BYU star in a state that is passionate enough to appreciate both.
“Star Wars” may never recover from losing Darth Vader, but the BYU-Utah rivalry will live on without Whittingham, just as it advanced beyond McBride and Edwards. It will feel different initially, but when the two teams reunite at Rice-Eccles Stadium next fall, there will be less attention on the coaches and more about whether BYU can extend its winning streak to four games.
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com.