1984 revisited: A team led by warriors believed 1984 would be special before it began

Editor’s note: Fourth in a series exploring BYU’s 1984 national football championship.
Lee Johnson could feel the weight of the 1984 BYU football season right before kickoff of the first game at No. 3-ranked Pittsburgh.
Johnson, currently assistant development director in BYU’s athletic department, spent 18 seasons in the NFL as a punter. The thing about punters, they have a lot of time to observe their football surroundings and absorb nuances of what makes a team tick.
“Something happened in the locker room before the game at Pitt, our season opener,” said Johnson. “We were coming in with a new quarterback, and brought a whole new offensive system to that season. Our year started on the road at the third-ranked team in the country.”
Adding even more intrigue, it was the first-ever regular-season college football game televised by ESPN.
“I remember the captains gathering us around right before the game and they acknowledged we were starting off against one of the top-ranked teams in the country and how important it was to win that game because if we got through that game, it would kind of catapult us the possibility of an undefeated season.”
The captains? Safety Kyle Morrell, defensive lineman Jim Herrmann, linebacker Marv Allen, receiver Glen Kozlowski and guard Craig Garrick.
“Garrick spoke specifically about how this game could set up a national championship for us,” Johnson said. “It was expressed that this was the game that could kick off an amazing season. There was real talk of what we could do at the end of the year. As I think back, that was amazing that we talked about something in the pregame locker room that came to fruition.”
Johnson said among his teammates were certain guys with a personality type that stood out. Guys who were fighters, highly competitive, driven men who refused to lose. One was Garrick, who passed away in 2001 following complications from abdominal surgery. He is the brother of current Provo City Mayor Michelle Kaufusi and played for the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets.
Garrick was a battle-worn athlete who underwent seven knee surgeries, and a shoulder surgery. He played with a broken wrist and broken toe during his career. Head coach LaVell Edwards often said Garrick was the heart and soul of the 1984 team.
“I remember Craig played such a huge role on that team,” said Johnson. “He was a warrior. I believe there was no greater voice in any sport than that guy. His ability to do what he did physically with the knee he had was amazing, but his leadership was off the charts. He was a weight room junkie and he led through his strength, his intensity and his smile. He and Kyle Whittingham were buddies and he grew up a local yokel (all-state lineman at Provo High).”
Garrick was inspiration personified. His junior year at Provo High, he played tight end and defensive end. During a game with Springville High, an opposing player crashed into his knee, and it folded like a tent. That was the start of a long medical road for Garrick, but one he fought through and ultimately played at a high level in college and the NFL.
“It was so impressive to me what he could do with his body, which was pretty much his upper body,” Johnson said. “He was a guy you didn’t want to mess with or get sideways with. You didn’t cross him.”
On BYU’s 1984 team, Garrick was the gladiator who entered the arena, got bloodied and wounded, but always got back up, returned to the huddle and said, “We need to give more.”
Morrell also stood out on that 1984 team, said Johnson. He later played for the Minnesota Vikings and on the big stage again proved to be both a human missile and a loose cannon. He had a personality type every team needs, Johnson said.
“He was a crazy man. He was a loose cannon. He was a guy every team needs. He reminds me of why Jason Buck was so amazing. Kyle was Mr. Football. He loved the intensity of the game and believed football was for warriors.
“You hear Kalani Sitake say at times it is only a game, but for Kyle, it was a battle, a war to be won and he refused to be defeated,” Johnson said. “He just wanted to blow up somebody, rip your face off, and take everything he could from you on the field.
“He would take any chance he could get to find an edge and beat an opponent,” he continued. “You saw it in his play and you’d see it in what got him in trouble on and off the field. He just couldn’t turn off that switch. … He is a guy every football team needs. I’m not sure if I’ve seen that kind of guy at BYU in the last 20 years.
“Honestly, it might just be me, but you do need players like Kyle … guys who want to pummel you and to them, it’s just a different brand of football. Kyle wasn’t afraid of anything or anybody. He was willing to do crazy stuff and take a risk like that goal-line dive over the line to stop Raphel Cherry at Hawaii.”
Morrell passed away on Nov. 15, 2020, from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Another so-called warrior spirit was receiver Glen Kozlowski, who would often fight with Morrell in practice because they both refused to give an inch, said Johnson.
These were guys who refused to lose.
“You didn’t mess with Koz. Even in the NFL, Chicago Bears head coach Mike Ditka loved him because you didn’t mess with him or you would pay a price. He would rip your throat out. I’m not sure how many times Koz and Kyle got into it at practice but it was a lot. I knew they admired each other because they both thrived on intensity and the willingness to fight and be disruptive. Koz could turn it off easier than Kyle off the field, but both were super talented,” said Johnson.
The warriors Lee Johnson knew were on a team that never lost. They lifted everyone. They set the tone. They loved the fight and challenge of physical play.
Many of the wins came because these leaders simply refused to be defeated. Johnson believes it began with an attitude and belief right before kickoff of the first game in 1984, three time zones from Provo.