1984 Cougars remember their magical season


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Editor's note: This is part one of a four part special by KSL Newsradio’s Cleon Wall to get Cougar football fans geared up for the upcoming season.PROVO — Don’t tell Trevor Matitch that it’s been three decades since the Cougars were voted the best team in the country.

“It’s been 12-years. If anybody else thinks it’s 30, that’s their problem,” said the former Cougar offensive lineman. Robbie Bosco says it’s sobering speaking to youth groups. “They weren’t even born during that time.”

Even though 30 years have passed since the start of that season, Bosco, Matitch and other teammates say will never forget that magical year. “There were a series of miracles that season,” said Matitch. He said they knew they could win all of their games after beating No. 3 Pittsburgh in the first game of the season.

Bosco remembers that victory well. He threw the game winning 50-yard TD pass to Adam Haysbert. But the former quarterback was unsure how good his team was after struggling against the Panthers. He believes the 47-13 win over Baylor the following weekend defined this team. “I remember it most, because that game gave us the swagger for the rest of the season.”

The magic that Matitch talked about continued through the entire season. He and linebacker Leon White reminisced about the Hawaii game, when teammate Kyle Morrell timed the snap just right and jumped over the Warriors offensive line to stop the quarterback from sneaking in for a touchdown. White also remembers that season for a different reason.


It's fun to watch how close they are, even still. And the stories get better with age.

–LaVell Edwards


“He (White's father) was diagnosed with cancer, just before the season started.” White said. And his dad wanted to see him play one last time before he died. He had his sights set on the Holiday Bowl and so did White. “My goal was to have the best year that I could to make sure that our team got back to the Holiday Bowl.” And after everyone celebrated the comeback victory over the Michigan Wolverines, White said he was pretty silent. His father died about 5 months after the perfect season ended.

The overriding sentiment expressed by each former player was the camaraderie of the team. “We didn’t hang out a lot together. But when we came together as a team … there was a special brotherhood feeling that we all had and we all shared, that we were all in this thing together,” Bosco said.

Former head coach LaVell Edwards had eight to 10 former players contact him on Father’s Day to say that he was just like a father to them.

“It’s fun to watch how close they are, even still. And the stories get better with age,” Edwards said with a chuckle.

Bosco said one of the funniest moments of the season came against Air Force. He said former offensive lineman and current offensive coordinator Robert Anae was running down the field on a tight end throwback, looking for some contact. “He probably ran 30-yards and had not hit anyone. And then it was like he got shot. He’s never run that far in his life.”

“That’s his favorite moment?” Anae said. Once he it was explained to him that it was a funny remembrance, Anae said he remembered that play well and that he had pulled his groin. “I still feel it when I go on a hike,” Anae said.

Things have changed in the chase for the National Championship over the past 30 years. So if the 1984 team were playing this year, would they be competing for the title? Trevor Matitch wouldn’t guarantee anything, but said the Cougars would compete if they were in the final four. Leon White was hopeful, but Bosco just wasn’t convinced. “Because I think (the college football brokers) try to make that game as the super human game where they don’t feel that BYU is part of that scenario.”

And maybe that’s what makes the 1984 National Championship team so special.

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Cleon Wall

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