‘A culmination of 40, 50 years of twists and turns’: How BYU finally got into a Power Five conference
Brigham Young University's athletic director of 18 years, Tom Holmoe, summed up the feelings of BYU sports fans everywhere when he said Saturday will be a “day of celebration."
Tonight at midnight, BYU will become a member of a Power Five conference, the Big 12.
“You have heard me say this before: It’s the culmination of 40, 50 years of twists and turns, and hard work,” Holmoe said Monday. “Not just for BYU football and basketball, but all of BYU athletics. … It is the day we are finally, officially, in.”
How did the Cougars get here? That question has been asked and answered over and over again since the invitation finally came on Sept. 10, 2021. But it is worth delving into again, Holmoe said, as a way to pay tribute to the thousands and thousands of student-athletes, coaches, administrators, fans, donors and supporters who laid the groundwork for the invitation.
Holmoe’s most recent answer to that question: “I think it was more about consistency over time and making an impression on a lot of people throughout the country that BYU is a really good athletic program, and school."
Because football, and television revenue derived from football, has driven conference realignment the past half-century, the genesis of BYU’s drive for a bigger conference has to be traced back to legendary football coach LaVell Edwards, who wasn’t wildly successful his first few seasons, but gained steamed and reached the pinnacle in 1984 when BYU won the national championship in football.
Read more about how LaVell's legacy paved the way for a Big 12 entry and why BYU was prepared when the call came.
Becky Edwards - a former member of the Utah House of Representatives (2008-2018), unsuccessful U.S. Senate candidate (2022) and former social worker.
Bruce Hough - the national committeeman of the Republican Party of Utah, former Utah GOP chairman and founder of Nutraceutical Corporation.
The Utah Democratic, United Utah, Libertarian and Constitution parties have also selected nominees to participate in the special election, but they face an uphill climb in the race as the 2nd Congressional District, which includes areas of Davis County, Salt Lake County and most of southern Utah, is considered a safe Republican seat — in 2022, Stewart beat his Democratic challenger for reelection 60% to 34%.
While Maloy carries the advantage of having a convention win at her back, recent controversy over the status of her state voter registration at the time she entered the race may have thrown a bit of a wet blanket on Saturday's surprise victory.
So might the fact that she will almost certainly not be able to advance to the general election without first having to face off against two well-resourced and well-connected candidates, whose familiarity with primary dynamics and state party organization make them formidable challengers.
Edwards and Hough, who both performed poorly in the convention vote, are seeking to place their names on a primary ballot via the signature-gathering route. Thursday morning, Edwards submitted her first batch of signatures, barely meeting the 7,000 signature threshold and initiating a process of signature verification which will likely result in her needing more signatures to replace those that are discarded.
If Hough or Edwards gather enough valid signatures, the Republican Party will hold a special primary election on Sept. 5. A special general election to decide who will replace Stewart will be held Nov. 21.
Read more about the controversy surrounding Maloy's voter registration and Edwards' and Hough's rushed efforts to gather signatures.
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