One of our favorite places to visit on the BYU campus is the Hall of Fame building across from the Smithfield House. It has memorabilia and awards from all BYU sports for the past several decades. It's like a little museum. They recently opened a new section of the Hall of Fame building that is specifically designated for the Football Program. It is less of a museum to the past, and more a part of the current BYU Football program. Above is a picture of the entrance. We were not sure if it was open to the public or what, but we started walking around, and were eventually met by Coach Bronco Mendenhall's personal assistant, Ashley. I had seen a recent documentary on Bronco and BYU Football, so I recognized her from that. She started talking to the kids and asked if we were interested in learning more about this new area.
She told us how Bronco was very hands on in designing this 'space' and he loved being able to share it with BYU fans like us. There is a lot of symbolism in the design and layout of things. I wish I could remember it all, as I so love learning and understanding symbolism, but I didn't retain as much as I wish I had. I do know that as you enter straight in, you see the the 2 players in their 'home' and 'travel' uniforms and a large Y cutout above the word 'FOOTBALL'. (Pictured above)
Ashley taught us about how if we are right in alignment with the Y cutout, we can see straight through it out onto the practice field. If we are off to one side or another, the view become distorted and not clear through the layers of the cutout. Players need to be completely aligned with the coaching staff, the Honor Code, and the 3 pillars on which the BYU Football program is built -TRADITION, SPIRIT, and HONOR to have a clear vision of their goals. It was quite interesting and thought provoking.
As we looked to the LEFT, we saw this.......
It says 'Look HEAVENWARD'
As you look up from there you see this......
A huge Y that is full of light and radiates light throughout the entire room. That's what Bronco is looking for in his players and program. To Look Heavenward and recognize the Light that comes from above and then Share that light. It was so cool to learn about it. Our tour could have ended here, and we would have been so grateful, but it was late afternoon, and she said most of the coaching staff was off on break, and that she'd love to show us around more of the building. We were game.
Coach's Room, where all the different coaches come together to meet.
Bronco's Office
Ashley told us that this area right here is where BYU Dreams Come True! This is where Coach Mendenhall meets with potential players and parents to finalize offers. This is also where players come when they need to visit with Coach for whatever reason. Pretty cool to see it up close.
We found these posters on the ground. I guess players hold them up on the sidelines during games?? Never seen that, so I'll be watching for it this season.
Then we hit a hallway of rooms, each identified by "Position" - These rooms varied in size (Quarterbacks was the smallest) and had some BYU chairs, a table or two and lots and lots of whiteboards! It was fun to see where they meet with their specialized coaches to work on strategy and plays.
This is the Team Room. I included this picture because it was the only with sweet Ashley in it. This is where they meet for Team Meetings, not so much X & O's type meetings, but more motivational - talk about the Brotherhood, get ready for the game, type meetings. They actually have assigned seating in this room, so the kids took turns sitting in Taysom Hill's seat & Jamal Williams seat. Lindz especially like Taysom's. Another funny side note Ashley shared with us, is that the seats in this room are not all the same size - there are some that are better fitting for lineman vs. receivers.
Lindsay & Megan posing at the back of the Team Meeting Room.
How we got beyond this sign, I'm not sure?
This is a cool Missionary Map they use to track the Football players serving out in the mission field. I believe she said 80% of Bronco's players are return missionaries. This program is not just about building good football players, but about building good men.
An honor flag that they sign before every game as a reminder of the commitment they made to live and abide by the Honor Code. Constant reminders throughout the entire facility about who they are and what they stand for. There were so many other things that we saw and learned about, but didn't capture in photos, like the media room, which was full of TV monitors and computers, where they produce all of the videos shown on the Jumbotron during games. The trainer's rooms, the other coach's offices, the hallways that pay tribute to past players , and players that have gone onto the NFL.
It was such a pleasure to be able to tour this area and learn more about the BYU Football program. It really was. We will never look at BYU Football quite the same again. Thank you Ashley!
