College football has lost one of its icons.
Former BYU coach Lavell Edwards died on Thursday at the age of 86. Edwards spent 29 seasons as the coach at BYU, compiling a record of 257-101-3 in that time. That includes a national title in 1984, and that 1984 BYU team remains the last team from outside one of today's Power Five conferences to win a national title. Aside from the national title, Edwards also won 20 conference titles.
Edwards' 257 victories rank fifth all-time for wins among FBS coaches. The only two coaches with more wins at one school are Joe Paterno at Penn State (409) and Bobby Bowden at Florida State (304).
While those stats speak for themselves, they don't truly capture the impact Edwards, elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004, had on the game as a whole.
During an era when the option wasn't just an offense you saw at service academies, it was Edwards running a wide-open passing attack at BYU. It was a precursor to the spread and Air Raid offenses that are so prevalent today.
