Why are so many Aggie fans enamored with Lavell Edwards?

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Why are so many Aggie fans enamored with Lavell Edwards?

Post by GUS » June 29th, 2011, 1:50 pm

I know a few years back he was voted on the all century team at LB. I can easily think of other LB's I would have put ahead of him. He did not do the Aggies any favors while at byu. Not sure that he has done much if anything to help out the Aggies since he retired. It was under his guidance that USU got stuck doing several 2 for 1's with the zoobies which killed USU's chances of having a winning record against the zoo. Anytime you see him on tv he is wearing byu apparel. I just don't get why Aggie fans hold him up so much. :noidea:



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Re: Why are so many Aggie fans enamored with Lavell Edwards?

Post by 2004AG » June 29th, 2011, 2:06 pm

Amen brother.



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Re: Why are so many Aggie fans enamored with Lavell Edwards?

Post by WillRogersAggie » June 29th, 2011, 2:10 pm

Do you "really" want to know?


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Re: Why are so many Aggie fans enamored with Lavell Edwards?

Post by NVAggie » June 29th, 2011, 2:55 pm

It is the only thing we have had to brag about to BYU in the football realm. That is until last year.



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Re: Why are so many Aggie fans enamored with Lavell Edwards?

Post by dyedblue » June 29th, 2011, 3:30 pm

GUS wrote:I know a few years back he was voted on the all century team at LB. I can easily think of other LB's I would have put ahead of him. He did not do the Aggies any favors while at byu. Not sure that he has done much if anything to help out the Aggies since he retired. It was under his guidance that USU got stuck doing several 2 for 1's with the zoobies which killed USU's chances of having a winning record against the zoo. Anytime you see him on tv he is wearing byu apparel. I just don't get why Aggie fans hold him up so much. :noidea:
Really? I HATE yBU but really? The dude is one of the greatest coaches in the history of college football. He is also a first rate human being. Best LB ever, no way but he is pure class. I went to his induction into the USU Hall of Fame and came away impressed. He took time in his speech to talk directly to Mick Dennehy and give encouragement. When I shook his hand after wards he stopped the line for 3-4 minutes asking about me, my life, and what I was going to do with it. He connected in one way or another with almost everyone that came to the ceremony. The day was about him but he made it about everyone else instead. That to me is the mark of a great man.

So what if he wears BYU gear? He coached there for 30 years. Do you think Stew should go around wearing Gonzaga gear? Don't let your hatred blind you.


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Re: Why are so many Aggie fans enamored with Lavell Edwards?

Post by GeoAg » June 29th, 2011, 3:45 pm

dyedblue wrote:
GUS wrote:I know a few years back he was voted on the all century team at LB. I can easily think of other LB's I would have put ahead of him. He did not do the Aggies any favors while at byu. Not sure that he has done much if anything to help out the Aggies since he retired. It was under his guidance that USU got stuck doing several 2 for 1's with the zoobies which killed USU's chances of having a winning record against the zoo. Anytime you see him on tv he is wearing byu apparel. I just don't get why Aggie fans hold him up so much. :noidea:
Really? I HATE yBU but really? The dude is one of the greatest coaches in the history of college football. He is also a first rate human being. Best LB ever, no way but he is pure class. I went to his induction into the USU Hall of Fame and came away impressed. He took time in his speech to talk directly to Mick Dennehy and give encouragement. When I shook his hand after wards he stopped the line for 3-4 minutes asking about me, my life, and what I was going to do with it. He connected in one way or another with almost everyone that came to the ceremony. The day was about him but he made it about everyone else instead. That to me is the mark of a great man.

So what if he wears BYU gear? He coached there for 30 years. Do you think Stew should go around wearing Gonzaga gear? Don't let your hatred blind you.
Agreed. In stark contrast to many of the fans of the one true team, Lavell Edwards is truly a class act.


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Re: Why are so many Aggie fans enamored with Lavell Edwards?

Post by aggiejump » June 29th, 2011, 3:56 pm

Lavell loves USU. He was class when I spoke with him and asked for a photo with him at Romney. He was in Aggie gear. He loved the bigbluecheesehead I was sporting.

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Re: Why are so many Aggie fans enamored with Lavell Edwards?

