BYU Football: Historic Cotton Bowl Win Remembered, 25 Years Later

The 1996 BYU football team won the Cotton Bowl against Kansas State. It was LaVell Edwards' 25th team as the head coach at BYU. The team is considered one of the greatest in BYU history. They are the only team to play in a New Year's Day bowl game.

BYU won the Southwestern Bell Cotton Bowl 25 years ago. The team was upset with the Bowl Alliance because they picked Texas over them. The WAC had tie-ins to the Holiday Bowl and Cottonbowl. It was the first New Year's Day bowl appearance for the Cougars. They were motivated to prove the Alliance wrong.

BYU won the Cotton Bowl 25 years ago. They were the conference champion and No. 5 in the rankings. The Wildcats finished third in Big 12 North Division.

BYU was a big storyline heading into the bowl season. Steve Sarkisian graced the cover of TV Guide with a headline of “Cougars Roar” to preview the season's coverage.

The 1997 Cotton Bowl is a classic representation of college football. Bill Snyder took over a K-State program that averaged two wins per season before his arrival on the opposing sideline. He got K State to become a regular fixture in the bowl season in less than five years. For BYU, Edwards was one of the most respected men in all of College Football.

K-State players didn't show any respect for BYU during the Cotton Bowl festivities. The Wildcats are playing in their first New Year's Day Bowl Game.

BYU couldn't sell out its allotment of 12,500 tickets for the Cotton Bowl. Kansas State fans set a Cottonbowl record with more than 40,000 fans.

The 1996 BYU football team was loaded with talent. Steve Sarkisian was the Sammy Baugh Award winner. The offensive line featured freshman star John Tait, Eric Bateman, and Larry Moore. On defense, Shay Muirbrook was a heart and soul of a group that played with attitude. For Kansas State, they were led by future NFL players Kevin Lockett and Chris Canty. They were also led at quarterback by journeyman Brian Kavanagh. He was also a defensive back.

BYU won the Cotton Bowl 25 years ago. K-State took an early lead. The game was close until the last 10 minutes. It was a defensive comeback for the Cougars. Omarr "The Blanket" Morgan made a crucial interception in the end to seal the win. He was later inducted into the Hall of Fame. They won. Their last game against another Big 12 team was against Texas Tech. In that game, Sarkisian connected with James Dye and K.O.Kealaluhi.

The 1997 Cotton Bowl victory for BYU is one of the great moments in program history. It was the last bowl victory of LaVell's time as head coach. BYU became the first team to win 14 games in a season.