When people think of what there is to do in Provo, the typical responses often have to do with attending a BYU sporting event or eating ice cream, but what many do not know is that these two have joined forces in what has become one of campus’ most welcoming traditions.
While BYU football games at LaVell Edwards Stadium are most often tied to the mountain backdrop, what has become a part of all six home games each year is the tradition of handing out ice cream to visiting fans.
What started in 2018 has turned into a job for the BYU alumni association, led by the Executive Director of the BYU Alumni Michael Johanson, who has made this part of his game day routine. He says he has not seen the first half of a home Cougars game in more than five years because of the preparation that goes into it.
For Johanson, the goal was simple: create a welcoming environment that stood out in college football. He looked to other schools for examples of what BYU could become.
“There were like one or two other institutions that were known for welcoming their visitors to their campus,” Johanson said. “Notre Dame is one of them with how they treat people when they come to their campus. And I thought, well, why can’t we be known for something similar to that? There is a lot of competition that is at play when other teams come to a rival situation … but we also want people to feel safe and feel welcome and feel joy when they come to Provo, Utah.”
As it's gotten more popular, more notable names around Utah have offered their time to help assist such as Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, who helped earlier this fall, and Elder Garrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who assisted in the Cougars season finale against UCF.
Johanson said he got to hear a glimpse of what Elder Gong had to say about helping pass out the ice cream.
“He came to me, and he said that this was such a wonderful thing," Johanson said. "He just recognized the outreach in a very unique way and wanted to be a part of it. And that’s one of the great things about this whole initiative — it makes our fans be better fans."
Johanson followed by explaining that everything BYU does should relate back to the gospel of Jesus Christ, and that the invitation is open to anyone who is willing to help.
“It makes our community be a better community,” Johanson said. “And sure, it helps other people feel good about their time here in Provo and at BYU and their connection and affiliation with the university and, by extension, the Church and, by extension, Jesus — which is the whole purpose for which we do all the things that we do. And so, if people want to become better by participating on the giving side of that, we want that.”
One of the 20 to 30 volunteers who help each game day is Joshua Matson, a religion professor and BYU graduate who has been attending games at LaVell Edwards Stadium since the 1980s.
In 2021, Matson returned to Provo after completing his Ph.D. at Florida State, which allowed him to start attending Cougar games again. He now has two season tickets for himself and either his wife or one of his kids to join him at each game.
Matson first got involved helping with the ice cream at his first game back after being invited by the alumni association. At the time, he didn’t realize he would become one of the most consistent volunteers, helping each game day more than five years later.
“I haven’t always been the best sports fan,” Matson said. “I was really quick to boo other teams or make catty remarks to opposing fans who were being a little obnoxious. I even, regretfully, had a little confrontation with a Utah fan in the BYU student section in 2009.”
Matson explained that he wants his kids to grow up loving sports the way he did, while also understanding the importance of respecting fans no matter what colors they wear.
“I want my children to have a love for sports, but I want them to have a love for sportsmanship," he said. "I feel this is just a really awesome way to give back.”
While he always gives his kids the choice of whether or not to help with the ice cream, Matson said it has become their favorite part of the games.
“Every game that we do this, I always realize just how much the fans of other teams are just as awesome and amazing as the BYU fans," Matson said. "When they see us do this, it brings a human element to the game.”
“One of the things I love is the response we always get,” Matson said. “There’s always, at the beginning, people looking at you like, ‘Really?’ It’s always the first person. We go to the very top of the stadium, and the first few fans are like, ‘No, I don’t want to buy this.’ And we say, ‘No, it’s free. You can have it.’”
At the TCU game earlier this season, Matson had one of his most memorable interactions.
“I was handing ice cream to a fan and he looked at me and said, ‘You know what? I want our team to kick your team’s teeth in. But I don’t want anything bad to ever happen to BYU fans because you guys are just the greatest — and this is just a cherry on top.’”
Another experience that stood out happened last year during the home opener against Southern Illinois. Matson had brought his then three-year-old son to help. There weren’t many fans sitting in the opposing section, so after finishing, Johanson asked him if there were any opposing fans sitting near him which there were a few rows back.
“My son was handing out the ice cream,” Matson said. “After the third quarter, the family came back and went up to my son with a plush Cosmo they’d bought at the BYU Store. They said, ‘If you’re going to be kind enough to give us ice cream, we want to repay the favor. That’s the nicest thing that’s ever happened to us at a sporting event.’”
