James Robert McMahon Jr. is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, most notably with the Chicago Bears. McMahon played college football for the BYU Cougars, winning the Davey O'Brien Award and the Sammy Baugh Trophy as a senior. He was selected by the Bears fifth overall in the 1982 NFL Draft.
Jon Steven Young is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, most notably with the San Francisco 49ers. He was drafted by and played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Prior to his NFL career, Young was a member of the Los Angeles Express in the United States Football League (USFL) for two seasons. He played college football for the BYU Cougars, setting school and NCAA records en route to being runner-up for the 1983 Heisman Trophy.
Ty Hubert Detmer is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL). He won the Heisman Trophy in 1990 while playing college football for the BYU Cougars. Detmer broke numerous NCAA records with BYU, and was twice recognized as a consensus All-American. A late-round pick in the 1992 NFL Draft, Detmer played for six NFL teams over 14 seasons, mostly in a backup role. He is currently the head football coach for the American Leadership–Queen Creek Patriots.
Norman Yew Heen Chow is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach for the Helvetic Guards in the European League of Football (ELF). He was the head football coach at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, a position he held from December 2011 until November 2015 and previously held the offensive coordinator position for the Utah Utes, UCLA Bruins, the NFL's Tennessee Titans, USC Trojans, NC State Wolfpack, and BYU Cougars.
Reuben LaVell Edwards was an American football head coach for Brigham Young University (BYU). With 257 career victories, he ranks as one of the most successful college football coaches of all time. Among his many notable accomplishments, Edwards guided BYU to a national championship in 1984 and coached Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer in 1990.
Lucas Staley is an American former college football running back who played for the BYU Cougars. Staley was a consensus All-American and received the Doak Walker Award as the best college running back in the nation in 2001. He was selected by the Detroit Lions in the seventh round of the 2002 NFL Draft, but he suffered a career-ending knee injury before appearing in a regular season pro football game.
The 1980 Holiday Bowl was a college football bowl game played December 19, 1980, in San Diego, California. It was part of the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. The game is famous due to a furious fourth quarter rally—including a last-second "miracle" touchdown—that gave BYU a 46–45 victory over SMU. Thus, the game is known as the “Miracle Bowl”, especially among BYU fans.
Marc Douglas Wilson is an American former professional football quarterback who played for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Oakland / Los Angeles Raiders. He played college football for the BYU Cougars, where he won the Sammy Baugh Trophy. Selected by the Raiders in the first round of the 1980 NFL Draft, Wilson spent seven seasons with the team. In his final two seasons, he was a member of the New England Patriots. Wilson was inducted to College Football Hall of Fame in 1996.
The BYU Cougars football team is the college football program representing Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. The Cougars began collegiate football competition in 1922, and have won 23 conference championships and one national championship in 1984.
Max Hall is a former American football quarterback, who played in both the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). After playing college football for BYU, he was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2010. Hall played in a total of six NFL games for the Cardinals. Hall spent 2012 as an assistant coach for BYU. He then played the 2013 CFL season for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Glen Kozlowski is a former professional American football wide receiver. He played six seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Bears.
Quarterback U is a nickname used by sportswriters to refer to colleges that have trained a series of notable football quarterbacks (QBs). It is a literary device invoked in the individual discretion of sportswriters and does not represent any formal decision-making process or organized sportswriters' poll. Generally speaking, the term implies that many of the school's former quarterbacks later had successful careers in professional football, particularly in the National Football League (NFL).
The 1980 BYU Cougars football team represented Brigham Young University (BYU) for the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Cougars were led by ninth-year head coach LaVell Edwards and played their home games at Cougar Stadium in Provo, Utah. The team competed as a member of the Western Athletic Conference, winning their fifth consecutive conference title with a conference record of 6–1. After a season-opening loss to New Mexico, BYU ended on a 12-game winning streak, including a victory over SMU in the 1980 Holiday Bowl, finishing 12–1 overall and ranked 12th in the final AP Poll. The Cougars' offense scored 606 points during the season for an average of 46.6 points per game. They scored over 50 points in a game five times, including two games scoring over 70 points.
The 2013 Fight Hunger Bowl is an American college football bowl game that was played on December 27, 2013, at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California. It was one of the 2013–14 bowl games that concluded the 2013 FBS football season. The 12th edition of the Fight Hunger Bowl, it featured the Washington Huskies, from the Pac-12 Conference, against the BYU Cougars, an independent team. The game began at 6:30 p.m. PST and aired on ESPN. It was the last Fight Hunger Bowl game played at AT&T Park.
Taysom Shawn Hill is an American football utility player officially designated as a quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at BYU and joined the Saints in 2017 as an undrafted free agent. Hill was listed as a quarterback on the Saints depth chart during his first five seasons, though he took snaps at seven different positions. Hill was designated as a tight end beginning in 2022 before once again being listed as a quarterback in 2023. He has maintained similar roles on offense and special teams throughout his career, including as the Saints primary gunner. Hill's array of utilization has earned him a reputation as a unique player in the NFL. Due to his versatility, he is known as "The Human Swiss Army Knife" by Saints' media.
Christopher Smith is an American former college football player who was a tight end. He began his career with the Arizona Wildcats before transferring to play with the BYU Cougars, earning consensus All-American honors with BYU in 1990. Smith was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL) in the 11th round of the 1991 NFL Draft.
The 1985 Florida Citrus Bowl was the 40th held. It featured the BYU Cougars and the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Tanner Mangum is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for the BYU Cougars.
Zachary Kapono Wilson is an American football quarterback for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at BYU and was selected second overall by the Jets in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Jaren Thomas Hall is an American football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at BYU.
