Was LaVell Edwards a Jerk as a Coach

I saw that on one of the Salt Lake Radio Stations, 1280, Ron McBride and LaVell are going to do a weekly radio show during the football season.  Ron’s biggest requirement was that they not have to prepare.  Which oddly will make them as prepared as most of the other sports radio people in the Salt Lake Valley

But this article by Kurt Kragthorpe points out that McBride and LaVell’s friendship was able to grow because McBride didn’t blame LaVell for Marc Wilson being reinserted into a game to break some record.

That led me to another thought.  BYU during the LaVell era did a whole lot of classless nonsense.  Not pulling starters until way past the point they should have been.  Putting starters back in for meaningless records and on and on.  And BYU was rightfully hated for this.  But the funny thing was, LaVell seemed untouchable in all this.  Utah fans as long as I’ve know have said he’s a class act and accept the argument that McBride accepted that day:

It was the assistants doing it.

Now my father, a Wyoming fan, always took a different course, saying if a program is doing a bunch of asshat things, its because their coach is in fact, an asshat.  And I have to admit that argument has some truth to it.

At the same time, I like LaVell a whole lot more than I like Bronco.  I cannot imagine what level of uber douche Bronco might be if he just dominated a conference the way LaVell did (or if he even had a conference BOOM).

So I don’t know what the answer is.  LaVell has to bear some responsibility for not controlling Doug Scovill or Chris Pella better.  But I have to admit, I kinda like the guy.

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