Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid spoke with the media on a Friday afternoon regarding the death of his former college coach and mentor, LaVell Edwards. Edwards passed away on a Thursday at the age of 86 at his home in Provo, Utah.
Edwards was a coaching legend who achieved more than 250 wins at BYU, including 19 conference championships and two national coach of the year honors. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004.
Reid described Edwards as a person who was great with people and noted that Edwards had influenced him both as a player and a coach. Reid stated that he spoke with Edwards on the phone every week.
The relationship between Reid and Edwards began at BYU, where Edwards noticed Reid's ability to understand the concepts and reasons behind plays rather than just his individual assignments. Edwards recalled that Reid would often help teammates understand how to pick up certain blitzes during practice.
Before entering coaching, Reid had considered becoming a doctor or a writer. During his time at BYU, he minored in English and wrote a weekly column for the Provo Daily Herald. Reid eventually became a graduate assistant football coach for BYU in 1982 after Edwards asked him if he had ever thought about coaching.
