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Conversation
with a Cougar
by
Kelly L. Martinez
Catching
up with Gary Crowton is as challenging as a fourth-and-goal situation.
Not willing to settle for the field goal, Meridian finally scored
by catching up with the BYU head football coach via cell phone late
last week. Coach Crowton had some interesting things to say about
being a coach, raising a family, studying the scriptures and replacing
a legend.
Special
thanks to Shirley Johnson, Football Secretary, and Jeff Reynolds,
Associate Director of Athletic Media Relations, who helped secure
this interview and provided the accompanying photographs.
Photo credit: Mark Philbrick, BYU Photo Services
Take it away,
Coach! Where and when did you serve your mission?
I
served my mission in South Korea. I reported to the Missionary
Training Center on Dec. 2, 1979 and came home mid-December (1981).
How does
the discipline and routine you learned as a full-time missionary
help you now?
As a missionary, I had to learn how to use my time well, like
with scripture study in the morning and getting enough sleep. I
was raised to be that kind of person even before my mission, so
it fit right in with the lifestyle I had as a missionary.
There are so
many disciplines that come with being a member of the Church that
are beneficial.
Do you still
use the Korean language?
There was nobody to speak Korean with after my mission until
I came to BYU. Now, I’m finding more and more people who speak
Korean. I can still converse a little bit.
Where did
you grow up?
I grew up in Orem, Utah. I went to Orem High School. At the
time, there were only two high schools in the county. There were
a lot of orchard farms, though. I grew up picking cherries and
strawberries, and I had a paper route. The area was pretty good
for those kinds of jobs.
Tell me about
your family.
My wife’s name is Maren. Her maiden name was Petersen.
She’s from Bountiful and she never went to BYU. We met at Snow
College.
I have seven
children: Dane, 15, Tara, 14, Jenessa, 11,
Quinn, 8, Mikauli, 6, Toriana, 2, and Gunner
Macleoud, 5 months.
Do any of
your children show promise athletically?
Dane’s a sophomore in high school and he’s trying out for the
football team.
Tara is a great
gymnast. She’s one of the best at her level in the state. She’s
done well at the state meets. It’s still a little early to tell,
but I think Tara might be a college athlete someday.
Jenessa likes
softball, loves to rollerblade, rides her bike a lot and goes to
the girls’ basketball camps.
I don’t put
pressure on my kids to do well in sports. I want them to have fun.
The more interest they show and want my help, I am glad to offer
it.
Photo
credit: Mark Philbrick, BYU Photo Services
You once
said in an interview that your family is involved with the team
at BYU. How are they involved?
The one thing that’s good about coaching is that your family
can be involved if they want to be. They can come to practice and
see their father work. In other occupations, there’s just no opportunity
for the kids to come and watch their dad work … or there’s no interest
in what their dad is doing, especially at a young age.
My son Dane
was a ball boy when I was with the Bears and he came with me to
Wisconsin for summer training camps. Here at BYU, my kids can come
to practice if they want. I take them to eat at the dorms. They
get to watch the games and have a lot of fun at them. We live really
close to the campus, so that’s a real plus also. At Boston College,
we lived about an hour away from the school. Here, we live about
10 minutes away at the most.
How long
did you coach in the NFL?
Two years.
What did
you like most about your time in the NFL?
One thing most people don’t understand is that even though we
played games on Sunday, I had more family time on Sundays while
I coached in the NFL than I did at most of the colleges where I’ve
coached. On game days, we just played the game and then I was able
to go home. We never worked on Sundays during the off-season, except
during the draft. Some college coaches require their staff to work
all day Sunday. When I was at Boston College, that was one of the
most difficult things I had to deal with. I’d have to show up at
7:30 on Sunday morning and work until 9 p.m. I had almost no time
with the family on Sundays at other colleges. In the NFL, even
though we played our games on Sunday, I got to go home after the
game. We also had short days on Fridays and Saturdays. We’d hold
our practices in the morning because school and classes weren’t
a factor for the pro players. So I was off all Friday and Saturday
afternoons.
Who were
your athletic role models while growing up?
I liked Roger Staubach as a player. I liked his clean-cut look
and level of discipline. I also liked Don Meredith. The Dallas
Cowboys were my favorite team.
How about
spiritual role models?
I’ve had a lot of really good spiritual role models. My parents
raised me in the Church, so I’ve had a lot of good teachers and
leaders. A scoutmaster by the name of Gary Dayton had a
lot of influence on me when I was younger. He took me on outings
to the Grand Canyon and on a houseboat. Bishop Cook and
Bishop Ballard, who were some of my old bishops, were great
examples of hardworking men that loved to serve the Lord.
Photo
credit: Mark Philbrick, BYU Photo Services
Do you hold
a church calling?
I teach my ward’s 16-17 year old Sunday School class.
What are
your feelings about the upcoming 2002 season?
Optimistic. I have a great staff to work with and we have some
promising players.
Are there
any promising players that are currently in the mission field?
We have 12-14 players that will be returning from missions within
the next year that are on scholarship with us. Every one of them
looks promising.
What has
it been like replacing LaVell Edwards?
What he’s done during his tenure here as head coach is a great
example to me. I like his demeanor and the way he handles things.
He’s very patient. The example he is has been the greatest thing
to me. He’s made himself available to me whenever I needed someone
to talk to, giving me some good advice and guiding me in the right
direction, but has otherwise kept his distance.
Are there
any particular scriptural passages that give you guidance in your
responsibilities as head coach?
I have several that help guide me as a person and as a coach.
I don’t separate the two. One of the earliest scriptures I learned
was 1 Nephi 3:7,
and it continues to help me today. Another is Alma
32:21 which talks about faith. Yet another is Mosiah
4:27, which talks about getting ahead of ourselves and what
is really expected of us.
What can
you tell me about the new lockers that are being donated to the
BYU football program?
When I was at the University of New Hampshire, we wanted to
put in a new locker room. We wanted to have some kind of tribute
to the former players and we wanted to get them involved. As it
was, they would play for us, and then they’d leave. So what we
did was ask them to donate $500 per locker. Their name, along with
everyone else’s name that had worn that number, would be put in
the locker so they could be enshrined in the university. Of course,
it helped our program financially, but it also created something
the former players could bring their kids to see.
When I came
to BYU, the lockers in the stadium were not very big and not very
impressive from a recruiting standpoint. I thought this would be
a good thing to introduce here. We’ve had a great response from
former players. I’m buying myself a locker as a coach and LaVell’s
buying one also. I think I might buy one for my grandfather, who
was a player here.
So this effort
is open to all former BYU football players regardless of how much
they played?
This effort is open to all former players, managers and coaches
that have ever been a part of the BYU football program.
How can they
get involved?
They should call Val Hale’s office and ask what they
need to do to get involved. Editor’s note: Val Hale’s office
can be reached at (801) 422-8704
Have you
ever met President Hinckley?
I’ve never met him in person. I came close to meeting him.
He was standing about 15 feet away from me when I interviewed for
the BYU job. He was talking to another of the Brethren and waiting
for a ride. President Hinckley is another one that I have a deep
love for as well.
Who did you
interview with for the BYU job?
I interviewed with Elder Ballard and Elder Eyring.
Wow! Can
you tell me what that interview was like?
(Laughs) Well, they’re both good men, so they made me feel
very comfortable. It was a very calming interview. You can feel
a real spiritual strength around them. I really enjoyed meeting
with them. They want me to win, I can tell you that.
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