Post by GUS » June 29th, 2011, 4:10 pm

So tell me Dyedblue and Geo what has Edwards done to really promote his Alma mater? You did not address my question about how he scheduled USU when he was the coach. That was a pure and simple screw job to USU and helped to make USU irrelevant to the Utah and LDS population. Sure he can be engaging, but that doesn't make a true Aggie.



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Re: Why are so many Aggie fans enamored with Lavell Edwards?

Post by ProvoAggie » June 29th, 2011, 4:21 pm

As far as things he's done for USU, I know that he was a guest coach to help with the team scrimmages last year: http://www.utahstateaggies.com/sports/m ... 10aab.html. I don't know how much he contributed but he did go. I remember reading a few articles from Eborn about Edwards coming and helping at scrimmages. He may have a really strong connection with BYU since he spent so many years there but I don't think that he's forgotten about USU. He is a really a genuinely nice guy. I met him in at the NFL Hall of Fame when Steve Young was inducted in and he was one of the nicest people that I've ever met. I'm not old enough to have seen him play at USU and I'm not enamored by him but I definitely respect the guy. He is a quality product of Utah State University that made it big enough that BYU named their football stadium after him. How can you hate the guy for that?



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Re: Why are so many Aggie fans enamored with Lavell Edwards?

Post by USUNLV » June 29th, 2011, 4:36 pm

GUS wrote:So tell me Dyedblue and Geo what has Edwards done to really promote his Alma mater? You did not address my question about how he scheduled USU when he was the coach. That was a pure and simple screw job to USU and helped to make USU irrelevant to the Utah and LDS population. Sure he can be engaging, but that doesn't make a true Aggie.
Lavell was just doing what was best for his team. If you want to try and pin the Aggie downfall on Edwards then I would disagree. Is it Broncos fault we aren't in the MWC? No, it's our administrations fault. Edwards is a good guy and I guarantee he supports USU every game except maybe against the school he coached at for 30 years. I think it was last year he came and spoke to our team in the spring. I'm under 80 so I don't know what kind of LB he was but I do know he was a great coach. I still despise BYU but there are only a hand full of individual zoobies I can't stand...Bronco, Max Hall, Austin Collie and Jake Heaps to name a few.



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Re: Why are so many Aggie fans enamored with Lavell Edwards?

Post by BobWilson » June 29th, 2011, 6:11 pm

Simple, Lavell Edwards is an Aggie and was an Aggie when most on this board were defecating yellow. He also happens to be recognized as a master in his profession. He took a pitiful BYU football program and by inovation and hard work turned it into a nationally recognized program. There were not many two for ones and they were of scant importance in the dramatic overall change in the records between the two teams. In the meantime USU which had a leg up on BYU football in the '60's and early '70's chose the low road and hence the relative positions of the two programs today.

This thread subject reminds me of the never ending battle between UI and BSU fans; neither can see any good whatsoever in the other school. A university education is supposed to help a person develop analytical abilities and to evaluate situations without bias. Many fans apparently either missed those parts of their educations or prefer to check them at the door when entering boards such as these.

Disclaimer: Lavell is a distant cousin of mine. We share a common grandfather through polygamy. My grandmother and Levell's mother were half-sisters.



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Re: Why are so many Aggie fans enamored with Lavell Edwards?

Post by NavyBlueAggie » June 29th, 2011, 7:46 pm

GUS wrote:So tell me Dyedblue and Geo what has Edwards done to really promote his Alma mater? You did not address my question about how he scheduled USU when he was the coach. That was a pure and simple screw job to USU and helped to make USU irrelevant to the Utah and LDS population. Sure he can be engaging, but that doesn't make a true Aggie.

I would ask what have the people USU has paid to run our athletic program and lead our insitution done for us? I believe someone other than Coach Edwards would have written USU off the Cougar schedule if he had the power to do so. Remember, the A D and others at said school are the people who have a heavy hand in schedules. Also, the school president is the one who steers conference affiliation.

BYU has likely screwed USU almost as much as Utah State has been shortchanged by the very people running our program over the decades. Can anyone say SPORTS BUSINESS? I get said a lot in SLC, Provo and BOISE.



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Re: Why are so many Aggie fans enamored with Lavell Edwards?

