The sound of the stadium roaring with excitement, the ball hitting the bat, and water splashing fills the world of athletics with an unimaginable feeling.
BYU sports holds a major legacy not only for the players it produces but also for the coaches who created them. Many athletes find their way back to their alma mater, giving them a wealth of experience and knowledge.
These athletes often transition from player to coach driven by a passion for their sport and a desire to give back to the community that shaped them. Their journeys from the court or field to the sideline are marked with dedication, a love for their sport and a commitment to mentoring the next generation of BYU athletes.
At BYU, a variety of players have returned to coach, including notable figures such as Harvey Unga, Adam Law, and Melissa Springer who shared their unique journeys with The Daily Universe.
Harvey Unga
After their clients are hung up, jerseys are washed, and they walk off the field for the very last time many athletes dream of staying a part of the sport that gave them so much.
This dream became a reality for former player Harvey Unga and current running back coach at BYU, but maybe not in the way he expected.
Unga played for BYU from 2006 to 2009, being the only player to rush for more than 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons. He is No. 2 in career rushing yards, No. 2 in rushing attempts, and No. 2 in total touchdowns at BYU.
In 2010, he was drafted in the NFL supplemental draft by the Chicago Bears. Where he spent parts of the 2010-2013 seasons before signing with the Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars in 2014 before concluding his NFL career.
After two years of retirement as a player, Unga came back to BYU in 2016, but this time as a graduate assistant.
“I’m not gonna lie it was tough, it was an eye opener into the coaching world and not what I anticipated, especially being a little older, typically GAs are guys that just finished playing,” Unga said. “By the time I started I had been removed from playing here for a long time.”
Unga was married to his wife, Keilani, and a father by this time, making the long hours and challenges of being a graduate assistant a little bit more difficult.
“It was different … It was good, though, I am grateful I gotta do it," Unga said. “At first, I didn’t know how this was gonna pan out, but without Keliani’s support and my family's support, I wouldn’t be where I am.”
Unga remained a graduate assistant until 2020, when he was hired as the Cougars running backs coach.
“Good things don’t come easy,” he said.
Unga has coached many BYU legends, such as current NFL tailback Jamaal Williams and All-American Tyler Allgeier, who currently plays for the Atlanta Falcons.
“Just being able to teach these guys has been the biggest joy," Unga said.
Unga will be going into his fifth season as the running backs coach for the Cougars, coaching players such as current running back LJ Martin, who finished with 718 yards on the 2024 season for BYU.
Adam Law
Adam Law, assistant coach for BYU baseball, grew up around the game, cultivating his love of baseball.
“My dad was a coach here at BYU, and then he coached in professional baseball for a while,” he said.
With his dad being a coach both professionally and at BYU, Adam quickly learned the ins and outs of the sport, which led to a majority of his life being dedicated to the game of baseball. This paid off for Law.
After graduating from Provo High School, Adam served a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Africa before he came to play for BYU.
During his time with the Cougars, he was named All-West Coast Conference First Team in 2013 and named to the Brooks Wallace All-Tournament team.
With a solid performance at BYU, Law was drafted in the 12th round of the 2013 Major League Baseball draft to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He played for the Dodgers until 2016 where he then went on to play for the Seattle Mariners until 2019.
As Law ended his playing career he had no desire to follow in his father's footsteps building upon his legacy and coach.
“I never really wanted to coach. When I finished playing professional baseball I wanted to be a mental skills specialist,” he said.
Law went on to receive a master's degree in sports psychology before getting hired by the Los Angeles Dodgers as international operations and mental performance coach.
While with the Dodgers, Adam was able to return to Africa, assisting their organization in player procurement, practice design, and coaching the mental and physical components of baseball.
“ I used the experience in Africa to refine my coaching skills. We took kids who didn’t speak English, who had never really played baseball before, and had to teach them how to play baseball,” Law said. “So I was able to start at the very ground level of breaking down complex baseball topics into simple digestible things that the kids could understand.”
Throughout his experience in Africa, Adam fell in love with coaching. So when he came back to the States, and BYU was hiring, he chose to take the opportunity.
“There's a great history of BYU baseball and it means a lot to be a part of it as both a player and now as a coach. It means a lot to me, I grew up down the street; I grew up coming to games and was the bat boy," Law said. “To be back at BYU around elite sport and also elite humans who share like-minded values and beliefs is kind of a win-win situation for me.”
Law is in his second year with the Cougars hoping to carve his own legacy as not only a player but also as a coach.
Melissa Springer
Melissa Springer's journey to collegiate swimming was everything but what she would have thought.
After falling in love with swimming as a child, Melissa was able to fulfill her dreams of swimming in college during her freshman year. However, this quickly and drastically changed.
During her freshman year, she suffered the loss of her brother, leading to her decision to step away from collegiate swimming.
“I just didn’t have it in me. I felt like my swimming experience was an out-of-body experience,” said Springer. “I was getting in the pool every day and training, but my heart wasn’t in it because I was so tied up in what was going on at home. And that part was really hard for me.”
Stepping away from swimming was one of the hardest decisions she had to make. Yet, Springer never would've guessed that she would slowly find her way back to swimming and BYU.
As a public relations major, she had the opportunity to work for the Daily Universe, covering the swim team, which reunited her with her love for the sport. Her communications background led her to take an unpaid internship with the Lance Armstrong Foundation, now Livestrong Foundation, where she found herself coaching in Houston to make ends meet.
Once she came home from Houston, she got herself connected with summer league teams to keep coaching a part of her life, which quickly snowballed into a lot of coaching: middle school, high school, country club, and club team.
“Anything and everything,” Springer said.
This pattern continued when Springer and her family moved to Wisconsin. In a short time, she was the head coach of both the men's and women's local high school swimming teams, eventually winning state championships.
“I felt like there wasn’t a lot of room to grow,” Springer said. “If I am going to keep coaching, I need to either find ways to grow within this or I need to do something different.”
Following a lot prayers, Melissa never felt quite right about quitting coaching. She continued to challenge herself, receiving certificates in nutrition and volunteering her time as chair of the Wisconsin swim board.
But she still thought she would move on once her daughter graduated high school. However, God had other plans. When the BYU job was offered to Melissa, everything for her and her family seemingly fell together.
“Being back here has been amazing. I love it every day. I pull up to work, and this is so great. I can’t believe I get to do this,” Springer said.
Springer has allowed her unique coaching journey and personal story to positively impact her athletes.
“Even though my collegiate experience for myself wasn’t what I wanted,” said Springer. “It gives me the opportunity to relate to others in a different way, those who come and are struggling and have challenges.”
Her philosophy, influenced by her collegiate experience, does not just end with relating to the athletes but extends to the goals she has set for herself as a coach.
“My goal is to help these athletes, form them, and shape them so that they can be champions in life and not just champions in sport.”
Springer is in her first year with the BYU Cougars, coaching under head coach Tamber McAllister.
Every coach and player has a different journey within their sport. Though all their journeys were different and unique, each of these coaches has three things in common — a love for their sport, a love for their athletes and a love for BYU.
With their various expertise and experience, they help further the legacy and journey of BYU athletics, connecting their past with the present.