One of the newest capital projects on campus is erecting a new broadcast facility. BYU television, combined with new technology, including the Internet, provides "unlimited potential" for exposure world wide.

It was one of the most bizarre periods in BYU athletics, the firing of Gary Crowton and the hiring of Bronco Mendenhall in late 2004. It was a couple of weeks of changing tides, and Skousen describes it as a time of intensity.

"We courted Kyle, of course, and we had some starts and stops, some false starts here and there a little bit, but fortunately we were working with quality people all along," said Skousen.

At one point, Whittingham, a former Cougar captain, teammate of Holmoe and initial candidate, had orally committed to replace Crowton pending "working out" things in his mind. That changed within hours, and BYU then looked hard at longtime assistant coach Lance Reynolds.

Folks on campus had started plans for an announcement for Reynolds before further interviews changed the tide once more for Mendenhall, a loyal friend Crowton had brought to campus.

"With Gary Crowton, I think he is an outstanding person and a very good coach. It just wasn't working for him to be head coach and running the program, so we felt we had to make a change. That proved to be a good decision, but it wasn't an easy decision when dealing with very good people."

Mendenhall still had raw feelings over Crowton's dismissal when he interviewed. "He was so loyal to Gary that he didn't represent himself as well as he did later on in the process when we came back for a second look. We really thought Kyle was the one we wanted to go for. And in the process of interviewing and all, that didn't turn out. When we had to look at it again, we settled on Bronco and had Lance as a very good candidate as well, but we believe we were directed to the right choice in the end. It just took us a little longer to get there."

President Samuelson likes to joke about that hire, said Skousen. "He says, 'Well, even the Saints had to wander around a little and get to Nauvoo before they came back West.'"

Said Skousen, "You don't always know the paths you are going down are the right ones, but looking back, you can see it pretty clearly. We were helped to do the right thing, and it has worked out. Bronco has blossomed as our head coach, and we couldn't be more pleased."

Back-to-back football and basketball titles are rare, but Skousen believes both short- and long-term, BYU's athletic programs will continue to succeed. "We have the leadership in Tom, and the coaches and athletes to continue to be aligned with what the university is trying to do."

Long term?