What Andy Reid thinks of Tom Holmoe’s legacy, BYU football’s success and Cougar quarterback Jake Retzlaff
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What Andy Reid thinks of Tom Holmoe’s legacy, BYU football’s success and Cougar quarterback Jake Retzlaff
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid speaks at a press conference before the Governor's State of Sport Awards at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 4, 2025. Reid, a former BYU player and coach, is this year's Governor's State of Sport Awards' special guest. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Brandon Judd·Deseret News
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12 min read
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Andy Reid goes way back with Tom Holmoe.
The two played football together in college, suiting up for Hall of Fame head coach LaVell Edwards as BYU football players in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Their careers crossed paths again when Holmoe was playing in the NFL for the San Francisco 49ers and Reid was an offensive line coach at San Francisco State in the mid-'80s.
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Their paths have crossed plenty of times since then as well. That makes Reid, the longtime NFL head coach, an informed expert on the legacy of BYU's longtime athletic director who is set to retire later this year.
"I have a ton of respect for Tom," Reid said about Holmoe before the 13th annual Governor's State of Sport Awards ceremony Friday evening at the Delta Center, where Reid was a special guest.
During those days in San Francisco, Holmoe spent some time as a practice squad player with the 49ers, and during that stretch he would coach with Reid at San Francisco State on game days, the Kansas City Chiefs three-time Super Bowl champion head coach shared.
"He's had a phenomenal career. Things he's done for BYU are just off the charts. I'm so glad that he stuck around to guide them into that new phase, with that new conference."
That gave Reid the impetus to try to get Holmoe into coaching. It worked for a while, and Holmoe eventually became head coach of the Cal football team.
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Holmoe's true love, though, was in administration. Turns out, Holmoe found that role at their alma mater, BYU.
He was instrumental in leading BYU through leaving the Mountain West Conference and into independence in football and the West Coast Conference in most other sports in 2011.
He was then the linchpin in the Cougars maneuvering into a Big 12 invite a dozen years later.
And now Holmoe is calling it a day. He'll retire as BYU's athletic director, a position he's held since 2005, in August at the end of his current contract.
"He's had a phenomenal career. Things he's done for BYU are just off the charts," Reid said of his longtime friend. "I'm so glad that he stuck around to guide them into that new phase with that new conference."
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The state of sports in Utah
That friendship — and Holmoe's success in two decades as BYU's athletic director — was one of several topics, many of them BYU adjacent, that Reid discussed during a 10-minute media scrum before the State of Sport Awards events kicked off.
Reid was one of the keynote speakers on the night and was honored during the ceremony that also recognized 14 others in categories that ranged from event of the year to team of the year to athletes of the year, from the high school to pro levels.
The night also featured a special homecoming for the Olympians and Paralympians who represented Utah at the Paris 2024 Summer Games.
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It was a venue for Reid, who has deep ties to the Beehive State even though it's been ages since he lived here, to talk about a burgeoning sports market that, in the past year, added an NHL franchise and saw a second Winter Olympics awarded to Salt Lake City.
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid speaks at a press conference before the Governor's State of Sport Awards at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 4, 2025. Reid, a former BYU player and coach, is this year's Governor's State of Sport Awards' special guest. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid speaks at a press conference before the Governor's State of Sport Awards at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 4, 2025. Reid, a former BYU player and coach, is this year's Governor's State of Sport Awards' special guest. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid speaks at a press conference before the Governor's State of Sport Awards at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 4, 2025. Reid, a former BYU player and coach, is this year's Governor's State of Sport Awards' special guest. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Utah Sports Commission President & CEO Jeff Robbins introduces Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid at a press conference before the Governor's State of Sport Awards at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 4, 2025. Reid, a former BYU player and coach, is this year's Governor's State of Sport Awards' special guest. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
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Utah Sports Commission President & CEO Jeff Robbins introduces Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid at a press conference before the Governor's State of Sport Awards at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 4, 2025. Reid, a former BYU player and coach, is this year's Governor's State of Sport Awards' special guest. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid speaks at a press conference before the Governor's State of Sport Awards at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 4, 2025. Reid, a former BYU player and coach, is this year's Governor's State of Sport Awards' special guest. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid speaks at a press conference before the Governor's State of Sport Awards at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 4, 2025. Reid, a former BYU player and coach, is this year's Governor's State of Sport Awards' special guest. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid speaks at a press conference before the Governor's State of Sport Awards at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 4, 2025. Reid, a former BYU player and coach, is this year's Governor's State of Sport Awards' special guest. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
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Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid speaks at a press conference before the Governor's State of Sport Awards at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 4, 2025. Reid, a former BYU player and coach, is this year's Governor's State of Sport Awards' special guest. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid speaks at a press conference before the Governor's State of Sport Awards at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 4, 2025. Reid, a former BYU player and coach, is this year's Governor's State of Sport Awards' special guest. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid speaks at a press conference before the Governor's State of Sport Awards at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 4, 2025. Reid, a former BYU player and coach, is this year's Governor's State of Sport Awards' special guest. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid speaks at a press conference before the Governor's State of Sport Awards at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 4, 2025. Reid, a former BYU player and coach, is this year's Governor's State of Sport Awards' special guest. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
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Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid speaks at a press conference before the Governor's State of Sport Awards at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 4, 2025. Reid, a former BYU player and coach, is this year's Governor's State of Sport Awards' special guest. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Utah Sports Commission President & CEO Jeff Robbins, left, and Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid pose for a photo after a press conference before the Governor's State of Sport Awards at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 4, 2025. Reid, a former BYU player and coach, is this year's Governor's State of Sport Awards' special guest. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid speaks at a press conference before the Governor's State of Sport Awards at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 4, 2025. Reid, a former BYU player and coach, is this year's Governor's State of Sport Awards' special guest. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
"How great is that? I think it's great for the city. I can't put a negative (spin) on it at all, I just think it's so positive," Reid said.
