Editor’s note: Fourth in an occasional series exploring LaVell Edwards’ legacy of leadership.
Sports is fraught with uncertainty. There are no guarantees. With seven seconds remaining in the 1979 Holiday Bowl, the No. 9 Cougars set up for a potentially game-winning field goal against Indiana to complete an undefeated season. The 27-yard attempt was a chip shot for a kicker like Brent Johnson.
The senior kicker from Granger, Utah, was among the nation’s top scorers. Earlier in the game, Johnson drilled field goals of 40, 29 and 28 yards. But this short one was the big one — and there was no one LaVell Edwards trusted more to boot it than Johnson.
The snap was as crisp as the cool ocean air in Jack Murphy Stadium. The hold was firm, but Johnson’s kick sailed wide to the left and Indiana won the game 38-37.
“I really didn’t know which way to go,” Johnson said. “It was so debilitating. I turned around and started walking toward the exit.”
Edwards met his kicker at midfield.
“I was looking down and I remember a hand on my face mask, and I recognized it was LaVell’s because of a ring that he had on. And I thought, ‘Oh my goodness, what is going to happen here?’”
The coach, separated by only seconds from what could have been a perfect season and his first bowl victory, raised Johnson’s helmet up over his face.
“He looked me in the eye, and he said, ‘Brent, you have nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing.’ He repeated it and then said, ‘Let’s walk off this field together.’ Wow. Now we walked a little way and then of course he had media obligations, but we walked for several yards together with his arm around me.
“I will never forget the love that transpired in that little conversation. That was 45 years ago. And today I still remember it. I’m not 24 anymore. I’m almost 72 and that’s still tender to me. The love that he showed, it wasn’t about the game, it wasn’t about missing — it was about me and ‘You’re OK, Brent.’”
Dave McCann collected the content for this article while researching and writing the book “The Leadership Legacy of LaVell Edwards,” which he co-authored with Dr. Mark D. Ogletree.