Bronco Mendenhall, head football at Brigham Young University, addressed Brigham Young University-Idaho students at the weekly devotional on Tuesday, June 3. He spoke about the mission of BYU football and the experiences he has had over past three years since becoming the head football coach.

"Our mission is to be the flag bearers of Brigham Young University through football excellence, embracing truth, tradition, virtue and honor as a beacon to the world," Mendenhall said. "That is so others will come to the truth. For those of you who are fans, football means nothing. It's only a vehicle to help others receive a message of real value and substance."

Mendenhall drew much of his talk from an experience he had during the interview process to become the head coach at BYU.

"To be BYU's football coach, the final interview - and deciding interview, I might add - came with an interview by President Henry B. Eyring," Mendenhall said. "The final interview was with a special witness of our Savior Jesus Christ."

Mendenhall said he only remembered one question asked during the interview. "I couldn't tell you how long that interview lasted or any other questions that were asked. The first and only question I remember was...he wanted to know from me is the Church true."

Mendenhall also spoke of the pressure of taking over a struggling program with a winning tradition. "My first day on the job, in the office at BYU, the first two hours was spent on my knees in prayer not knowing what to do or how to do it," Mendenhall said.

Mendenhall concluded by encouraging BYU-Idaho students to be a light to those around them.

"'Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up that which ye have seen me do,'" Mendenhall quoted from 3 Nephi 18:24. "'Behold ye see that I have prayed unto the Father, and ye all have witnessed."'

"Wouldn't it be nice to be living your life in a way to be prompted so directly by the Spirit, to be able to know what to say and what to do to be the light that others could look to?" he asked.

Next week's devotional speaker will be Elder Spencer V. Jones of the Second Quorum of the Seventy. Devotionals are held every Tuesday at 2 p.m. in the Hart Auditorium with additional seating in the Taylor Chapel during Summer Semester. Devotionals are broadcast on KBYI-FM 100.5 at 2 p.m. and rebroadcast Tuesday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m.