LES horror stories

[roseparkutes]

how many of you guys have a horror story about LES? I have only been there 3 times the 1st time was the 34-31 game and I was push/trampled after the game, my dad pretty much had to get in a fist fight with the guys. The second wasn't the byu fans it was the weather in the 3-0 snow game. the last time was 54-10, major trash talking before the game until half time. what are your horror stories if you have any.

[DrumNFeather]

The 3-0 game was pretty miserable, I remember walking down the stairs on the ice after the game and not really being able to feel my feet and thinking: "This could get real bad real quick."

[sancho]

I was at 34-31, and it was great. A sports highlight for me. I was also at the cheerleader game. I saw some horrible interactions between fans, but the outcome washed most of those from my memory. LES has been good to me.

[NorthwestUteFan]

I went to an Air Force game in the late 80s/early 90s sometime, and the byu was heavily favored. The game was close but AFA won in the end.

Immediately after the game the Falcons gather before the Cadets to sing the Air Force Song ("Off we go, into the Wild Blue Yonder!"...) and the third verse ("Here's a toast to the host/Of those who loved the vastness of the sky... " which mourns the loss of pilots who died in service to their country).

The people in my section appeared to take offense to the football team singing, thinking they were somehow mocking 'The Lord's Football Team', began to boo. They booed through the entire performance, and through the cheering afterward.

Stay Classy, Provo.

[Diehard Ute]

My family refuses to go down anymore. My parents were pelted with food and glass bottles one year and that was the end of that (the Ute cheerleaders were hit with any number of things dozens of times that year with no one from security attempting to stop it)

[Applejack]

I LOVE going to games at the Lavell. You can feel the self-righteous animosity boiling out of Brother Jensen and Sister Smith just by smiling and saying hello. Really good times.

[Scorcho]

I’ve only been to LES once. That was a miserable 70-7 beat down by the Cougars, in which I believe Brian Rowley scored on a long touchdown pass and Utah tied the game 7-7 and then promptly got outscored by 63. If I recall that was the year after the Rice Bowl. My Y friend had seats in the North End Zone. Why the Y opted to expand by putting most of the seats in the end zone and detach them from the main stands is a head scratcher? Those are not good seats. At the game, I had popcorn and ice thrown at me and a few people wanting to fight and some verbal sparring, but nothing too horrible. I would go again if I had better seats.

[SheriffCreg]

I went to 1993, 1995, 1997 and 1999 games. I've been to a few since then, but I saw snowballs, glass bottles, etc. thrown at each of those 4 games. In the 1993 game, I saw some BYU students with a paintball gun shoot a 8-10 year old kid wearing Utah in the back of the head under the Utah section. In their defense, i think they meant to hit him in the back of his coat, but they missed and hit his head. They then ran off.

To be fair to the BYU fan-base, I only had animosity directed towards me personally once, and that was some 70 year old guy in a line at a Wendys on game-day close-by LES. (I think it was 2005) He said something like "No Utah fans here, get to the back of the line." I assumed he was bantering me and I laughed, gave an acknowledgement nod, and didn't think much about it. He then grabbed my coat, pulled me to his face and said "I'm serious, get out of here. We don't want you here." I looked at his son next to him, who appeared to be in his mid-thirties, and said, "You wanna get your old-man under control?" He did. They left the restaurant. I guess they didn't want to eat at an establishment that served Utes. Or they were just embarrassed by their dad/grandpa.

[wally]

I was flipped off by a BYU player once atteding LES a U student. it was emotionally scarring.

I may or may not have flipped him off first.

[wuapinmon]

I stood in the parking lot of LES in 2002, waiting for the Olympic Torch to make it's way through town. Afterwards, they set off the biggest and best fireworks display I have ever seen in my life, right from the track across the street. The bombs bursting in air, the darkness, and the crisp winter air coupled with the crush of 20,000 other people all huddled together for warmth and brotherhood was one of the better experiences of my time in Utah. Later that night, my wife and I made love like sea otters.

[LA Ute]

I have not been to a game in LES since 1977 and I don't intend ever to go there for any football game.

[SeattleUte]

Great thread starter. Thanks.

My oldest brother and I were at a game at LES in the mid-eighties. We were cheering for the Utes. Some guy yelled at us to shut up and sit down. I looked back and it was some older guy; he looked like a GA but I didn't recognize him. I said, "Hey, we're just cheering for our team, like you," and we kept doing it. I must have shamed him because as we were leaving after the game he stepped into the aisle, offered me his hand, which I shook, and he apologized, saying he was wrong to have done that. Or, maybe he was just being magnanimous because the Utes lost a close one. Whatever. The place has always given me the heebeegeebees.

[UteBeliever aka Port]

I have not had glass bottles thrown at me. (Part of me wonders if there isn't some *slight* exaggeration here.) I have had ice (believe they were ice cubes) and popcorn thrown at me. I survived.

I also had some teen/early 20 guys call us some "gritty" names on the way out of the game in 2003. I also survived.

[Applejack]

To be fair to the BYU fan-base, I only had animosity directed towards me personally once, and that was some 70 year old guy in a line at a Wendys on game-day close-by LES.

The old ones are the worst. After Yergensen introduced modern football by piercing the uprights from 94 yards out, an old lady who had been sitting quietly in front of me all day while I politely cheered on my squad turned to me and yelled, "Go back to your hell hole in Salt Lake."


