Jim McMahon will become the sixth BYU player to have his jersey retired.
The school announced that it would retire McMahon's No. 9 on October 2 at haftime of its game against Utah State.
With McMahon at quarterback, BYU won its first-ever bowl game, a 46-45 win over SMU in the 1980 Holiday Bowl. The Cougars scored three touchdowns in the final 2:33 of the game to take the lead.
When McMahon left BYU, he held 70 NCAA records. He threw for 9,536 yards in his career, which was long before an era where monster passing stats were the norm. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999.
“I love the example Jim has set by completing his degree. I’m proud of him for finishing after all these years,” BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe said in a statement. “Jim is one of the elite college quarterbacks of all time. He loved the game of football and always played the game like he was having fun. He was a great leader and a great teammate. I know there are a lot of people all over the country who are excited for Jim to be formally recognized as one of the Cougar greats.”
McMahon, 55, who suffers from headaches, dementia and said in 2010 that his memory is "pretty much gone" because of head injuries suffered while playing football, recently completed the requirements to get his degree from BYU.
"A big weight has been lifted off my shoulders," McMahon told the Deseret News. "I got real tired of studying. I think I studied more in the last eight months than I did in the five years of school that I went there.
"I'm glad it's over with. It's taken me 37 years, but I got it done."
He's undecided about walking during the commencement ceremony to get his degree. If he does, he'll get a warm ovation.
McMahon was chosen by the Chicago Bears with the No. 5 pick in the 1982 NFL draft. He helped lead the Bears to a Super Bowl XX win over the New England Patriots.
McMahon will have his name and jersey number on a banner on the press box at LaVell Edwards Stadium hung during the halftime ceremony on October 2. He'll join Eldon Fortie, Marion Probert, Steve Young, Gifford Nielsen and Ty Detmer as the only Cougar players to have their jerseys retired.
For more BYU news, visit CougarNation.com.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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