Mendenhall, Crowton remain friends off field — foes on it

LAS VEGAS — Sporting that patented stoic look, Bronco Mendenhall stood in the Cougar Room inside LaVell Edwards Stadium with tears streaming down his face.

It was Dec. 1, 2004, the day of Gary Crowton's final news conference at BYU. Crowton had resigned under pressure after three straight losing seasons and Mendenhall, the Cougars' defensive coordinator, hurt for his friend. Crowton's dream job, coaching BYU, was over.

"I watched and I was very impressed, in a very difficult situation, how coach Crowton remained dignified, remained consistent and spoke from his heart," Mendenhall recalled. "He had done his best. I thought there was grace and class. It was a situation handled very well and I'm not sure anyone else could understand how well he handled that. As an assistant coach and as coach Crowton's friend, and someone who's learned a lot from him over the years, all the way back to my playing days, it was difficult to watch."

Two years later, Mendenhall and Crowton meet again under much different circumstances as BYU faces Oregon in the Las Vegas Bowl. Mendenhall is the Cougar coach and Crowton is the Ducks' offensive coordinator.

"I'm glad he's having success," Mendenhall said of Crowton. "It doesn't surprise me. I think he's acknowledged as one of the best offensive minds in the country and has been for quite some time. That's really how he should be considered."

Crowton resigned with two years remaining on his contract, but BYU paid him for the life of the deal. He received his final check from the school in November. Crowton would like to sever all other ties with BYU by beating the Cougars Thursday night at Sam Boyd Stadium.

But his relationship with Mendenhall remains strong.

Crowton and Mendenhall forged a friendship dating back to their days at Snow College in the mid-1980s. At the time, Crowton was an assistant coach and Mendenhall was a player.

Later, they coached together at Louisiana Tech and, in 2003, Crowton hired Mendenhall away from New Mexico as BYU's defensive coordinator. Crowton has long been impressed with Mendenhall's attributes.

"He's all business. He's not going to say anything that's not for the betterment of the program," Crowton said. "He's thorough. His players are going to be conditioned well and they will play hard. That's why I hired him. I wanted him to turn the defense around. He doesn't waver. He stands steadfast in his endeavors to be successful."