I stood in the parking lot of LES in 2002, waiting for the Olympic Torch to make it's way through town. Afterwards, they set off the biggest and best fireworks display I have ever seen in my life, right from the track across the street. The bombs bursting in air, the darkness, and the crisp winter air coupled with the crush of 20,000 other people all huddled together for warmth and brotherhood was one of the better experiences of my time in Utah. Later that night, my wife and I made love like sea otters.

I believe that was Stadium of Fire.


Great thread starter. Thanks.

My oldest brother and I were at a game at LES in the mid-eighties. We were cheering for the Utes. Some guy yelled at us to shut up and sit down. I looked back and it was some older guy; he looked like a GA but I didn't recognize him. I said, "Hey, we're just cheering for our team, like you," and we kept doing it. I must have shamed him because as we were leaving after the game he stepped into the aisle, offered me his hand, which I shook, and he apologized, saying he was wrong to have done that. Or, maybe he was just being magnanimous because the Utes lost a close one. Whatever. The place has always given me the heebeegeebees.

Too be fair to BYU fans, the MarriOTT Center is more heebeegeebeeish than Lavell Field. After one basketball game at the OTT, we were accosted by BYU police for a scuffle that we didn't start. We were then offered our freedom in exchange for a three day suspension from the BYU campus. We gladly accepted. The joke was on him - the world is their campus!

[LA Ute]

The place gives me the heebijeebies.

[Diehard Ute]

I have not had glass bottles thrown at me. (Part of me wonders if there isn't some *slight* exaggeration here.) I have had ice (believe they were ice cubes) and popcorn thrown at me. I survived.

I also had some teen/early 20 guys call us some "gritty" names on the way out of the game in 2003. I also survived.

No, no exaggeration. They were selling Snapple there at the time and letting people keep the bottles.

[hostile]

2 games only. One as a kid in the last game played in the old stadium. Utes lost 56-28.

I was also at 34-31 sitting in the student section.

I don't recall any animosity directed my way either visit.

[FountainOfUte]

I was there in '89 for the 70-7 beat down. Not a good day to be in red.
Next one I remember was i believe '97 when Arcineaux(sp?) balled out as a freshmen willing us to a win.
After that, I think the next one was '01 when Staley ran over us for the come-from-behind win.
The last one was '09 with Max Hall beating us in OT.

I don't really remember any incidents other than the occasional passive aggressive jeers that you'd expect wearing red down there. In the '09 game, I remember a guy standing the row behind me and a couple seats to my left. He seemed to be generally agitated at the mere presence of a Ute fan and after I had the nerve to cheer on Ute successes he became more animated about every BYU success and each Ute blunder. Meh, whatever. No big deal, really. Typical sports fan stuff, IMO.

Overall, while I wouldn't say it's the most welcome environment during the rivalry game, I've never felt threatened or bullied.

[Utah]

I have gone to one rivalry game down there. I bought their hot dogs, by halftime I was sick as a dog. Puked the whole way home, watched the rest of the game on the living room floor, rolling around in pain, wretching every 10 mins....

[Devildog]

I have gone to one rivalry game down there. I bought their hot dogs, by halftime I was sick as a dog. Puked the whole way home, watched the rest of the game on the living room floor, rolling around in pain, wretching every 10 mins....

Probably had a zoob booger in it.

[Applejack]

I have attended the following games at Lavell Field:

1993: Yergensen ushers in the modern era
1995: Utah 34-17
1999: Our cheerleader viciously mugged
2001: The Staley gut-punch game
2005: The year of the Rat!
2007: Brice McCain :(

One of the things I miss the most about living outside of Utah is the lack of attendance at the Utah-BYU game in Provo.

[Jarid in Cedar]

I am undefeated in Rivalry game appearance. Only one at Cougar Stadium

1995-The Mouse busts out
2002-McBride's last stand
2010-The hand of God
2012-Third time is a charm!

[wuapinmon]

I believe that was Stadium of Fire.



No, it was the Olympic Torch Relay. They set off fireworks in the winter.

[OrangeUte]

I haven't been since the 1991 game. We lost and I ended up with a piece of hot dog bun and hot dog and popcorn in my hoodie. Don't remember being treated poorly.

I'm heading down for the game this weekend. Anyone else going?

[Diehard Ute]

I haven't been since the 1991 game. We lost and I ended up with a piece of hot dog bun and hot dog and popcorn in my hoodie. Don't remember being treated poorly.

I'm heading down for the game this weekend. Anyone else going?

Nope, I'll be protecting the red part of the state

[LA Ute]

I will be watching in the comfort of our family room with my wife, son, and daughter, along with several other families from our LDS stake who are ardent Utah fans.

[uteinlogan]

I will be watching in the comfort of our family room with my wife, son, and daughter, along with several other families from our LDS stake who are ardent Utah fans.

Don't know what the LDS thing has to do with anything but I'll be watching it with my father who is a former bishop and maybe my sister's zoob family will be over. I think the ALUF thing is a zoob's way of divided something that shouldn't be divided. I just can't wait until Sunday either way. This game is more toxic to me than fun.

[Viking]

A stadium?

My horror story was seeing Jake Heaps play .

[LA Ute]

Don't know what the LDS thing has to do with anything but I'll be watching it with my father who is a former bishop and maybe my sister's zoob family will be over. I think the ALUF thing is a zoob's way of divided something that shouldn't be divided. I just can't wait until Sunday either way. This game is more toxic to me than fun.

Just noting how I know them. Those of us who are Utes enjoy gathering for the games.

[LA Ute]

What an ugly building.

822

And what a beautiful one.

821