As a young boy, nothing capped a big win at the ballpark more than a Big Mac at McDonald’s. The post-game purchase under the Golden Arches on the corner of State Street and Center Street in Orem was more than a meal, it was right of passage.
Inside the iconic polystyrene container was a sandwich so big my pair of 9-year old hands could barely hold it. I had to stretch my mouth wide open to bite into it and, even more challenging, I had to convince dad that my eyes weren’t bigger than my stomach and I could honestly finish eating one.
Those were the days, as young BYU fans, when we knew the words to both fight songs — ‘Rise and Shout’ for the Cougars and ‘Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun’ for the Big Mac.
Five decades later, the Cougars are flourishing in the Big 12 while McDonald’s, the No. 1 restaurant chain in the world, is selling 900 million Big Macs every year. In the eyes of this former 9-year old, who once referred to the Marriott Center as the ‘Big Mac,’ I’ve watched them grow together.
1976
The cost of a Big Mac was 65 cents during the year quarterback Gifford Nielsen threw for 3,401 yards and 30 touchdowns to lead BYU (9-3) to a WAC championship and date in the Tangerine Bowl. Nielsen was named First Team All-American and triggered a run of national prominence for BYU and its future quarterbacks Marc Wilson, Jim McMahon, Steve Young and Robbie Bosco.
1996
During the year when BYU football made history, the cost of a Big Mac was up to $2.50. Quarterback Steve Sarkisian led the Cougars to a 28-25 overtime victory against Wyoming in the first WAC championship game in Las Vegas. BYU also defeated Kansas State 19-15 in the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Day to become the first team in NCAA history to win 14 games in a single season.
1996 was also the year Cougar basketball finished 1-25, which ushered in the Steve Cleveland/Dave Rose era that won a combined 486 games over the next 22 seasons.
2006
A Big Mac cost $3.57 the year John Beck led the Cougars (11-2) to a Mountain West Conference championship that preceded a 38-8 grilling of Oregon in the Las Vegas Bowl. Beck completed his BYU career with 11,021 passing yards and 79 touchdowns.
Also in 2006, Jimmer Fredette signed his national letter of intent to play basketball at BYU. In the coming years, Fredette would win National Player of the Year (2011) and become a lottery pick in the NBA Draft.
2016
As the cost of a Big Mac soared to $4.79, Kalani Sitake went 9-4 in his debut as BYU’s new football coach. With headliners Taysom Hill and Jamaal Williams, the Cougars opened the season in front of 50,528 fans in Glendale, Arizona, where a little-known freshman, Jake Oldroyd, kicked the game-winning 33-yard field goal as time expired to beat Arizona 18-16.
To cap the year, Williams rushed for 210 yards and a touchdown to lead BYU past future NFL star Josh Allen and Wyoming, 24-21 in the Poinsettia Bowl.
2026
Today, BYU and the Big Mac are operating on an entirely different level. The sandwich price is up to $5.91 while the Cougars feature four freshman phenoms – AJ Dybantsa, Jane Hedengren, Kihei Akina and Bear Bachmeier.
Dybantsa is preparing to be the prized pick in next month’s NBA draft. Hedengren (track) and Akina (golf) are currently competing for their respective NCAA titles and Bachmeier (football) is gearing up to quarterback the Cougars after his unprecedented 12-2 debut.
To its credit, the Big Mac has been along for the ride. Admittedly, it is no longer as big as it appeared when I was 9, but it is a survivor and the special sauce remains undefeated. BYU, on the other hand, is bigger than it once was. The talent pool is deeper, the competition is greater, the expectations are higher and, like the Big Mac, the prices are up, too.
Foodies contend they are paying more for less at lunch or dinner, which may be true. But when it comes to BYU sports, consumers are paying more — for so much more. Whether it’s at the Smith Fieldhouse, Marriott Center, LaVell Edwards Stadium, Miller Park or Robison Track and Field Complex, the menu for making memories is robust — and memories can turn priceless.
Even 50 years later, those golden family moments at McDonald’s that followed bigger moments at the ballpark return each time I drive past the corner of State and Center. On occasion, I’ll stop and order a Big Mac and devour it with the same confidence I had as a young boy in 1976 — and there is a good chance I’ll spill half of it in my lap.
It’s comforting to know that some things don’t have to change.
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.