Post by NavyBlueAggie » June 29th, 2011, 7:48 pm

GUS wrote:So tell me Dyedblue and Geo what has Edwards done to really promote his Alma mater? You did not address my question about how he scheduled USU when he was the coach. That was a pure and simple screw job to USU and helped to make USU irrelevant to the Utah and LDS population. Sure he can be engaging, but that doesn't make a true Aggie.

I would ask what have the people USU has paid to run our athletic program and lead our insitution done for us? I believe someone other than Coach Edwards would have written USU off the Cougar schedule if he had the power to do so. Remember, the A D and others at said school are the people who have a heavy hand in schedules. Also, the school president is the one who steers conference affiliation.

BYU has likely screwed USU almost as much as Utah State has been shortchanged by the very people running our program over the decades. Can anyone say SPORTS BUSINESS? It gets said a lot in SLC, Provo and BOISE. Reality is a (I can't express myself without swearing).



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Re: Why are so many Aggie fans enamored with Lavell Edwards?

Post by KBCoug » June 29th, 2011, 8:42 pm

GUS wrote:I know a few years back he was voted on the all century team at LB. I can easily think of other LB's I would have put ahead of him. He did not do the Aggies any favors while at byu. Not sure that he has done much if anything to help out the Aggies since he retired. It was under his guidance that USU got stuck doing several 2 for 1's with the zoobies which killed USU's chances of having a winning record against the zoo. Anytime you see him on tv he is wearing byu apparel. I just don't get why Aggie fans hold him up so much. :noidea:
My 1st reaction to this was pretty typical. I wondered what heavy thing had fallen on your head to get you thinking this far off reality but then I thought of a former Cougar who happens to coach a school most BYU fans dispise and there isn't as much Kyle Whittingham support among Cougars as there is good feelings for Lavell in Logan. In fact we look at someone who still supports Kyle as someone without fully functioning mental capabilities; you should have the right to look at your fellow Aggies the same.

Maybe in a few years, if Kyle has the impact on college football that Lavell had, and develops the reputation that Lavell had, we Cougars will also come around but I understand your dilema on this one after reconsideration. That being said, thank you Aggies for giving not just BYU but the NCAA football one of the true gentlemen in the coaching profession. Lavell Edwards is one coach who you get very little argument about if you say he was a man of class, who treated players the way they should be treated. Glenn Redd, a former player told me he'd never met a better man than Lavell. Lavell brought most of that with him as a defensive coordinator fresh out of Jordan High School; much of that he probably learned in the Cache Valley.

You don't have to like him for his coaching at BYU but as others have said he's never said anything I've ever heard that was out of line about Utah State, and in fact I have heard him often say how much he still loves the school. Things worked out for him at a place most of you dispise but that shouldn't diminish the contribution your university made in forming this very great man.



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Re: Why are so many Aggie fans enamored with Lavell Edwards?

Post by AggieAthletics » June 29th, 2011, 8:56 pm

Reminds me of a halftime at the Spectrum a few years back....A crazy loud standing ovation from the blue hairs & the students for Lavell while honoring him and his accomplishment. 110% deserved. What a great man who changed college football for the better. It's so much more exciting to watch thanks to Lavell. Couldn't find a nicer guy out there. I think he'd do all he can to help USU football should coach A. ask.



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Re: Why are so many Aggie fans enamored with Lavell Edwards?

Post by GUS » June 29th, 2011, 9:58 pm

Still no answer to my question about him screwing USU in scheduling. To me he had an easy chance to help is alma mater and screwed the pooch instead. He's more of a zoobie than an Aggie. Sorry to all of you apologists, but that is the hard truth.



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Re: Why are so many Aggie fans enamored with Lavell Edwards?

Post by GeoAg » June 29th, 2011, 10:38 pm

GUS wrote:Still no answer to my question about him screwing USU in scheduling. To me he had an easy chance to help is alma mater and screwed the pooch instead. He's more of a zoobie than an Aggie. Sorry to all of you apologists, but that is the hard truth.
Look at it this way. GA is a Ute alum. How would you feel about him if he bent over backwards and sold out USU in order to help out his alma mater by agreeing to only play Utah 3 for 1 from now on? I would be pretty pissed. When a coach is working a school he needs to do everything he can for his school and cannot worry about other schools, including his alma mater. He can sacrifice personally through donations or what not if he wishes, but bending the program in any way to the wishes of another school is a fireable offense in my mind. I hold no ill toward Lavell on this however he was involved. I am upset with the Aggie admins back then who accepted such a deal after years of home and homes. We'll make more progress fixing ourselves than we ever will blaming others who don't and shouldn't care about what we do. Lately, our scheduling is much improved in this respect and I expect to see it continue. If it doesn't continue, I blame it on Barnes and GA, not anybody else.


