was serious pessimism spread through nearly all the fanbase. Many thought BYU couldn't compete anymore without recruiting guys who wouldn't think of keeping the honor code.

The church was very embarrassed by a couple of the scandals. They weren't run of the mill athletes committing violations. They were the kind of thing that, at that time anyway, still would embarrass most schools. And that includes the defenses to criminal charges being highly embarrassing.

There was talk among church leaders of BYU dropping football or dropping down a division. LaVell was asked if BYU could still compete without embarrassing the church. If he had said, "No," those discussions would have gained real intensity.

Bronco's job involved restoring the honor code abiding image of BYU. That was a huge part of it. That he was able to navigate that and produce some top 25 teams saved our program as far as having hope it can represent the church and be Top 25 in the future.