In a year of milestones and anniversaries, the No. 17 Brigham Young University football team capped off a thrilling 11-win season with a convincing 36-14 victory over No. 23-ranked Colorado Buffaloes in the Valero Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, Texas, on Dec. 28, 2024.
At one point, the Cougars were 9-0, ranked No. 7 in national polls and thought to be headed to the 12-team College Football Playoff. The memorable season came during BYU’s 100th year of football and on the 40th anniversary of the team’s 1984 national championship.
Beyond the exciting games, headlines and accomplishments, BYU was praised for its values, sportsmanship and team culture in a podcast interview by Elder Clark G. Gilbert, a General Authority Seventy and commissioner of Church education.
He applauded how the football team, which included 55 Latter-day Saint returned missionaries, represented the mission of BYU and its sponsoring organization, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, saying “There is no other place like this.”
Added Elder Gilbert: “It’s not just that we cheer for sports, it’s that these teams do it in a special way. And I think this football team is doing it in a special way. I always cheer for BYU, but when they can reflect the values of the Church and of the university, it’s another gear, and it’s deeper, and it’s more meaningful.”
The thought was echoed in an Oct. 28 social media post by BYU President C. Shane Reese.
“It’s amazing to see the success and excitement, but even more inspiring to witness the dedication our athletes and coaches have to our greater mission. Our team competes not only for victory on the field but to uphold values that define BYU — integrity, faith and service,” President Reese wrote. “From building bridges in the Big 12 to holding service-based tailgates to our amazing fans throughout the country being Christlike in their fandom, our whole athletics program shows that competing with a higher purpose is what truly sets us apart.”
Reflecting on the season, here are six ways the BYU football team went beyond the game to represent the university’s mission and the Church.
1. Mentoring BYU–Pathway Worldwide students
Through technology, the football team mentored BYU–Pathway Worldwide students in Africa, South America and the South Pacific, fostering global connections and fulfilling the university’s motto, “The World Is Our Campus.”
BYU head football coach Kalani Sitake said these interactions helped alleviate players’ anxiety and stress and foster a sense of gratitude and appreciation.
As a result of these connections and efforts, BYU–Pathway Worldwide student Faith Kisakye offered a prerecorded pregame prayer from her home in Uganda that was shown before BYU’s Sept. 21 home game.
2. ‘Faith-oriented’
BYU received positive attention for having the only Jewish quarterback in college football — Jake Retzlaff — one of just three Jewish students in a student body of 35,000. In early October, CBS Sports and ESPN’s “College GameDay” both released videos on his experience as a Jew at BYU.
Retzlaff said his experience around faith on campus has been transformational. Other players who are not Latter-day Saints have also shared how they chose to go to BYU because they know what it stands for.
“I came here thinking I might not fit in with the culture, so this will be a place where I can just focus on school and football,” Retzlaff told The Associated Press. “But I found that, in a way, I do fit. People are curious. And when everybody around you is so faith-oriented, it makes you want to explore your faith more.”
3. Service and kindness
For the third year in a row, BYU alumni organized Cougs Care pregame tailgate events at each road game, featuring service projects for local nonprofit organizations.
BYUtv produced “Big Stories,” a documentary series featuring stories of hope, integrity and perseverance from opposing teams.
BYU fans also demonstrated kindness toward visiting Big 12 fan bases, which drew positive reactions, the Deseret News reported.
When hosting Kansas State in September, staff distributed ice cream to K-State fans, and the BYU band played the Wildcats’ fight song — both home-game traditions carried through the season. BYU fans also donated $40,000 to support a cancer fundraiser organized by Kansas State freshman quarterback Avery Johnson.
In a note to students, faculty and staff, President Jeffrey R. Holland, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and former university president through the 1980s, congratulated BYU and Cougar Nation for “the remarkable goodwill you extended to Kansas State University, including your support for the high school coach of the quarterback, playing of the Kansas State fight song and providing an atmosphere and an enjoyable time,” he wrote.
President Holland concluded, “Social media is ablaze with all that was done, including Cosmo’s defiance of gravity. I am so proud of your courtesy and behavior.”
4. Christ-centered locker room speech
After BYU’s dramatic 22-21 win over the University of Utah in November, Sitake cited Helaman 5:12 from the Book of Mormon and delivered a locker-room speech about being Christlike and loving your opponent. The speech was featured in “The Cut,” the weekly highlights video produced by the BYU athletic department.
“It’s important that we stay humble, it’s important that we love even our opponents, so we’ve been teaching that to you guys. We lay the foundation. We talk about Helaman chapter 5, verse 12 — you build the foundation, and it will not fail,” said Sitake, who said he learned the lesson from legendary BYU coach LaVell Edwards when he played for him in the 1990s.
“It’s what tough guys do,” Sitake said. “[LaVell Edwards] taught me that lesson, and then all I did was try to love as many people as I could, and now they’re here with me, and I call them my brothers, and so who knows what can happen and the relationships you can have by just being kind and being Christlike. ... That’s the beauty of the gospel in football. There’s nothing like it, and that’s what tough guys do.”
5. Postgame prayers
Another way BYU connected with opposing players of faith this season was by praying with them on the field after games.
6. Team support
When 49-year-old Jay Hill, BYU’s defensive coordinator and associate head coach, suffered a heart attack early in the season, the football program and community rallied around him and his family to offer prayers and support, ESPN.com reported.
