More than anything, Tyler knows what BYU did for his dad.

"When my dad graduated from high school, they were so excited to get rid of him and have BYU take him over so he could be BYU's problem," Tyler says. "When he got here, he was a punk kid. Through LaVell, meeting my mom and being at BYU, he's changed his life. He served as first counselor in the bishopric. He's been on the high council and he's put four sons out on missions. This experience he had at BYU turned him from the little boy that he was into the man he is now.

"Growing up, we didn't really have the option to go anywhere else. It was just BYU from the time we were young."

While there was a time when football meant everything to Glen Kozlowski, his perspective has changed dramatically.

"I'm happy Tyler is getting the BYU experience. I'm happy he's at BYU. It's a great school," Glen said.

"As far as playing football, I didn't really care if my sons played football or not. I had two things I wanted them to do: go on a mission and get married in the temple. My sons have done a good job with that. Playing football is a bonus. It took Tyler two years to get a scholarship. He tried out on the second day of school with 200 kids and they kept three. He was one of the three. He did it the hard way, the old-fashioned way.

"I get a kick out of watching my son run out onto the field, the same field I played on," Glen said. "I enjoy those moments. I don't care if he's a star player or not. Just the fact that he's on the team and has worked himself to the point where he's gotten a scholarship. He he went on a mission and served an honorable mission. Those are things I'm proud of."

THURSDAY: Looking back at the game that clinched the national championship — the 1984 Holiday Bowl.

e-mail: jeffc@desnews.com