BYU football: Morrell, Matich remember two fallen teammates

PROVO — To this day, Kyle Morrell is haunted by a phone conversation he had with his former BYU teammate, Mark Allen, a few years ago.

In 1984, Morrell and Allen played in a defensive backfield that helped lead BYU to the national championship. More than 20 years later, Morrell learned that Allen was suffering from a brain tumor and was fighting for his life. Morrell called his friend, who lived in southern California.

"Kyle, I want to see you," Allen said, barely able to talk. "Will you come and see me?"

Morrell promised he would. But about one month later, in July 2006, Allen died at age 46. Failing to make good on that promise is something Morrell regrets deeply.

"As life goes, you get busy with family and other things and I didn't go down and see him," says Morrell, who lives in Farmington. "It haunts me to this day.

"I even have nightmares about it. Not to sound corny or religious or anything like that, but I felt him come to me at night and say, 'Hey, Kyle, it's OK that you didn't come down. I'll see you again. Don't worry about it.'

"It gives me some comfort, but it really bothers me that I gave him my word and I didn't keep my word," Morrell said. "Mark was a real good friend of mine. We were really close. It breaks my heart that I didn't take time to spend a few hundred dollars to fly down before he passed away."

Allen, a cornerback, was a key contributor on that '84 defense, leading the Cougars in interceptions (four) and pass breakups (10) as a senior. In the season-opening win at Pittsburgh, Allen recorded two picks and a pass break-up along with five tackles.

Morrell, who played safety, remembers Allen as "a fun-loving, southern California kid. He always had a big smile in the huddle. He was always smiling and giggling. He'd come to the huddle and say, 'Did you see the hit I put on that guy, Kyle?' I'd say, 'No, I wasn't watching you.'

"Everyone on the team loved him. We called him 'Bones' because he was so skinny. He could cover people like no other. If you looked at him in street clothes, you'd think, 'There's no way this guy could play Division I football.' But I'll tell you one thing, he sacrificed his body and he's one of the greatest one-on-one cover guys I've ever seen," Morrell said.

After his career at BYU, Allen was a successful businessman, operating several mortgage companies in Orange County.

Allen and his wife, Sandra, named their only son Kyle in honor of Morrell.