At BYU’s final home game this season, one of the recipients of the ice cream — specifically the Graham Canyon flavor — was Brandon Moore, a South Georgian and Bulldogs fan who came to the game to cheer on Central Florida’s backup quarterback, Jacurri Brown. He traveled with some friends, including one who had previously coached Brown.
As part of his ventures out west, Moore attended games at Boise State and Utah State, caught a game at the Delta Center to watch the Utah Mammoth, and finished his trip in Provo for his first BYU game.
Moore spoke highly of the atmosphere witnessed at LaVell Edwards Stadium, explaining how it wasn't what he was used to down South.
"For an 11 a.m. game, it was nuts. Watching the student section, listening, interacting with the fans around us, walking to the stadium — it was incredible," Moore said. "Everybody was so friendly. Nobody showed any ill will toward us whatsoever. I mean, just the passion for football, right? So, I'm a Georgia fan, and all of us are Georgia fans. In the SEC, we can have a little distaste towards fans cheering for the other team, but I didn't notice any of that here."
Over 60,000 fans still filed into LaVell Edwards Stadium to watch BYU roll to a 41–21 win over UCF in a game that technically meant nothing for the Cougars after they had already secured its spot in the Big 12 Championship the night before, thanks to Arizona’s win over Arizona State.
"The warm welcome, the free ice cream from the alumni association, the entire theme of hospitality — just the hospitality of everybody that we encountered — was absolutely incredible," Moore said. "I was honestly shocked at the amount of people that showed up for an 11 a.m. game for a team that you guys absolutely beat handily."
@BYU you are absolutely majestic. Thank you for the hospitality (and the free ice cream)! Until next time, Utah! pic.twitter.com/fsol13TWJX
— Brandon Moore (@BMooreDawg12) November 29, 2025
This experience helped Moore see the truth in Johanson’s words: that small efforts can make a big impact in helping others feel welcome, even in the world of sports, where opposition can create walls instead of bridges.
Moore is already planning another trip to Provo to catch another game, and after visiting the BYU store, he’s ready to rep the Cougars on his next visit.
"I would highly recommend that people go to Provo and attend a game or any sporting event that has BYU tied to it," Moore said. "You’ve made fans out of South Georgians; we are already planning to come back and visit."
Earlier in the season in BYU's most anticipated game of the season against the Utah Utes, Kris Bosman, the Alumni Relations Officer at the University of Utah, accepted the invite to help pass out the ice cream alongside the BYU Alumni team.
She spoke of this experience as a meaningful way to build camaraderie and make fans feel welcome even in one of the harshest rivalries in college sports.
"I just think it's a really nice gesture, and it's a really clean gesture," Bosman said. "Both schools, I think, have made great strides in making opposing fans, visiting fans, feel like they can be safe and welcome at their stadiums. It always hasn't been that way, and it's never going to be perfect. But I think on both sides there's effort being made."
She continued by explaining that even though she was in Utah colors, she was treated warmly by both BYU fans and Utes fans when the ice cream was handed out.
"Everyone was really kind. No one was rude to us at all. I just did not feel at all unwelcome," Bosman said. "Then, when we went back up to our section with a lot of ice cream, everyone was really excited about us. So, we were the heroes of the day."
While sports can all too often bring out the worst in people — from hateful chants in the stands to insults on social media — BYU’s ice cream tradition gives fans a chance to see eye to eye in something meant to be fun, offering a break from the chaos of every day life.
BYU alumni also manage COUGS CARE, a program that gives back to local communities through service projects, charity drives, and donations during football season.
Johanson spoke about how both initiatives reflect the values of the BYU community.
"We hope that they see the kindness that exists in our fan base and in our community," he said. "What I love about BYU is that people say, 'Oh man, you guys travel well,' and we get to answer that question truthfully and say, 'Oh no, these people aren’t coming from Utah. These are your neighbors. These are your friends. These are the people you shop with and serve with and go to school with.'”
He emphasized that while negative behavior can exist, the focus is on countering it with intentional acts of kindness.
"Now, can we completely get rid of the behavior that does exist in some of these communities or that has in the past? No. But I think we can make a difference by showing real love," Johanson said. "True love, following those commandments that we have been given to love God and to love our neighbor. And the 'love our neighbor' part is so important — that’s what this is all wrapped around, that second great commandment."
This philosophy, he added, extends even to something as simple as offering ice cream to visiting fans.
"If you can warm someone’s heart through ice cream," Johnson said, "then you’re doing something right."