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PROVO — The standing ovation in the locker room wasn't quite enough to thank someone for 31 years of service in the world of college football, all spent at BYU, but it helped.
Assistant head coach Lance Reynolds announced his retirement after the Cougars' 23-6 Poinsettia Bowl win over SDSU on Thursday evening.
"Very seldom in today's world of college football does someone stay at the same institution for 31 seasons, and it's remarkable," said BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall. "I hope there's a way that that can be celebrated or talked about."
Reynolds' coaching contributions to BYU football began in 1979 as a graduate assistant. From there, he moved on to become the assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and running backs coach at Snow College.
After Snow College, he moved to then-titled Ricks College, followed by BYU. During his tenure with the Cougars, Reynolds has held many positions: junior varsity coordinator, offensive coordinator, running backs coach, assistant head coach, offensive line coach and tight end coach.
Before his coaching career began, Reynolds himself played for BYU during the 1970s. From there he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers and then played for the Philadelphia Eagles
"It's very fitting, as (Reynolds) talked about to our team, being in the next locker room over winning a national championship here, spraying soda pop on each other's heads, and now he finishes the Poinsettia Bowl with another victory," Mendenhall said.
Lucky for BYU, Reynolds' legacy won't quite leave the program altogether — three of his sons (Lance, Jr., Dallas and Matt) already played for BYU, and his fourth son, Houston, is currently a junior on the team.
