Chain gang nearing end of line

Some good ... such as having better-than-front-row seats to watch stellar plays by standout players like Smith (when he wasn't running over them), Scott Mitchell, Steve Smith, Jamal Anderson and so on.

Some bad ... such as the time a player ran out of bounds and knocked the metal marker (they're now plastic and Styrofoam) out of Earl's hands. It landed smack on top of assistant coach Tom Gadd, who was Wayne Howard's defensive coordinator. It gashed Gadd's head. Making things all the more awkward, guess who the coach's next-door-neighbor was at the time?

"He never let me live that down," Earl recalls with a chuckle.

Some painful (to them) but unforgettable ... such as getting tackled by a future No. 1 NFL draft pick. Not surprisingly, Smith was cordial after the collision.

"He was a polite enough guy. He said, 'Are you OK?"' Pike recalls. "I don't remember what I said."

And some simply awkward ... such as being on the visiting sideline when their rivals were in town.

"One of the toughest ones honestly is BYU," Earl admits. "They are tough to deal with."

Adds Pike: "I've always preferred to be on Utah's side."

Being with his buddies at least six times a fall for a few hours and getting to hear what the coaches have to say during games are a couple more of the job highlights for Earl.

"It is really fun being on the sidelines ... ," Earl says. "It's very difficult to watch the game in the stands."

Steve Pyne, Utah's director of events and facility operations, calls Earl "the backbone of the chain crew operation that really is a major part of the football game. Earl, who has coordinated the football crew's workings with Pyne since the days of Chuck Stobart in the 1980s, also handles official scorer duties for the men's basketball team at the Huntsman Center.

"I've known him for 25 years. I've known him to be a Ute through and through," Pyne says. "He's always been there and willing to provide services ... He's just a great guy. Officials know him all over the country."

They'll soon get to know Earl's son, Dan, as well. He is on the crew now along with a brother and a brother-in-law and will likely take over as chief.

And fans in the stands will become acquainted with Earl and Pike, who might need some time to adjust to life after the chain gang. They'll be the guys holding sticks in the stands instead of pompoms.

All-American dynasty

The two friends have also seen quite a few elite players come and go through Utah. The All-Americans they've watched include:

• 1964: Roy Jefferson, defensive end