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Re: Why are so many Aggie fans enamored with Lavell Edwards?

Post by AggieAthletics » June 29th, 2011, 10:56 pm

GUS wrote:Still no answer to my question about him screwing USU in scheduling. To me he had an easy chance to help is alma mater and screwed the pooch instead. He's more of a zoobie than an Aggie. Sorry to all of you apologists, but that is the hard truth.
So we're "apologists" and you're a "hater". Yawn...... :noidea: Big deal.



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Re: Why are so many Aggie fans enamored with Lavell Edwards?

Post by CedarAg » June 29th, 2011, 11:25 pm

dyedblue wrote:
GUS wrote:I know a few years back he was voted on the all century team at LB. I can easily think of other LB's I would have put ahead of him. He did not do the Aggies any favors while at byu. Not sure that he has done much if anything to help out the Aggies since he retired. It was under his guidance that USU got stuck doing several 2 for 1's with the zoobies which killed USU's chances of having a winning record against the zoo. Anytime you see him on tv he is wearing byu apparel. I just don't get why Aggie fans hold him up so much. :noidea:
Really? I HATE yBU but really? The dude is one of the greatest coaches in the history of college football. He is also a first rate human being. Best LB ever, no way but he is pure class. I went to his induction into the USU Hall of Fame and came away impressed. He took time in his speech to talk directly to Mick Dennehy and give encouragement. When I shook his hand after wards he stopped the line for 3-4 minutes asking about me, my life, and what I was going to do with it. He connected in one way or another with almost everyone that came to the ceremony. The day was about him but he made it about everyone else instead. That to me is the mark of a great man.

So what if he wears BYU gear? He coached there for 30 years. Do you think Stew should go around wearing Gonzaga gear? Don't let your hatred blind you.
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Re: Why are so many Aggie fans enamored with Lavell Edwards?

Post by LKGates » June 29th, 2011, 11:41 pm

Lavell reminds me of Michael Corleone, "it's not personal, it's just business". He may be a nice guy in person, but when he was coach at yBu, he was absolutely ruthless in pursuit of the interests of his team, and that included his relations with his alma mater. And that is what most of us resent. He agressively pursued imbalanced scheduling. He ran up the score when he could. It wasn't just us. He did it to everyone. I can understand. At the time, the one true school was trying to make the huge jump to the top tier of college football. They needed to win EVERY game, and win by large margins just to get noticed. I understand, but I don't like it. I can understand Michael Corleone, but I wouldn't invite him over for dinner.


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Here is the thing most of you don't know...

Post by AgBlueMan » June 30th, 2011, 8:15 am

Back in the late 70's and 80's when, when most of you were not even in grade school yet or maybe even born, USU was still somewhat competitive and beating BYU as often as not. There was quite a contingent of BYU Kooger Clubbers who wanted to drop USU from the schedule because they felt the Aggies weren't quite up to BYU's speed but good enough to hurt their national rep by beating them. (Sounds like someone else we all know now... Can't say their name but their initials are U of U!) LaVell responded every time with, "They didn't drop us when we were down, and as long as I am coach we won't drop them either..." That was class. And when Chris Pella single handedly screwed over Aggie fortunes by going 1-10 two years in a row, and got fired, who offered him a job when no one else would: LaVell. Also Class.

LaVell has done a lot behind the scenes to promote USU. But no one down south cares about that. If the SLC Media don't talk about it, it must not be true so few ever knew he gave a pep talk to the football team or that he supports USU in so many other ways. And besides, like has been said, if you want to blame somebody, blame Tom Holmoe and Cecil Samuelson, not Lavell Edwards. Blame Scott Barnes and Stan Albrecht, not LaVell. He has done way more than most Aggie supporters, including most of us, myself included.



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Re: Why are so many Aggie fans enamored with Lavell Edwards?

