By Tyler Webb
The athletes at BYU work hard to not only be successful in their sport, but also to represent the values which the university esteems.
Athletics at BYU play a critical part in the development of the student athlete and the development of the university.
K. Fred Skousen, Advancement Vice President, said there is a lot of interest across the country for the athletic programs at BYU.
'Our athletic teams act like ambassadors for the university and help a lot with fund raising activities.'
Skousen said there is a large following of Cougar fans that contribute to the university who are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The realities are that new technologies, and advancements in scientific, professional, and educational areas are constantly emerging. The need to fund these areas is growing at an incredible rate.
The athletic teams play an integral part in acting as public relations specialists for the university.
'Our major contribution is in the way we represent the university,' said BYU women''s head volleyball coach Elaine Michaelis. 'It is in the airports and in firesides that we can really feel the impact.'
On road trips, many of the athletic teams will schedule a time when they can speak to church groups.
Brett Pyne, basketball media relations office, said coach Cleveland often schedules times on road trips and will take players with him to speak to church groups.
Pyne said BYU has done a great job in showing how well they treat athletes who desire to go on two-year missions.
Pyne also said the athletic programs also do a good job in showing they will give returned missionaries a chance to play.
Athletic teams also use other means to get out into the community.
Women''s softball coach Mary Kay Amicone said her teams have a Christmas tradition to go to assisted care centers and participate in food drives.
Amicone said there is a great need for the student athletes at BYU to represent the university in a positive way.
Amicone feels the television exposure the softball team received last season has helped to portray the student athletes and BYU in a positive image.
Larry H. Miller and his wife also believed the athletic programs would help the university and the church.
They donated to the university to have the new Miller Park baseball and softball complex completed.
They believed the complex would contribute to strengthening the church through the quality of athletes it drew to the programs, and the athletes could serve as emissaries to the church and the university everywhere they played.
Many of the people who support the BYU athletic programs go through the Cougar Club to support their favorite team.
The Cougar Club acts as a clearinghouse. Donations received that are not earmarked are put into a general fund where it helps with the cost of media guides, recruiting, and athletic scholarships.
Greg Vehar, assistant director of the Cougar Club, said more people want to join the club and contribute to BYU athletics when the teams do well.
There are over 5,000 members of the Cougar Club that contribute to the athletic teams'' success.
The success the athletic programs at BYU have had has been very consistent over the last few years. BYU is currently ranked 4th in the Sears Directors Cup.
The Cup is a program that monitors all institutions and ranks them according to such things as conference championships, national championships, and rankings.
BYU-Idaho, formerly known as Ricks College, also has had top quality sports programs. A recent decision by church leaders will put an end to athletics at BYU-Idaho this season.
Skousen said he doesn''t think anything like that would happen at BYU.
'If we have athletic teams that are top quality in ability and character, I don''t think you''ll ever see BYU athletics go away,' Skousen said. 'There is just a tremendous amount of loyalty with people who want to donate to a top institution.'
It is not possible to bring the entire country to the campus at BYU. The athletic programs do their part to take BYU and the values it represents to the rest of the country.