Bronco idolized Mat at an early age because he was a football player. Mat, who stands 6-foot-6, starred as a defensive lineman for BYU (1975-79) and went on to play for the Washington Redskins, who selected him in the second round of the NFL draft. Bronco was closest to Marty, who played at Snow College and Weber State and is a former Mr. Utah bodybuilder.

While Paul and Lenore are complete opposites, Bronco says, he benefited from their contrasting personalities and interests. "It's amazing. My dad is kind of this rough, gruff business-cowboy. My mom is very gracious. She is so strong in etiquette and manners. She's very sophisticated and involved in art and music and opera and symphony and culture."

Between the two, "there weren't many areas in my life where I didn't have real exacting points of reference of how to do it and do it correctly," he says. "Diversity would be a great way to describe the way I was raised."

Bronco's leadership abilities run in his DNA. His grandfather on his mother's side was a former presiding bishop of the LDS Church. His grandfather on his dad's side ran the labor missionary program for the church for a time and he was key in developing the Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawaii.

Paul, who has owned BYU season tickets for nearly 50 years, used to pull Bronco out of school to travel to Cougar road games to watch Mat play. Though significantly smaller than Mat, Bronco longed to follow in his brother's footsteps and play in the NFL. When he wasn't doing chores at home, he was playing baseball or football.

At American Fork High School, Bronco excelled in both sports. "He was a very good student and he never missed summer workouts," says American Fork football coach Davis Knight. "As a senior, he was the team captain. He was a leader. He never looked for a shortcut. He had a fierce competitiveness. I don't remember him missing a practice or ever being late for one. If he ever got injured, he was the kind of kid who would spit on it, rub it and keep playing."

Knight's son, Brock, and Bronco were best friends. Knight would give them the keys to the high school gym on weekends and the pair would spend countless hours lifting weights and honing their athletic skills.

Off the field, Mendenhall was respectful of all people, Knight says. "He's not one to schmooze, but he's a genuinely thoughtful person. He liked to help the underdog, the kid who was struggling."

Weighing about 170 pounds, Mendenhall played tight end and linebacker for the Cavemen. As a senior, to his dismay, there were no scholarship offers from BYU. It was less than a year before the Cougars won the national championship.

The rejection stung. But, of course, Mendenhall turned that into motivation.