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Bears' Crowton Bolts For BYU

December 7, 2000 / 12:40 AM EST / CBS/AP

Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Gary Crowton was hired Wednesday night as Brigham Young's new coach, ending months of speculation about if he would succeed the retired LaVell Edwards.

It marks a homecoming for Crowton, who grew up in Orem, Utah, just outside Provo. He landed a job he had coveted since his days as a high school quarterback, where one of his receivers was BYU athletic director Val Hale.

"It took me 15 years to get back here," Crowton said at a news conference. "I've been all over the country. I've lived in 14 or 15 different houses."

Crowton, 43, has been offensive coordinator of the Bears for two seasons. He spent three years before that as coach at Louisiana Tech and made stops as an assistant at Georgia Tech and Boston College.

"It's a great hire," Edwards said. "I felt good about it all along."

Hale took a flight Wednesday to Chicago, where he picked up Crowton after the Bears' practice.

Bears coach Dick Jauron said Crowton won't return for Chicago's final three games. With the Bears mired at 3-10, quarterbacks coach John Shoop will call the plays instead.

It might have been a good time for Crowton to leave. The Bears have scored one touchdown in the past 18 quarters and they rank 25th in the NFL in passing, 29th in scoring and 20th in scoring.

Crowton was a perfect match for BYU's search criteria. He is a Mormon church member in good standing. He also met the school's request for someone with experience as a Division I head coach.

Hale also said Crowton, the father of six children, scored with the search committee because of his exciting passing offenses, his success with athletes in the classroom and his status as a former Mormon missionary.

"He's got everything we wanted in a head coach at BYU," Hale said.

For months Crowton was mentioned in news reports as the top candidate, but school officials wouldn't discuss prospective coaches until Edwards retired after BYU's season-ending victory at Utah last month.

Crowton said he spoke informally with Hale during a round of golf in Provo last summer. But Crowton emphasized that his focus for months has been on the Bears, and he didn't seriously look at BYU until formal discussions last month.

The job was offered late last week, and Crowton said he decided to accept it after the Bears lost to the Green Bay Packers 28-6 on Sunday.

"The NFL is neat. It's the top of our profession," Crowton said. "There's nowhere to go past the NFL but on the same token it's not the most important thing in life."

Crowton is expected to earn some $200,000 annually, a significant cut from an NFL salary that has been reported as high as $1 million. But he said his church membership and the chance to return home made it a good choice.

"That's not what it's about, the money," he said. "You have to understand I'm in a little room most of the time, looking at film. You don't have any time to spend the money you have."

Crowton was 21-13 in three seasons at Louisiana Tech from 1996-98, his only head coaching job. His best season was 9-2 in 1997 and he became known for his high-powered passing offenses.

He broke into coaching as a graduate assistant under Edwards in 1982.

Edwards was 257-101-3 in 29 seasons in Provo, ranking sixth on the NCAA's career victories list. His innovative offenses made the passing game a viable threat at a time when many teams were running the wishbone or the option.

"I'm not LaVell Edwards. I tried my imitation on the sidelines, and I'm not him," Crowton said to laughs as he crossed his arms and frowned. "I've learned from him. I've watched his contributions. I'm just thankful for the opportunity to follow him."

Among 11 other candidates considered by BYU included assistants Lance Reynolds and Ken Schmidt, Tennessee Titans assistant George Henshaw, Alabama quarterbacks coach Charlie Stubbs and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Danny White.