Post by dyedblue » June 30th, 2011, 8:31 am

GUS wrote:So tell me Dyedblue and Geo what has Edwards done to really promote his Alma mater? You did not address my question about how he scheduled USU when he was the coach. That was a pure and simple screw job to USU and helped to make USU irrelevant to the Utah and LDS population. Sure he can be engaging, but that doesn't make a true Aggie.

So just because he isn't a "True" Aggie, in your opinion, means that we can't respect or even admire him? Our ADs, coaches, administration, alumni, fans, and students have made USU football irrelevant. Not Lavell Edwards. He was paid by BYU to build a program and win football games. When you beat a team 20+ straight years what do you gain by playing them? It's not a rivalry unless both teams are capable of winning. I don't know what influence Lavell had on scheduling but I do remember him expressing a desire for the rivalry to continue. He was a huge fan of the Big 5 huddle and kept that going for years until Crowton nixed it. It's not Lavell's fault we couldn't compete on the field.


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Re: Why are so many Aggie fans enamored with Lavell Edwards?

Post by AndroidAggie » June 30th, 2011, 8:39 am

Re: Running up the score.

This isn't flag football at elementary school. If they're trying to score, it's our job to stop them. I don't care if they continue to go for it on 4th and short late in the game while up by 6 touchdowns. I don't care if they leave their starters in all game long. I don't care about any of that. I only care about what we can control.

If they're trying to score, it's our job to stop them.



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Re: Here is the thing most of you don't know...

Post by Tchei » June 30th, 2011, 9:36 am

AgBlueMan wrote:Back in the late 70's and 80's when, when most of you were not even in grade school yet or maybe even born, USU was still somewhat competitive and beating BYU as often as not. There was quite a contingent of BYU Kooger Clubbers who wanted to drop USU from the schedule because they felt the Aggies weren't quite up to BYU's speed but good enough to hurt their national rep by beating them. (Sounds like someone else we all know now... Can't say their name but their initials are U of U!) LaVell responded every time with, "They didn't drop us when we were down, and as long as I am coach we won't drop them either..." That was class. And when Chris Pella single handedly screwed over Aggie fortunes by going 1-10 two years in a row, and got fired, who offered him a job when no one else would: LaVell. Also Class.
Like most memories, I'm sorry to say that yours have improved with age. The truth is that USU has beaten BYU only 4 times since 1974 (once in the late 70s and once in the 80s). USU dominated the early 70s, though. If anything, I guess that strengthens your argument because one could say that BYU had more of a reason to want to drop USU.



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Re: Why are so many Aggie fans enamored with Lavell Edwards?

Post by Tchei » June 30th, 2011, 9:45 am

KBCoug wrote:My 1st reaction to this was pretty typical. I wondered what heavy thing had fallen on your head to get you thinking this far off reality but then I thought of a former Cougar who happens to coach a school most BYU fans dispise and there isn't as much Kyle Whittingham support among Cougars as there is good feelings for Lavell in Logan. In fact we look at someone who still supports Kyle as someone without fully functioning mental capabilities; you should have the right to look at your fellow Aggies the same.
I think there are some pretty big differences between the two. Kyle has clearly taken a stand that he is a Ute all the way and has used terms like "Team Down South" in reference to BYU. He has chosen to sever ties to BYU. LaVell never, to my knowledge, spoke ill of USU and he always treated that rivalry as something fun, not something to be taken way too seriously like Kyle does with the BYU rivalry.

Guys like LaVell and McBride realized that the rivalry was still just a game and kept it classy. Bronco and Kyle have allowed it to become something ugly and hateful. Sadly, many Aggies have done the same thing with BYU and UoU. Seriously, if you allow a game being played by young men who happen to go to the same school as you did to fill you with hate and loathing, you're the one with the problem no matter what any other fans, coaches, etc. do or say.



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Re: Why are so many Aggie fans enamored with Lavell Edwards?

Post by NVAggie » June 30th, 2011, 10:41 am

I mostly joke about my hate towards anything Utah or BYU. I give their fans a hard time, but I would never punch them in the face or pour beer on them.



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Re: Why are so many Aggie fans enamored with Lavell Edwards?

Post by LKGates » June 30th, 2011, 12:01 pm

Look, I don't want to beat a dead horse. And I don't want to be labeled a "hater", which is often an ad hominem attack intended to avoid a discussion of substance. I just think many of you are glossing over some of the more unsavory aspects of Lavell's tenure at yBu.

