Jim McMahon grateful to receive a Royal honor

ROY — Headbands and sunglasses were in abundance Friday at Roy High School.

So was plenty of adoration and appreciation for a former Roy High athlete who went on to become a football superstar.

And after many years away from a place he once called "home," Jim McMahon — the charismatic man who made those headband and sunglasses accessories mighty popular — was glad to be back.

McMahon, a multi-sports star for the Royals back in 1975-77, returned to his alma mater this weekend to be enshrined into the Royal Athletic Hall of Honor. The school officially retired his No. 9 jersey during a halftime ceremony of Friday night's Roy-Box Elder football game.

They got the party started with an hour-long assembly on Friday morning, where filmed highlights of many of McMahon's most heroic moments were shown to the Royal student body, faculty, family and friends. His old college coach, BYU's legendary LaVell Edwards, made an appearance and a short speech at halftime of Friday's game, where Jim's parents Jim Sr. and Roberta, girlfriend Laurie, his sister and brother-in-law, many of his high school coaches and longtime friend Pat Hanley were among those on hand to help honor the former Roy High great.

"Jim McMahon was one of the greatest quarterbacks we've ever had around here," Edwards told the standing-room-only crowd. "Congratulations to Jim and his family and to Roy High School for recognizing him, and to his old high school coach, Ernie Jacklin, who got him ready to come to BYU and do some great things for us."

McMahon, 52, was grateful for the love and support shown to him since he returned to his old high school stomping grounds.

"It's been a great couple of days for my folks and myself," he said. "I thank you all very much for supporting us, and I thank the city of Roy for the outpouring of love and support they've shown us.

"I also want to thank my college coach, LaVell Edwards, for putting up with me for five years, and thank the guy who taught me how to play quarterback at BYU, Gifford Nielsen (who also attended Friday's game).

"I was here for two years and had a great time here," McMahon said of his Roy roots. "We won a lot of ballgames, not only in football, but we did well in basketball and baseball, too. We went to the state playoffs and had a pretty good athletic program when I was here.

"To have your number retired and knowing it won't be worn again … it's a great honor. That's going to be up there forever, as long as the school is here, and to be remembered like that is always nice."

One of his old high school teammates was Fred Fernandes, now in his first year of trying to resurrect a Roy High football program which hasn't had a winning season in nearly two decades.

"It's good to see Freddie; I haven't seen Freddie in 30 years," McMahon said. "He was a sophomore my senior year, and he was my receiver, he was my catcher and a great ballplayer. I'm glad to see him back here getting these guys going again."

McMahon, who graduated from Roy in 1977, is regarded as one of the Royals' greatest all-around athletes ever after a stellar two-year career during which he starred in football, basketball and baseball.

Then it was on to a record-setting collegiate career at BYU, where he re-wrote the NCAA record book and engineered the Cougars' memorable "Miracle Bowl" victory over SMU before embarking on an NFL career in which he and his Chicago Bears teammates performed a memorable Super Bowl shuffle on their way to winning the NFL championship in 1985.

He has rarely returned to Roy, or to Utah, since then. But he seemed sincerely touched by Friday's tribute.