Cougars

NCAAF BYU Cougars
General Information
- NCAA Division: Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)
- Conference: Independent (2011-present)
- City: Provo, Utah
- Stadium: LaVell Edwards Stadium
Championships
- Championships: 26
- National Championships: One (1984)
- Conference Titles: 23 (1965, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2006, 2007)
- Divisional Championships: 2 (1996, 1998)
- Bowl Game Appearances: 39
Past Conferences:
- Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (1922–1937)
- Skyline (1938–1961)
- Western Athletic Conference (1962–1998)
- Mountain West Conference (1999–2010)
Team History
The Brigham Young University Cougars are a Division I FBS football team based in Provo, Utah. Initially founded in 1896, and then reinstated in 1922, BYU has an overall record of 597–429–27. BYU won a championship in their first year of play and continued until death took place during a game in Utah around 1900. As a result, The Church of Latter-Day Saints banned football in any of their schools for over 20 years. Once the ban was lifted, the Cougars resumed play, only pausing once more between 1943 and 1945 due to World War II.
After moderate success during the 1950s and 1960s, the hiring of coach LaVell Edwards completely turned around the program. After a 5-6 season in 1973, Edwards would never have another losing season in three decades, culminating with his retirement in 2000. From 1974 to 1985, the Cougars won or shared eleven straight Western Athletic Conference championships.
The brightest season in program history came in 1984 when BYU went undefeated with a 13-0 record, and after their fourth win in the Holiday Bowl over the last five seasons, the Cougars would finish #1 overall in every final poll, giving the program their first, and only to date, National Championship.
Quarterback U
The school was nicknamed by many “Quarterback U” because of the string of successful QBs that left the program to have great careers in the National Football League, such as Gifford Nielsen, Marc Wilson, Jim McMahon, Steve Young, Ty Detmer, and Koy Detmer.
After eleven years in the Mountain West Conference, Brigham Young University decided to go Independent to strike a television deal with ESPN. As a result, the university and the program are one of the few in the nation that generates an annual profit, even higher than the traditional Power-Five schools. In addition, the deal with ESPN helped the program earn bowl berths due to no conference tie-in affiliation. BYU has appeared in 39 bowl games, with an overall record of 16-22-1. The Cougars have played in at least one bowl game in each of the last six decades, with their longest consecutive streak being 16 years between 1978 and 1994.
Check out all the updated Brigham Young University Cougars stats, recent news, and betting tips, here at Point Spreads.
All-Time Records (CFB)
Passing yards
⦁ Ty Detmer: 15,031
⦁ Max Hall: 11,365
⦁ John Beck: 11,021
⦁ Jim McMahon: 9,536
⦁ Robbie Bosco: 8,400
Rushing yards
⦁ Jamaal Williams: 3,901
⦁ Harvey Unga: 3,455
⦁ Curtis Brown: 3,241
⦁ Jamal Willis: 2,970
⦁ Tyler Allgeier: 2,899
Receiving yards
⦁ Cody Hoffman: 3,612
⦁ Austin Collie: 3,255
⦁ Eric Drage: 3,065
⦁ Dennis Pitta: 2,901
⦁ Margin Hooks: 2,841