placed on academic suspension or at least probation for flunking out that last fall semester:

From "And They Came to Pass":

"As a student-athlete, McMahon downplayed the student part. He didn't go to BYU to go to class, he went to play football. Classwork was a necessary evil. During his third year, when he redshirted, he barely took any classes. The twelve hours he took the fall of his senior year all ended up as in-completes. Still, with a natural intelligence and the need to complete enough hours each semester to stay eligible for football, by the time he'd thrown his last pass as a Cougar in the Holiday Bowl of 1981, he was within one semester of graduating."