Football was first introduced to BYU in 1896; however, the team was discontinued after three seasons because the administration was concerned about violence of the game. The team was reestablished in 1922 and became an official collegiate sport that year. Coaches have been: Alvin Twitchell (1922-1924), C.J. Hart (1925 and 1927), G. Ott Romney (1926, 1928-1936, 1938), Eddie Kimball (1937, 1939-1941, 1946-1948), Floyd Millet (1942), Chick Atkinson (1949-1955), Hal Kopp (1956-1958), Tally Stevens (1959-1960), Hal Mitchel (1961-1963), Tom Hudspeth (1964-1971), Lavell Edwards (1972-2000), Gary Crowton (2001-2004), and Bronco Mendenhall (2005-present). The Cougars have won 22 conference championships and 1 National Championship in 1984. The Cougars went undefeated in the 1984 season with a record of 13-0. They played the Michigan Wolverines in the Holiday Bowl on December 21 and won 24-17. They received the AP and UPI number one ranking which gave them the National Championship. They are the only team to play before New Year's Day and win the National Championship. The Cougars are also the only team still playing in a mid-major conference to have won the National Championship. In 1990, Ty Detmer won the Heisman Trophy which is awarded to the best player in college football. He is the only player in school history to win the award. The Davey O'Brien Award which is awarded to the nation's best quarterback has been received by a BYU quarterback four times. Jim McMahon (1981) and Steve Young (1983) won the award and Ty Detmer was the first of only three quarterbacks to win the award twice (1990-1991). The Outland Trophy is given to the most outstanding interior lineman and Jason Buck, a defensive tackle, (1986) and Mohammed Elewonibi, an offensive guard, (1989) won the award. In 2001 Luke Staley won the Doak Walker Award which is given to the best running back in the nation. The Cougars have been in four conferences. The first conference was the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (1922-1937). The second conference was the Mountain State Conference (1938-1961). Third was the Western Athletic Conference (1962-1998). The current conference is the Mountain West Conference (1999-present). The overall record of the Cougars is 470-367-26.
From the description of Football records, 1971-2000. (Brigham Young University). WorldCat record id: 123235243
