Reader comments
BYU football: A father's dream

He was truly an amazing quarterback and he probably deserves to be in the hall of fame. I appreciate BYU's stance however and don't think they should bend the rules for Jim or anyone else. The way is there for him to be honored if he desires it.

So they will put you in the Hall of Fame. You need to be there. I was 9 years old when I saw the Miracle Bowl... I'll vote for you.

I agree McMahon was the best QB at BYU. Young had a great Sr year, he was good prior but not as consistent as McMahon. Detmer had great stats but had more opportunities with an earlier start.
But McMahon was not a great represantative of BYU. He was a poor representative of BYU; he mocked the rules he agreed to and he has bad-mouthed the university. That doesn't make sense why he would have any resentment toward the Y. He is very lucky he wasn't kicked out sooner. I respect the rule to be in the Hall they need to be a graduate as well.
As great as we was he did not put BYU on the map. The ball was already rolling. They had great coaches and as time indicated it was already a great system and he had some very good predecessors.

I'm sure if he went to school for a semester to get those 9 credits and graduate, BYU would gladly induct him into the Hall of Fame.

I'm sure it would provide some amusement for his classmates and the media.

However, what BYU you did to Jim was wrong. They know it, We know it. There is no question about it.

If he isn't willing to complete the degree if they aren't willing to accept his enrollment, they should make an effort for some concessions.

They should right the wrongs, THEY created.

It doesn't make that he would resent BYU? They ignored all his reported rule-breaking as long as it suited them, then kicked him out the moment he was no longer eligible to play football for them--half a semester's worth of credits short of graduation. That seems more than a little self-serving of the Y. I'm a huge BYU fan, but I'm not going to pretend they're faultless.

Jim McMahon was a great quarterback, but he most certainly broke rules left and right. It is a miracle he didn't get kicked out earlier. He failed to graduate, he actually got kicked out, and for that reason alone, he fails to qualify for Hall of Fame or jersey retirement.

However, will all of these years behind him, I'm confident if he chose to fulfill the requirements by applying to BYU and finishing his degree, BYU would allow Holmoe to talk them into letting him finish, as long as he agreed to abide by the honor code.

If McMahon will agree to, and abide by the honor code and finish his degree, why not? But if he refuses, why on earth should BYU give him an honor he didn't deserve, nor did he earn?

Being QB of a Super Bowl Champion team and getting voted into the college hall of fame would seem to rate higher for McMahon than being in the BYU hall of fame.

I was at BYU during his senior year and didn't know he was kicked out following the Holiday bowl...seems like strange timing.

Some things are set in stone at BYU....you can't get a real Diet Coke on campus and you need a degree to get into the hall of fame.

I have two degrees from BYU and would be more than happy to give Jim one!!

McMahon has never pretended to be anyone than who he actually is....if BYU has a true athletic hall of fame they should let him in.....and everyone can just let go of the past....let it go....seems like I heard that in a conference talk once!

McMahon was a great player, no disputing that.
But he was someone who despised the University and its traditions and he openly flaunted his rule-breaking. He also spoke badly of the University many times.
Ok, I hold no grudge against him, but why does he have to blame everything on BYU? What does BYU owe him? If he wanted to be a free spirit and disregard the rules, he ought to be mature enough to realize the consequences.

But if he wants in the hall, it's easy. Get the 9 credits and graduate. Or does he still think the rules don't apply to him..

I'm not sure how much McMahon really cares to be in the BYU hall of fame. I'm sure his father cares, but I don't think there was any love lost between McMahon and the University when he left (or was kicked out or whatever). The guy was an amazing QB, probably one of the best to ever play the college game, but he would have never made it on today's team. Expectations and standards are too high. He would have been successful anywhere, I am sure, and I'm happy that he was a part of our history, but unless he wants to finish his last few credits I think he'll forever be on the outside looking in. Except I don't think he even cares to look in. BYU courses online aren't hard...just ask half of USC's football team!

Maybe helping Jim MacMahon to finish his degree and be admitted to the Cougar Hall of Fame might help to heal some old wounds. He was certainly a fantastic football player during his time at BYU Provo.

He obeyed enough rules,they didn't throw him out so his demeanor shouldn't be a factor. However, he didn't graduate, bottom line, he shouldn't be there unless other non graduates are in there.

All BYU officials knew of the behavior of Jim McMahon's since the beginning of his career at BYU. They all turned their hears. Winning was more important. I know this for a fact. It still happens today in many cases. You think the large portion of young college kids are going to follow such a strict rule with absolutism? Come on what a joke.