"The hockey team being the latest addition, it's just unbelievable. What they've got going and the future just looks great. The basketball team (the Jazz) has been great. They'll continue on with that, I know, but just to have all the different venues is great for the fans, the sports fanatics in Salt Lake City."
BYU football's success in 2024
Reid's alma mater has contributed to many of the successes the sports community in the state of Utah has enjoyed in the past year. BYU women's track and field/cross country coach Diljeet Taylor was named the State of Sports' Coach of the Year, and a former Cougar, Kenneth Rooks, was named the Olympic Male Athlete of the Year.
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The football team, too, had plenty to cheer about. BYU is coming off an 11-2 season wherein the Cougars finished the year ranked No. 13 in the Associated Press poll, won the Alamo Bowl and were part of a four-way tie atop the Big 12 standings at 7-2.
"I'm a big Kalani (Sitake) fan. I love the way he goes about his business. Tremendous person, great recruiter," Reid said of BYU's football coach who is headed into his 10th season leading the Cougars.
"He's got a huge venue here that he's entering with the new conference. They sure did a nice job with him last year, and I know he'll build off of that."
The Cougars' 2024 campaign was particularly impressive given that BYU was coming off a 5-7 season the year before. Sitake and his staff turned things around in a year, and BYU found itself in the national spotlight for much of the season.
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Reid took notice.
"I had a chance to watch all their games last year. I just saw the way they stepped up this year compared to the year before. They lost a couple of really good players, so they were able to fill in and I thought offensively, defensively and special teams-wise, they did a nice job," he said.
Reid, himself a noted offensive genius, especially praised the Cougars' defense and the work of defensive coordinator Jay Hill.
"The defense really stepped up. I thought really did a nice job with how they presented themselves. That's a tough conference with a lot of speed. They were able to match up and play good, physical football," Reid said.
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"Likewise, on the offensive side, BYU is known for its offense. The defense (at BYU) doesn't get a lot of credit for everything, but they sure deserve that this year."
Reid, who works daily during football season with one of the game's best quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes, also spoke of what he's seen in BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff, the team's starting QB last year who is headed into his senior season.
"He's a good quarterback. Looks like he has real good control over the offense. He's got a good arm, he's mobile, which is a big thing in the National Football League," Reid said of BYU's gunslinger.
"He'll run away from those 300 pounders that sometimes sneak through there and make sure to stay upright the best you can and still get the ball out. He has all that ability."
Brigham Young Cougars quarterback Jake Retzlaff (12) runs onto the field during warmups at the Valero Alamo Bowl in San Antonio on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Supporting BYU athletics as an alum
Reid even ventured into talking about the continued support he has for his alma mater.
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Last month, he was seen cheering on BYU a little closer to his Kansas City home when the Big 12 basketball tournament was held at T-Mobile Center.
Reid was courtside for the BYU men's basketball team's two games.
"I've tried to support them all along since I left. I think they do a heck of a job there," he said. "I mean, obviously they built a nice foundation for myself, my family, having gone there and graduated.
"I'm proud of it. I enjoy it. I think it is important that all the alums get out and support whatever university they went to, in particular BYU."
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2025 Governor's State of Sport Award recipients
Event of the Year: Utah Hockey Club's inaugural game
Highlight of the Year: Winter Games return to Utah
Team of the Year: Utah Archers, Premier Lacrosse League
Coach of the Year: Diljeet Taylor, BYU track and field/cross country
Professional Male Athlete of the Year: Diego Luna, RSL
Professional Female Athlete of the Year: Haley Batten, cycling
Olympic Male Athlete of the Year: Kenneth Rooks, track and field
Olympic Female Athlete of the Year: Winter Vinecki, aerials
Adaptive Male Athlete of the Year: David Blair, track and field
Adaptive Female Athlete of the Year: Alejandra Ibáñez, wheelchair basketball
Collegiate Male Athlete of the Year: JaQuavious Harris, SLCC
Collegiate Female Athlete of the Year: Maile O'Keefe, Utah
High School Male Athlete of the Year: Emerson Geilman, Bountiful
High School Female Athlete of the Year: Emilee Skinner, Ridgeline
