On This Day: BYU Football Secures First Win 100 Years Ago
Nov 14, 2022, 3:14 PM
BYU Football mascot Cosmo carries a flag at LaVell Edwards Stadium. (Jaren Wilkey/BYU Photo)
(Jaren Wilkey/BYU Photo)
PROVO, Utah – On this day, 100 years ago, BYU football won its first game.
BYU football defeated Rocky Mountain Conference rival Wyoming 7-0 on November 14, 2022. The Pokes did get revenge later on November 30 of that season, 13-0, but on November 14, it was a celebratory win for BYU, which had fought hard to get football back on campus.
Follow “A Century Of Cougar Football” on KSL Podcasts to learn more about BYU’s first season in 1922.
Eugene L. Roberts helped bring BYU football back
In the episode titled “The Origins,” I explored those early days of BYU football. From the false start in the 19th century to the fight to bring it back. Eugene L. Roberts was an influential person to help get BYU back to the gridiron. A former player during the 19th century, Roberts was the school’s athletic director in the 1920s.
In 1919, BYU announced that a football team would return to the university. It was going to be a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, along with schools such as the University of Utah, Utah State University, Wyoming, University of Colorado, Colorado School of Mines, and others.
To prepare for football’s grand return at BYU, Roberts toured Big Ten universities to get an idea of what it would take to have a successful football program.
Introducing…
🔵A Century Of Cougar Football🔵#BYU football began in 1922 with humble beginnings. Now the Cougars are set for launch into the @Big12Conference.
Follow the podcast on @kslsports.
🎧: https://t.co/H2fqlcSqML#BYUFootball pic.twitter.com/1zWAulhmsD
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) October 14, 2022
In 1922, the success was not immediate. BYU’s only win was against Wyoming 100 years ago today. That season, BYU only scored 10 points, with 70% of the scoring coming in the win over the Pokes. But the program continued to evolve.
On this day: November 14, 1922 – BYU 7, Wyoming 0
Today, BYU is one of the winningest programs in college football over the last 50 years. The groundwork was laid in those humble beginnings when BYU was fielding a team with quarterback Lavonia “Boney” Fuller, who is probably more known these days for his cult following on social media. Who doesn’t love a good Boney Fuller meme?
A century ago, BYU celebrated the first official victory in the football program’s history.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.