Re: Running up the score. Are we responsible for stopping them? Sure. And in principle, playing within the rules, a team can do whatever they want, regarding the score. But there is a reason "running up the score" is a phrase that has migrated from sports to other aspects of life. It is never a compliment. It represents something technically leagal, but unseemly or unsavory; like making a 8 figure salary and flying in a corporate jet while operating a sweatshop with employees on subsistence wages and terrible working conditions. Thought experiment: What if we had Gonzaga on our basketball schedule, and happened to catch them on a down year, with a few critical injuries. What if Stew ran the score up to 125 to 25, and kept his starters on the floor the whole time? Would you be proud of him? Do you think the Gonzaga fans would be saying, "wow, look at Stew! Hasn't he done well? Isn't it great that one of our alumni has become one of the greatest coaches in college basketball?" Yeah, right.

Furthermore, I was there when one of his players punched an official. Any other coach in America would have thrown the kid off the team. As I remember, and I haven't bothered to look it up, Lavell didn't even suspend the kid.

So, I accept that Lavell is really nice in person, and that he was a great football coach. I also understand tha Musolini was lots of fun at a dinner party, and he made the trains run on time.


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Re: Why are so many Aggie fans enamored with Lavell Edwards?

Post by Empire of Dirt » June 30th, 2011, 1:33 pm

GeoAg wrote: bending the program in any way to the wishes of another school is a fireable offense in my mind.
So, how do you feel about Albrect's handling of "The Project?"


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Re: Why are so many Aggie fans enamored with Lavell Edwards?

Post by AndroidAggie » June 30th, 2011, 1:48 pm

Thought experiment: What if we had Gonzaga on our basketball schedule, and happened to catch them on a down year, with a few critical injuries. What if Stew ran the score up to 125 to 25, and kept his starters on the floor the whole time? Would you be proud of him? Do you think the Gonzaga fans would be saying, "wow, look at Stew! Hasn't he done well? Isn't it great that one of our alumni has become one of the greatest coaches in college basketball?" Yeah, right.
I am all for leaving a firm combat boot print on the face of my opponent.

You pull your starters because the risk of losing the game goes down and now it's the risk of injury you care about. Not because of the score and to help your opponent save face.

In other words, Gonzaga fans would definitely be upset, but it wasn't Stew's job to let up. It was Stew's job to win the game. He succeeded, they lost.
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Re: Why are so many Aggie fans enamored with Lavell Edwards?

Post by AndroidAggie » June 30th, 2011, 1:57 pm

Through the prodigious use of Google, Wikipedia, and about 90 seconds of my time:

Les Miles of LSU - Michigan
Mack Brown of UT - Florida State, Vanderbilt
Kyle Whittingham - BYU
Nick Saban of Alabama - Kent State
Jim Tressel - Baldwin-Wallace

He, like *MANY* other football coaches, don't completely play in their alma mater's sandbox. There is obvious precedent for alumni of one institution leaving and becoming great members of another. I'm not going to say they all suffer from some lack of loyalty. They were given an opportunity and took it, even though it was with another program. Then they excelled.

I doubt LaVell Edwards is a demon whose goal was to snuff out USU football. I also highly doubt his character and behavior while HC at BYU is worthy of the level of criticism you throw on him. It was his job to ensure the success of BYU, not Utah State. I'm not going to heap praise on him for being an Aggie, but I'm also not going to start a thread looking to tear him down. He became a Cougar. End of story.



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Re: Why are so many Aggie fans enamored with Lavell Edwards?

Post by espnaggie » June 30th, 2011, 3:19 pm

LKGates wrote:Look, I don't want to beat a dead horse. And I don't want to be labeled a "hater", which is often an ad hominem attack intended to avoid a discussion of substance. I just think many of you are glossing over some of the more unsavory aspects of Lavell's tenure at yBu.

