Legendary Cougar coach LaVell Edwards has twice been recognized as one the greatest coaches in college football. The seventh-winningest coach in NCAA Division I football history earned the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award in 1979 and the Kodak Coach of the Year Award in 1984.
Along with his teams’ successes during his coaching tenure, Lavell Edwards accumulated many per-sonal accolades to match. Edwards’ first national recognition for his coaching prowess came in 1979 when he was honored with the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award. A panel of 11 former college football coaches selected the former BYU coach. On the heels of BYU’s first national championship five years later, Edwards’ coaching peers honored him with what he then called his greatest personal accolade, the Kodak Coach of the Year Award.
As successful as his teams were on the field, Edwards’ coaching philosophy did not reflect a win-at-all-costs mentality. He didn’t bark orders or rule the sideline with an iron fist. Generally, the assistant coaches were delegated the duty of handling the Xs and Os while he saw to the administrative tasks of the program. His personal demeanor also gave him the ability to relate well with his play-ers whether teaching them about football or other more personal matters.
“Just seeing how he handles himself with the media and with people in general … he’s always genuine with them. He treats everybody well.” Former BYU quarterback Robbie Bosco said during his time as a coach with Edwards . “Those are the things he’ll leave with me, more than winning football games.”
| Name | Years | Wins | Losses | Ties | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Joe Paterno | 45 | 409 | 136 | 3 | .749 |
| 2. Bobby Bowden | 44 | 377 | 129 | 4 | .743 |
| 3. Bear Bryant | 38 | 323 | 85 | 17 | .780 |
| 4. Pop Warner | 44 | 319 | 106 | 32 | .733 |
| 5. Amos Alonzo Stagg | 57 | 314 | 199 | 35 | .605 |
| 6. Frank Beamer | 35 | 278 | 144 | 4 | .657 |
| 7. LaVell Edwards | 29 | 257 | 101 | 3 | .722 |
| 8. Tom Osborne | 25 | 255 | 49 | 3 | .836 |
| 9. Lou Holtz | 31 | 239 | 118 | 7 | .669 |
| 10. Woody Hayes | 33 | 238 | 72 | 10 | .759 |