Jim McMahon's Dad Is Pissed At The Mormons

Who had it worse at BYU? McMahon or the brotha behind him? Always bet on black.

Don't let my son into the BYU Hall of Fame? I'll show you. I'll write a letter and shake my fist with impotent rage. If you don't respond, I'll drink a whole pot of black coffee, shake a black person's hand and burn some Donny and Marie 8-tracks. That'll show you.

Jim McMahon's dad knows his time is almost up and he wants the BYU Hall of Fame to induct his son, daggumit! He wrote a letter to BYU Athletic Director Tom Holome and forwarded a copy to the Salt Lake Tribune asking why it has taken so long for his son to be inducted into the hall and have his number retired. He really doesn't want an answer. He already knows it's because Junior isn't Mormon.

Mr. Tom Holmoe,
I am writing this letter to you because it has been bugging me for over 25 years that my son Jim is not in the BYU Hall of Fame and that his jersey has not been retired. I am now 72 years old and I do not have much time left, so I am putting in writing what has been in my heart for the last 27 years.
If Jim had gone to any other university in the United States, his jersey would have been retired and he would have been in their Hall of Fame in 1982. Jim was without a doubt the greatest quarterback ever to wear a BYU jersey. In fact, he was the best quarterback in the history of college football. He set 57 NCAA records, the most records ever set by anyone who ever played the game. This is a feat that was never done before or after him. He has the best winning percentage of any quarterback in the history of BYU. He led BYU to its first bowl win and also its second bowl win. He is the only quarterback with two bowl wins to this day.
Jim was a consensus All-American for two years. Jim was the recipient of the Davey O'Brien award, given to the most outstanding quarterback in the country. Jim was first-team All-WAC for three years. Jim was the most valuable player in the WAC for three years. Jim was named first-team quarterback for the WAC's 25th anniversary team.
Jim was also inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame the first year he was eligible.
But! He is not in the BYU Hall?
How can you explain that? Oh! I know, he did not graduate, and that is one of your requirements. In that case, you will need to take out about 60 percent of the people in your Hall, as they did not all graduate.
If you will take the time to take a poll of all Division I schools and ask them if graduation is a requirement to get into their hall of fame, you would find out that 99.9 percent of them would say it is not. After all, the Hall should be based on their athletic ability, not scholastic ability.
If you go back to see when this rule was put in place, you will find it was put in 1980 or 1981 and is known secretly as the Jim McMahon rule. It was put in as the only way to keep him out of the Hall. To make sure he did not graduate and mess you up, he was suspended from school right after his last game with only nine credits left to graduate.
When he was recruited, the coaching staff assured me and my family that even though he was not a Mormon, he would be treated fairly. Obviously, that was a lie. The university and the Mormon church should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this miscarriage of justice to my son Jim. I can only hope that before I die this miscarriage of justice is corrected and Jim's jersey is retired and he is inducted into your Hall and his name is placed on the ring of honor on your stadium. If this is not done, then you should rename your Hall of Fame the Hall of Shame.
Very Truly Yours,
James F. McMahon

The best quarterback in college football history? That's stretching it a bit but Jim Sr. definitely has a point. How is it that Junior hasn't been inducted into the Hall of Fame or had his number retired? The evidence leads one to think that the letter is onto something.

Junior credited BYU for helping him become an NFL quarterback but also claimed the school never pushed him for the Heisman when his numbers put him up with the best. He ended up finishing fifth and third respectively the two times he was up for the award.

The college and eventual pro great never fit in at the strict, religious institution and was relieved to leave when drafted by the Bears in 1982. As mentioned, he was discarded once he was no longer of use to the football program. One would think that he wouldn't care whether he was inducted into the Hall of Fame or had his number retired. However it seems ridiculous for other BYU athletes to be inducted or have numbers retired when there's no question he was the one of the greatest athletes to come out of that school. It's questionable whether he was a better college quarterback than Ty Detmer but the argument can be made. McMahon did make it through his college career without separating both shoulders in one game. He was better than Steve Young. Yes, he was even better than Robbie Bosco. There's no question he was a better quarterback than Danny Ainge and anyone else in the Ainge clan such as Erik. The future Tennessee quarterback should have stayed in the womb. The school even has artifacts from Steve Young's NFL career but short changes McMahon's achievements.

Surprisingly, BYU fans have been on McMahon's side if one goes by the Salt Lake Tribune's responses. Just for that, I'm going to refrain from posting the South Park picture from the Mormon episode as I intended to do.

Don't expect BYU to have a change of heart. Junior doesn't need BYU to affirm his greatness however the gestures would be decent parting gifts for a father who only wants the school to do right by his son.