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Football fans on campus say they have great respect for the Kansas City Chiefs' coach

Kansas City Chiefs' head coach Andy Reid celebrates while standing next to a couple of his players
Photo by The Associated Press

As Superbowl LIV came to a close, the Kansas City Chiefs won with eight minutes left in the game, snatching a comeback by scoring 21 points in the fourth quarter beating the San Francisco 49ers. The winning team’s coach, Andy Reid, celebrated the victory with the Chiefs winning their first Lombardi trophy in 50 years.

Reid, born in Los Angeles, California, is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and has been the Kansas City Chiefs’ head coach since 2013. According to the BYU Cougars football team’s official website, Reid played on the BYU football team between the years 1978 to 1980.

According to Sportscasting.com, “Andy Reid is one of the most respected coaches in the NFL. He is also one of the highest-paid.” Reid has been in the head coach position since 1999, first with the Philadelphia Eagles and now with the Kansas City Chiefs.

KSL.com reported Andy Reid was a Cougar offensive lineman from 1978-80 and a graduate assistant in 1982.

He became the third BYU alumnus to win a Super Bowl as a head coach. He joins Mike Holmgren, for whom he worked on the offensive staff as an assistant with the Packers in the 1997 Super Bowl, and former BYU tight end Brian Billick, who led the Ravens to the 2001 title.

A BYU-Hawaii student from Missouri shared his impression after watching his home state win the Superbowl.

Stayton Gray, a junior majoring in accounting and finance, grew up supporting the Kansas City Chiefs, and he said he took pride in his hometown football team’s victory.

“I’m very happy I was able to witness the Chiefs win and bring the Lombardi trophy home. I was cut last year when the Patriots stopped us in overtime in the AFC championship.

“There were five of us in total … while we were watching it. My friend who was a 49ers fan decided he was going to be a gentleman about it and not a show-off or anything.

“I went to watch the Superbowl game at his friend’s [house] who lives in one of the Temple View Apartments. I think it was definitely well deserved, I think it was a great game on both sides.”

Gray added his thoughts on head coach Andy Reid.

“Andy Reid is a solid guy. He came once to do a fireside for our stake. He is a convert to the Church and went to BYU to play football.

“I think one thing that is so special about Andy Reid and makes him such a great coach is his ability to adapt to the game plan the other team is following. It’s something we saw in the second half.

“I think out of anyone who played, I think he is the one who deserves the Superbowl the most, because he has the most wins out of any NFL coach who hasn’t won a Superbowl, so he definitely deserves to finally get a ring.”

Gray said he thought the 49ers played good defense and did well in preventing Patrick Mahomes from throwing the long balls.

“The defensive line was so fast in getting to him that he didn’t really have enough time to throw the long balls. They were getting to him so fast. His receiver couldn’t get down to the field and so they had to do a lot of short passes.”

Gray added how the 49ers were good opponents for the Chiefs and said he thought it was a solid game overall.

“I think the great thing about this game is it kind of lived up to the hype. It was the No. 1 defense (49ers) versus the No. 1 offense (Chiefs) and you’re able to see flashes of a great offense and flashes of a great defense.”

Jordan Richards, a junior majoring in business management from New Zealand, said, “I thought the 49ers had it, but their quarterback Garapollo messed it up.

“Mahomes is the man. He just makes unreal real plays. He’s reliable. He makes the crazy passes, makes runs when he needs to run, and he’s got everything you need as a football player.”

A fan of the Patriots shared his point of view about the Superbowl game.

Alex Song, a freshman from California double majoring in exercise and sports science and Hawaiian studies, said, “I thought it was a really good Superbowl … I just thought it was really competitive all the way till the end … and even when the Chiefs were down by 10 points, they still like came back in the game and ended up winning the game by 11 points.

“The Chiefs just had the resolve to go play all four quarters while the 49ers thought they had let it go and it slipped out of their hands.”

Song shared his impression towards the Chiefs’ head coach. “I’ve always liked Andy Reid. He went to BYU, where he started his coaching career. I think that’s where he also got baptized. He’s a really good offensive coach and he’s been to the Superbowl before with the Eagles.

“I know he’s active in the church and he works at the NFL. Same thing with Bryce Harper playing in the MLB and he’s an active member [who] married in the temple a couple of years ago … Whenever I see people like him, I think it’s really cool. That’s what I want to do, work for a sports team as well.”

Song said he is inspired by Andy Reid’s consistent and flexible personality and his effort to still be a member and take care of his family despite being an NFL coach and cope with the high demands of the job. Song said it gives him hope he won’t fall away or be distant from family if he chooses to go into a sports-related job.