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BYU Football Countdown: Player 65 – Getting to winning ways

By Adam Gibby

PROVO, UT - SEPTEMBER 21: Flags of the BYU Cougars are run around the field during a game against the Utah Utes during the first half of an NCAA football game September 21, 2013 at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah. Utah beat BYU 20-13. (Photo by George Frey/Getty Images)
PROVO, UT - SEPTEMBER 21: Flags of the BYU Cougars are run around the field during a game against the Utah Utes during the first half of an NCAA football game September 21, 2013 at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah. Utah beat BYU 20-13. (Photo by George Frey/Getty Images) /
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Tom Hauck /Allsport
Tom Hauck /Allsport /

No. 65 Pete Van Valkenburg – Running back -1969-1972

The days of the Skyline Conference are about as dark as BYU’s 2017 season when they went 4-9. Except instead of it being one season it was 44-90 from 1950-1962. As the Cougars came out of the Skyline, it actually took them another eleven seasons before they found their footing and began to wins games.

Pete Van Valkenburg was part of the team that got its footing for the first time really in BYU Football history. In 1969, the Cougars went 6-4 and tied their third best winning percentage ever to that point. In 1972, Lavell Edwards first season as the head coach, the team went 7-4, tied for the second best record in BYU history, and we know how the rest went.

Pete Van Valkenburg is a big reason why BYU was able to start to win, and his consistency in the backfield helped Lavell Edwards have a first good season, which gave him momentum going forward.

Rankings

Impact B-

The team was still trying to find it’s identity and was searching for a leader, and since passing wasn’t really part of the game back then, Van Valkenburg was made that leader. And he wasn’t only asked to do it in the backfield. During his career he caught 25 passes, returned 19 kicks and and threw 11 passes. In other words, he was put everywhere and asked to do everything from 1970-1972. The problem is that their record was 15-18 when he played, hurting his score a bit.

Statistics A-

Given the time period and how little offenses scored and moved the ball, Van Valkenburg was really efficient. In 1972, he led the country in rushing with 1,386 yards to go with 12 touchdowns even though he wasn’t top 10 in carries. Over his career he rushed for 2,529 yards, threw for 115 yards, had 280 receiving yards, 503 return yards and scored 27 touchdowns.

Memorable Moments C-

There aren’t any highlights or game footage from the early 1970’s and there isn’t any play by play to explain what Pete Van Valkenburg did against the biggest teams, but what we do have is how much he was used during the games. For anyone out there who does remember those seasons (60 years ago now) he is the only memorable player on that team and he helped to create dozens of more memorable moments after he left.

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