BYU football: LaVell Edwards to receive top football award

FORT WORTH — The National College Football Awards Association announced that legendary BYU football coach LaVell Edwards is the 2009 recipient of the NCFAA Contributions to College Football Award.

Edwards, who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004, will be honored live on The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards on Thursday, Dec. 10, from 5-7 p.m. (MST) on ESPN.

The 2009 season marks the 25th anniversary of Brigham Young University's 1984 national championship team. That season, Edwards guided the Cougars to a perfect 13-0 record and was named the national coach of the year by the American Football Coaches Association and the Football Writers Association of America.

During his coaching career, BYU's offense produced over 100,000 passing yards as Edwards helped develop four All-American quarterbacks: Marc Wilson, Jim McMahon, Steve Young and Ty Detmer.

Edwards retired after the 2000 season with 257 career victories, making him the sixth all-time winningest coach in the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A). The Cougars won the Western Athletic Conference title in 20 of Edwards' 29 seasons in Provo, and the football stadium at BYU, originally known as Cougar Stadium, was renamed in his honor at the conclusion of the 2000 season.

— Staff and wire services