Re: Running up the score. Are we responsible for stopping them? Sure. And in principle, playing within the rules, a team can do whatever they want, regarding the score. But there is a reason "running up the score" is a phrase that has migrated from sports to other aspects of life. It is never a compliment. It represents something technically leagal, but unseemly or unsavory; like making a 8 figure salary and flying in a corporate jet while operating a sweatshop with employees on subsistence wages and terrible working conditions. Thought experiment: What if we had Gonzaga on our basketball schedule, and happened to catch them on a down year, with a few critical injuries. What if Stew ran the score up to 125 to 25, and kept his starters on the floor the whole time? Would you be proud of him? Do you think the Gonzaga fans would be saying, "wow, look at Stew! Hasn't he done well? Isn't it great that one of our alumni has become one of the greatest coaches in college basketball?" Yeah, right.

Furthermore, I was there when one of his players punched an official. Any other coach in America would have thrown the kid off the team. As I remember, and I haven't bothered to look it up, Lavell didn't even suspend the kid.

So, I accept that Lavell is really nice in person, and that he was a great football coach. I also understand tha Musolini was lots of fun at a dinner party, and he made the trains run on time.
Did you really just compare a football coach to a tyrannical dictator? Wow :wtf:


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Re: Why are so many Aggie fans enamored with Lavell Edwards?

Post by espnaggie » June 30th, 2011, 3:22 pm

Tchei wrote:
KBCoug wrote:My 1st reaction to this was pretty typical. I wondered what heavy thing had fallen on your head to get you thinking this far off reality but then I thought of a former Cougar who happens to coach a school most BYU fans dispise and there isn't as much Kyle Whittingham support among Cougars as there is good feelings for Lavell in Logan. In fact we look at someone who still supports Kyle as someone without fully functioning mental capabilities; you should have the right to look at your fellow Aggies the same.
I think there are some pretty big differences between the two. Kyle has clearly taken a stand that he is a Ute all the way and has used terms like "Team Down South" in reference to BYU. He has chosen to sever ties to BYU. LaVell never, to my knowledge, spoke ill of USU and he always treated that rivalry as something fun, not something to be taken way too seriously like Kyle does with the BYU rivalry.

Guys like LaVell and McBride realized that the rivalry was still just a game and kept it classy. Bronco and Kyle have allowed it to become something ugly and hateful. Sadly, many Aggies have done the same thing with BYU and UoU. Seriously, if you allow a game being played by young men who happen to go to the same school as you did to fill you with hate and loathing, you're the one with the problem no matter what any other fans, coaches, etc. do or say.
I love it when people think what happens on the field, is reality off the field. No one's ego or self worth should be tied to a game. Well said :golfclap:


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Re: Why are so many Aggie fans enamored with Lavell Edwards?

Post by AggieAthletics » June 30th, 2011, 6:44 pm

LKGates wrote:Look, I don't want to beat a dead horse. And I don't want to be labeled a "hater", which is often an ad hominem attack intended to avoid a discussion of substance. I just think many of you are glossing over some of the more unsavory aspects of Lavell's tenure at yBu.

Re: Running up the score. Are we responsible for stopping them? Sure. And in principle, playing within the rules, a team can do whatever they want, regarding the score. But there is a reason "running up the score" is a phrase that has migrated from sports to other aspects of life. It is never a compliment. It represents something technically leagal, but unseemly or unsavory; like making a 8 figure salary and flying in a corporate jet while operating a sweatshop with employees on subsistence wages and terrible working conditions. Thought experiment: What if we had Gonzaga on our basketball schedule, and happened to catch them on a down year, with a few critical injuries. What if Stew ran the score up to 125 to 25, and kept his starters on the floor the whole time? Would you be proud of him? Do you think the Gonzaga fans would be saying, "wow, look at Stew! Hasn't he done well? Isn't it great that one of our alumni has become one of the greatest coaches in college basketball?" Yeah, right.

Furthermore, I was there when one of his players punched an official. Any other coach in America would have thrown the kid off the team. As I remember, and I haven't bothered to look it up, Lavell didn't even suspend the kid.

So, I accept that Lavell is really nice in person, and that he was a great football coach. I also understand tha Musolini was lots of fun at a dinner party, and he made the trains run on time.
I was simply responding to being called an apologist. Tit for tat. Deal with that.

Re: Running up the score.

Lavell and BYU created and executed an offense that nobody new of. It's not his fault they were often unstopable. RUTS = one of the sadest arguements out there. Let me give you a nice big block of swiss cheese to go with that whine.....



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Re: Why are so many Aggie fans enamored with Lavell Edwards?

