The LaVell Edwards Coaching Tree

BYU Coaching Legend's Influence Spans College & NFL

Author:
Kyle Golik
Publish date:
Sep 8, 2022

BYU Coaching Legend's Influence Spans College & NFL

With the Cougars facing off against Baylor in a big top-25 matchup this weekend, there's no time like the present to look back at some of the great coaches shaped by the legend LaVell Edwards.

The LaVell Edwards Coaching Tree

When fans across college football talk about the greatest coaches and greatest coaching trees, most forget about LaVell Edwards. Edwards is still the only coach to guide a Group of 5 team to a national championship when he led the Cougars to the 1984 National Championship.He retired with the sixth most wins of all time, and won 19 conference championships and went to 22 bowl games. Here is his impressive coaching tree that contains men who either coached or played for Edwards at BYU.

Connection to Edwards: Played fullback for Edwards between 1998-2000 Current Position: BYU Cougars head coachSitake has led the Cougars to back to back 10 win seasons and leads the Cougars against Baylor in Week 2.

Connection to Edwards:Played quarterback for Edwards 1995-1996. Current Position: Texas Longhorns head coach. Sarkisian guided BYU to a Cotton Bowl victory capping off a 14-1 season in 1996. Sarkisian has been a head coach at Southern Cal, Washington, and Texas.

Connection to Edwards: Played linebacker for Edwards 1978-1981 and was a graduate assistant 1985-1986Current Position: Utah Utes head coachWhittingham, who coaches at for the other side of The Holy War, has coached with the Utes since 1994 and became head coach after the departure of Urban Meyer in 2004.

Connection to Edwards:Notably offensive coordinator for Edwards coached at BYU from 1972-1999Current Position: Heveltic Guards head coach in Switzerland, Chow was the principal play caller and mastermind for Edwards the bulk of his career, with Edwards going 244-91-3 as his top play caller. Chow was chief architect of the Trojans dynasty in the early 2000's and was a mentor to both Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian.

Connection to Edwards:Played tight end for Edwards in 1976 and was a graduate assistant in 1978Current Position: Arizona State Sun Devils offensive analystAfter appearing on the television game show The Match Game, Billick found his way in coaching especially in the NFL coordinating one of the greatest offenses in league history the 1998 Minnesota Vikings and coached the Baltimore Ravens to Super Bowl XXXV championship.

Connection to Edwards:Coached quarterbacks with Edwards 1982-1985Current Position:Retired from coachingHolmgren served as the quarterbacks coach for Edwards 1984 national championship team. Holmgren would win two Super Bowls as offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers dynasty in the 1980's and then became 1 of 7 head coaches in NFL history to take two different franchises to the Super Bowl winning in Green Bay.

Connection to Edwards:Played offensive line for Edwards 1978-1980 and was a graduate assistant in 1982Current Position: Kansas City Chiefs head coachReid is the prized pupil of Edwards tree and has a very successful coaching tree of his own. Only Tom Landry, Bill Belichick, George Halas, and Don Shula have won more games in NFL history and he is all but assured a bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

LaVell Edwards

When fans across college football talk about the greatest coaches and greatest coaching trees, most forget about LaVell Edwards. Edwards is still the only coach to guide a Group of 5 team to a national championship when he led the Cougars to the 1984 National Championship.He retired with the sixth most wins of all time, and won 19 conference championships and went to 22 bowl games. Here is his impressive coaching tree that contains men who either coached or played for Edwards at BYU.

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