Cougars got somebody very special

When it comes to Bronco Mendenhall, he's as biased as they come.

He's more slanted than a political party chairman, the corner man for a boxer or a certain Middle East television network. He's got a slanted view and, frankly, he doesn't even care.

Paul Mendenhall is Bronco's dad. BYU's new coach is his youngest son who was born eight years after his oldest sibling and to Paul Mendenhall, the Cougars got not only the right man but somebody very special.

The dad played at BYU from 1949 to 1954 and was drafted by Pittsburgh but never played in the NFL. "I was 6-foot-2 and weighed a mighty 215 pounds."

In those days Paul Mendenhall played end and linebacker. Back then BYU didn't have guys play on either the offense or defense. Guys played both ways. Mendenhall can't remember what number they drafted him, but Pittsburgh offered $500 to sign and $30,000 a season.

"I loved the game, but I could make better money doing what I was doing. I was married and had a baby and it didn't make sense."

That is why his love for the game has filtered and focused to his youngest, the career of Bronco Mendenhall.

"He's a special boy, he's my youngest, so we've spent a lot of time together. We train and show cutting horses as a side business, and Bronco's been doing that all over the United States since he was 6 years old. He's a very good horseman.

"But the thing about him is he hates to lose at anything. He's a competitor. He just cannot stand to lose. The other good side of him is he's not just concerned with winning, but he's all about changing the lives of the kids he plays with."

At New Mexico, practically all Mendenhall's defensive players came from broken homes and unstable backgrounds from Chicago and Los Angeles. "They were good kids but hadn't been taught too well or had an understanding about setting goals, achieving success and pushing themselves."

After coaching those players for a few years, Paul remembers after one season, parents came up to him and said: "Paul, we can't get to your son Bronco, we can't talk to him right now but we want you to tell him how grateful we are. Our boys' lives have changed, they are not the same."

Said Paul: "Those words from those parents meant as much to my son as winning a game."