Post by LKGates » July 1st, 2011, 1:26 pm

Wow, where to start. I was reluctant to make that last post, because this type of thing tends to happen around here. First, I genuinely like just about everyone on this board. The posts tend to be thoughtful. For the most part, we can put aside our differences (I'm pretty sure SoCalAggie and I cancel out our votes every November, but I love his take on Aggie athletics), and celebrate our aggieness. There is, however, a slight tendency toward thin skin.

Mars. If you stop and take a deep breath, I don't think you really mean what you seem to be saying about running up the score. This is a tough issue. A coach should never tell his players to do anything other than their best. I once watched Duke beat the snot out of William and Mary. Duke's starters were on the floor for the first five minutes. By the middle of the second half, the third string was in. Guys who NEVER played were out there. And Coach K. looked totally miserable. He didn't like humiliating a good coach, and good players from a lower tier of competition. Coach K. is a gentleman. Again, the phrase "running up the score" is a pejorative phrase for a reason. It is seen as ungentlemanly.

espnaggie. I wasn't COMPARING Lavell to Musolini. I never said "Hey, Lavell is just like Musolini!". It was a juxtaposition, to emphasize the point that a man can be personally very genial, and very good at what he does, and do some things that are, well, in Lavell's case, UNGENTLEMANLY, and in Musolini's case, EVIL. Besides, Musolini was a much better dresser.

Aggie Athletics. Thanks for all you do here. This is clearly a labor of love. We all benefit from what must be a substantial effort on your part. My statement that I didn't want to be seen as a "hater" was not directed specifically at your previous post. You can believe that or not. The term tends to get used a fair amount around here (see my comment above, re: thin skin). I was just emphasizing that I don't "hate" anyone here. I certainly don't "hate" Lavell. I hardly ever think of the man. I just think that some of the things he did as a coach were ungentlemanly. With regards to RUTS, with all do respect, your response was non-repsonsive. You didn't address why it is generally a pejorative phrase. Your response was little more than name calling. I don't like running up the score when anyone does it to anyone else. So, when I object when someone runs up the score on another team, I'm taking a principled stand. But when I object when they do it to me, I'm whining?

Look, guys. I respectfully disagree with the prevailing attitude about Lavell Edwards. Maybe it's perspective. Most of you are younger than I. I moved to Logan in 1958, when I was 8 months old. I actually attended games in the old stadium. I have very clear memories of the Lavell era at BYU. I was there in the stands for the games. Take my word for it, or not. It was ungentlemanly.

And no one has addressed the incident of the player who punched the official. That one is pretty hard to dismiss. What do you think Stew, or GA would do with a player that punched an official? Chew on that one for a while.

So. I've said my peace. No hard feelings.

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Re: Why are so many Aggie fans enamored with Lavell Edwards?

Post by OKAggie » July 1st, 2011, 1:56 pm

LKGates wrote:* * *

Look, guys. I respectfully disagree with the prevailing attitude about Lavell Edwards. Maybe it's perspective. Most of you are younger than I. I moved to Logan in 1958, when I was 8 months old. I actually attended games in the old stadium. I have very clear memories of the Lavell era at BYU. I was there in the stands for the games. Take my word for it, or not. It was ungentlemanly.

And no one has addressed the incident of the player who punched the official. That one is pretty hard to dismiss. What do you think Stew, or GA would do with a player that punched an official? Chew on that one for a while.

So. I've said my peace. No hard feelings.

GO AGGIES!
Sounds like you and I are about the same age, so you'll understand that my recollection must be taken with a grain of salt. But I'm pretty sure that the player -- Junior Filiaga, as I can somehow recall -- was suspended. I was in law school at J. Reuben at the time, and remember debating whether he should be kicked off the team and prosecuted for assault (my suggestion) or patted on the back (my moot court partner/die-hard Zoob friend's suggestion), and in the end it was somewhere in between: suspended, although whether for the rest of the season or only a few games neither my memory nor my Google search can confirm.

And as for your original question: I think Lavell is a good man, who was loyal to his alma mater but more loyal to the program that gave him his opportunity and livelihood (I've never had to bridge that kind of gap, but my guess is that I would do things the same way). My personal interactions with him have been few but favorable. "Enamored" is a word with a lot of wiggle room, but my opinion of him is favorable overall.


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