The unexpected guest at LaVell Edwards’ funeral

When LaVell Edwards died three years ago, his funeral service filled a huge chapel and much of the cultural hall. Many of those in attendance were well-known people, including several who wore Super Bowl championship rings as well as dozens upon dozens who owned college conference championship rings earned alongside the legendary BYU football coach.
It was my pleasure to have the honor of covering that funeral on Jan. 7, 2017. Here’s my story about how Presidents Dallin H. Oaks and Henry B. Eyring, NFL and BYU stars and his family remembered LaVell that day.
One person I interviewed was someone whose presence stunned me. Last week I told you that this weekend’s Super Bowl includes two Latter-day Saint players, Daniel Sorensen of the Kansas City Chiefs and Fred Warner of the San Francisco 49ers. The other Latter-day Saint involved was the one I hustled to catch for an interview immediately after the closing prayer of the funeral: Andy Reid.
Reid is the successful head coach of the Chiefs. Highly successful. So successful that I couldn’t believe he was in Provo that day. His team had just finished the NFL regular season the week before and was scheduled to play the Pittsburgh Steelers in a playoff game the following week.
He had the weekend of the funeral off only because the Chiefs earned a bye — a week off — on that first weekend of the NFL playoffs when one of the Chiefs’ major rivals, the Denver Broncos, beat the Oakland Raiders. That made Kansas City the second seed in the playoffs; the top two teams earn a bye.
“It’s the only time I’ll probably thank the Denver Broncos for anything,” he told me with a laugh.
He was grateful for the opportunity to pay his respects to LaVell at his funeral, but he told me he’d miss talking to his mentor about his next opponent.
“He followed the team,” Reid said. “We spoke every week. He’d ask about everything from injuries to what we’d do that week and all about the other team. He went over the whole scouting report, basically. He did that with all of us who became coaches. He was a great support.”
Three years later, they share a remarkable feat.

LaVell ranks sixth all-time in wins among college football coaches.
Reid ranks sixth all-time in wins among National Football League coaches.
It began in the 1970s, when LaVell brought his sweet wife, Patti, with him to recruit Reid from a junior college.
“You fell in love with the guy,” Reid said. “We don’t have enough like him. The way he conducted himself is unique to the profession. He made everybody feel comfortable.”
After his playing career, Reid spent time as a graduate student assistant coach under LaVell at BYU. Then LaVell helped him get an assistant coaching job at the University of Texas at El Paso.
“He helped me get every job I’ve ever had,” Reid told me. “I always told them, call Coach Edwards.”
Reid has won 207 games. Four of the five coaches who have won more games in the NFL are in the Hall of Fame. The other is Bill Belichick, who will be in the Hall of Fame, too, once he retires with his six Super Bowl rings (or more) as a head coach.
My friend and longtime colleague Dick Harmon wrote a terrific piece on Reid over the weekend about how Reid reminds friends of his mentor.
I’m a Patriots fan, as I’ve stated here before. I also was a 49ers fan while Steve Young was their quarterback. On Sunday, I’ll be rooting for Reid and Sorensen to win their first Super Bowl with the Chiefs while keeping a close eye on Warner.

What I’m Reading ...

When people send me a note or post a comment to make a complaint about a story I’ve written, it’s often clear they haven’t read the full story or read it closely enough. That pushes me to attempt to write as clearly as possible. This story raises another possibility: Does reading on a digital device downgrade reading comprehension and hamper deep reading?
Over the past week, the church announced upcoming temple groundbreakings in Layton, Utah; Richmond, Virginia; and the Philippines.
I was 8 years old the first year I began collecting baseball cards. So reading about this 1975 Topps baseball card set was really fun.
Two people I would elect to the Deseret News Hall of Fame, if we had one, wrote strong pieces this week. Jerry Johnston wrote about Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s new book, and Lois M. Collins wrote about how parents try to transmit their faith to their children, based on BYU research.
I finally read Lee Child’s latest Jack Reacher book, “Blue Moon,” which came out in the fall. It’s not the best of the 23 Reacher novels, but I enjoyed it. I usually see these books listed as crime thrillers. I think it would be more accurate to describe them as vigilante fairness fantasies. Whatever they are, they are a guilty pleasure. Don’t judge me.
Following up on last week’s newsletter about cooperation between Latter-day Saints and the NAACP, this event happened in Florida earlier this month.
My colleague Trent Toone, spoke to Latter-day Saint Mark Madsen about his days as Kobe Bryant’s teammate on the Los Angeles Lakers. Madsen now is the head basketball coach at Utah Valley University. Bryant died tragically Sunday in a helicopter crash.

Behind the Scenes