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| Edwards (center) is flanked by S.Young (left) and Gordon Hudson. |
The show is co-hosted by David Johnston and Stephen Hartzell and they cover Georgia Bulldogs football like no other show in the Northeast Georgia area.
As an avid listener, one of the more interesting segments of the show is the birthday list because it's always cool to remember those figures that time has forgotten.
That said, it seemed fitting to add a birthday tribute element to the 'Lady Sportswriter' site.
It's not a feature that will appear daily, as it does on 960theref but, if the birthday is sports themed—particularly college football related—then this site will take a moment to celebrate said personality with something brief.
So, what better way to kick off this newest feature than to say Happy Birthday to LaVell Edwards (former BYU football coach) and Steve Young (former BYU quarterback).
LaVell Edwards, born on this day in 1930, is a BYU coaching legend. His pass-happy offensive scheme led the Cougars to 18 WAC Championships, 1 National Title, and 1 Mountain West Championship.
His teams appeared in 22 bowl games and produced tons of talent at the quarterback position, including, Jim McMahon (Super Bowl Winning QB of the Chicago Bears), Ty Detmer, and current Washington Huskies head coach, Steve Sarkisian—to name a few.
Edwards is considered by many in Provo to be a coaching legend and he finished his career (1972-2000) with more than 250+ wins.
The stadium where the Cougars play is named for him and his program has produced some well-known coaching talent in Norm Chow, Andy Reid, Kyle Whittingham, Brian Billick, Mike Holmgren, and the aforementioned Sarkisian.
In the following clip, coach Edwards talks just a bit about the 1984 season where BYU went undefeated and finished ranked No. 1 in both the AP and the Coaches Poll:
Steve Young finished his career with 7,733 yards and 56 touchdowns to go along with 1,048 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns—in only three seasons.
Young was a three-sport star in high school, playing baseball, basketball, and football. While he was heavily recruited by the North Carolina Tar Heels, he chose to attend BYU. He wasn't a great passer, but he grew into the role well and was nimble enough on his feet to make things happen even when there seemed to be nothing open to him.
His versatility on the field made him a dangerous player to defend and his personality and good looks off it, made him a marketable commodity. He would eventually use both to his advantage as the USFL—in it's inaugural season—signed him to a 10-year, $40 million dollar contract, to play with the Los Angeles Express.
His Hall of Fame career as a San Francisco Forty-Niner is how many will best remember him, but he continues to remain Cougar blue—through and through.
In the following clip, Young displays some of his versatility in the Cougars 1983 match-up against the Missouri Tigers: (h/t MatcoSports)
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