BYU Football Legends Reflect on 1974 Season and Program's Evolution

As BYU football prepares to honor its 1974 team - the program's first bowl squad - on the 50th anniversary of that historic season, two key players from that groundbreaking group joined the Wise Guys to reflect on their experiences and the evolution of Cougar football over the past five decades.

Quarterback Gary Sheide and linebacker Larry Carr, both BYU Hall of Famers, were instrumental in leading the 1974 Cougars to the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma State. While BYU ultimately fell 16-6 in that contest, it marked a significant milestone as the first bowl appearance in program history.

Memories of the 1974 Season

Sheide and Carr shared fond memories of that 1974 campaign, which saw BYU finish 7-4-1 and earn national recognition.

"It doesn't feel like 50 years," Carr remarked. "I still feel like I'm 25, I just don't move like it."

Sheide recalled the team's confidence heading into the Fiesta Bowl matchup with Oklahoma State:

"All week long you're doing activities with or against the other team. Oklahoma State, they were big, they were athletic, and they were cocky. They thought they were just going to walk over us. All week long we just kind of sat back and said 'Yeah, how are we going to compete with you guys? You guys are so good, you're fast, you play in the Big 8.' We're taking that attitude, but deep down we knew - at least I knew and I bet Larry knew too - we were going to beat them. I had no question in my mind we were going to beat them."

Unfortunately for BYU, Sheide was knocked out of the game early, hampering the Cougars' offensive attack. But the defense, led by Carr's 12 tackles, kept things close in the 16-6 defeat.

Pioneering the Passing Game

The 1974 Cougars were at the forefront of revolutionizing college football's offensive approach, utilizing a pass-heavy attack that was uncommon at the time. Sheide threw for over 4,500 yards and 45 touchdowns in his two seasons at BYU, helping usher in the program's reputation as a quarterback factory.

"We were doing something that hadn't been done before," Sheide noted. "Somebody had to do it and it was BYU and it was us."

That prolific passing game helped BYU earn its first-ever AP Top 25 ranking during the 1974 season. The Cougars climbed as high as 15th in the polls.

Defensive Dominance

While the offense garnered headlines, Carr anchored an underrated BYU defense. The hard-hitting linebacker racked up an astounding 390 tackles over just 30 career games - an average of 13 per contest. He also snagged 8 interceptions, an impressive total for a linebacker.

Carr credited defensive coordinator Fred Whittingham for maximizing his abilities:

"I am not the athlete that a lot of linebackers have been. I was probably the slowest linebacker that's ever played at BYU, or at least has started at BYU. But following Fred, coaching his game plan, and well I didn't graduate because I spent the whole season in the film room. I just with his coaching and studying the films, I couldn't make a mistake. I couldn't afford it, I wasn't fast enough to make up for that. So I had to make a perfect read and Fred made a very average athlete into a successful player."

Program Growth Since 1974

Both Sheide and Carr marveled at how far BYU football has come in the 50 years since their playing days. Among the developments that have surprised them most:

• LaVell Edwards Stadium now seats over 63,000 fans
• BYU has its own TV network broadcasting worldwide
• The program won a national championship in 1984
• Ty Detmer captured the Heisman Trophy in 1990
• BYU has now played in 40 total bowl games
• The Cougars are joining the Big 12 Conference

"Success breeds success," Sheide observed. "I know when Marc Wilson came to BYU, he told me 'Gary, the reason I went there is because of you.' You had success and I wanted to do the same thing. And I think that's gone through the whole system. The BYU quarterbacks that we've had there leading the teams, just success breeds success."

Challenges Facing Modern College Football

While proud of BYU's growth, both former players expressed some concerns about the current state of college football, particularly regarding player compensation and transfers.

"My senior year I was married, but I was married actually my sophomore year and we got $165 a month total. And my wife had to go to work, but she got pregnant and had a baby. So we were living off the training table, $165 a month and student loans," Carr recalled. "It was a struggle, it was a real struggle. And to see these guys going for the top dollar, to make the kind of money that they're making, that's surprising. It's like the wild west out there."

Sheide added: "You look at Coach Saban over there at Alabama. I mean, he retired because he got tired of hearing the players come to him and tell them what they wanted to do and what money they wanted to make and all that sort of thing. It's totally different than how it's been in the past."

Both agreed some form of regulation may be needed to create more stability. "Right now the NFL and the NBA and Major League Baseball are way more regulated than college sports," Carr noted.

Excitement for 50th Anniversary Celebration

Despite their concerns about the modern game, Sheide and Carr expressed great enthusiasm for this weekend's 50th anniversary celebration of the 1974 team. The group will gather for a reunion dinner on Friday night before being honored on the field during Saturday's season opener against Sam Houston State.

"It's going to be great seeing everybody and catching up," Carr said. "It was an intense time together and it will be like we haven't been apart. I mean, it really will seem like that."

Sheide added: "Walking down that field on Saturday with the team that was the first bowl team, it's going to be so special. I don't know what we're going to do - we're going to put arms around each other. It'll just be a memory that will come back and be very special."

For these BYU legends, it's a well-deserved moment in the spotlight - a chance to celebrate their pioneering accomplishments that helped lay the foundation for 50 years of Cougar football success. As Sheide put it:

"When you create a first, which we did - we were the first BYU bowl team - it's something that's very special and it stays with you the rest of your life. No matter what anybody else does, nobody else can lay claim to being the first bowl team for BYU."

As BYU embarks on a new era in the Big 12 Conference, taking time to honor those who helped build the program into a national brand seems especially fitting. The 2023 Cougars will look to channel some of that 1974 magic as they kick off their season under the lights at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

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