If it weren' for Jim McMahon, BYU would not be on the map like it is today. Surely he is not perfect but he did so much for BYU football. It is time BYU stops casting stones and lets the star athlete in as a hall of fame member and retire his jersey. I am sure he is very prideful and just wants to feel appreciated after all he has done for BYU football.

I cannot believe that this is even a topic. But then again nothing surprises me with the behavior of people within religion.

BYU could grant him an Honorary Degree Or he could complete the nine hours via internet for his Father and forget BYU's slight of him. They did not discipline him until he was no longer eligable to play football seems like they got what they wanted and forgot that his education should have come before football. Now days they do make the education of athletes the first priority. I hope for the sake of his Father he just takes the easy rode and knocks out the nine hours in a summer session and BYU places him in the Hall of Fame. Let the past be in the past and Honor your Father. It is obvious your father loves you very much. I hope this will put a little reason into an emotional issue. I am a mom who loves her boys also.

As I recall from one of the history of BYU sports books I have read McMahon cut his losses and disappeared so he wouldn't be kicked out of BYU and hurt his chances of an NFL career. Let's clear this up before any other matters are worked on. There are lots of options for him to finish his nine credits and never set foot on campus if he is interested in one more gift of glory.

Just think Holiday Bowl...BYU/SMU...that was all McMahon...McMahon should have been MVP of the Bears win over the Patriots in the Superbowl. I don't know that he'll ever get his due, but he is hands down the best quarterback BYU ever had. Nobody comes close. So Jim, if you're reading this, just suck it up a teeny tiny bit, finish your nine hours and get your due. You never know, you might find an avalanche of support. A lot of people (including me) loved you at BYU.

Great QB...no question. Bad attitude...no question. In one of his very first press conferences after leaving BYU, Jim's opening gesture was to hold up a cup of coffee to the camera and say "finally", to which everyone in the press corp laughed. It's not about the coffee. It's about the deliberate lack of integrity/respect that he loved to put on display. I was a student athlete at the same time Jim was there. I saw it all. If he wants the honor than he should finally show some respect for the institution that gave him the opportunity, comply with the long standing rule and finish his degree. You would think that after all these years a little humility and gratitude would have developed. We all bent the rules enough for Jimmy Boy back in the day. If I had a vote, I would say we don't do it again.

I was always most in awe of McMahon. He was a magician out there. And, of course, he was the one who FINALLY broke the bowl loss streak with the miracle bowl victory. Only a guy like McMahon could have pulled that off. He was definitely BYU's best ever quarterback.

I can sympathize with how he feels about BYU and the way they let him go immediately after they didn't need him any more. I graduated from BYU but not without a tussle with the administraiton. They do not feel like they should be bound by their own policies and promises. Only the students are bound! Amazing. I later attended graduate schools at two other universities. I was very pleased (and surprised) that both schools did exactly what they said they would do -- something I was not accustomed to at BYU.

Apparently Jim McMahon senior fails to recognize the nature of the instituion and what it stands for. Being inducted into the BYU Hall of fame indicates that you hold the same values as BYU and are a true representative of those values.

When living in California Jim McMahon was being interviewed by a reporter. Jim was smoking a cigarette and was asked about that by the reporter. Jim's response was, "What they don't know won't hurt them."

Jim was outspoken in his criticism of BYU and the Church. That is certainly not someone who should be represented in the Hall of Fame.

I expect BYU to stand by its standards and refuse to cave in to this diatribe by his father. Jim McMahon certainly never lived up to his word he signed to follow the rules.

Based on my observations and listening to his statements, in my opinion he is a very talented football player, but one with few scruples and a lack of integrity. Not representative of BYU values and standards.

He was the best QB I ever saw play at that school. I loved that guy. Still do. I hope one day soon if he does not finish his 9 credits, they will retire the jersey. That should happen. BYU has a new way of retiring a jersey, and this should have already happened for Mac. Thanks Mac for all the good memories.

Jim McMahon is the luckiest guy in the world. I'm not sure that he fully recognizes that....but, he should. I'm sure that there isn't a father out there, who wouldn't do exactly the same thing, given similar cercumstances. Having lost my own father years ago (1995), I can tally up a whole laundry list of woulda's, shoulda's and coulda's that I would gladly correct if given the chance.

MAC, if I could stand before you today and again share a conversation with you..it would be to let you know that you have a lot more friends and fans out here, than you could possibly imagine. They too, want very much to see this happen..... But, we're not asking you to do it for us........do it for the Old Man......