Edwards/Mendenhall mutual respect society

Bronco Mendenhall has not forgotten the admiral.

LaVell Edwards continues to pop up around BYU’s football program and Mendenhall has an open invitation for him to be a part of whatever goes on. That salute, that respect, and the value placed on tradition has not gone unnoticed by Edwards, who seems to be as busy in retirement as he was when working full time.

Edwards is a welcome guest at about any golf venue he walks into. He has privileges at Coral Canyon, where he has a house, while he retains his old home in Provo. Whether it’s Riverside Country Club, Orem’s new Sleepy Ridge or about any place else, Edwards meets and draws attention from folks young and old wherever he goes with a club in his hand.

He’s also very welcome around Mendenhall’s office. Thing is, Edwards is smart enough to stay away. Except for an occasional visit at practices or stopping into meet with Mendenhall or some of his assistants, or to do something for a former player or to attend a meeting he is summoned to, he tries not to interfere with what is going on.

I asked him about his golf game and Mendenhall while fishing for some quotes for a column on another issue for this week.

“The biggest thought all these years is that when I retire, I’d work on my golf game and really get good at it,” Edwards told me this morning via telephone. “But the thing is, now I’m retired, my drives are shorter, I’ve found new ways to get aches and pains, and the bottom line is I’m just older.”

Great line.

Edwards praised Mendenhall for the job he’s doing with the program he created in the early 70s. “I think he’s doing a great job and I like the way he’s emphasized things and how they’ve turned out. I’ve been very impressed with how he’s doing it and I believe he’s going to be successful for a very, very long time.”