No...you don't have to be Mormon. Take the football team for example, they have several players including some starters that are non-Mormon.
Starting QB is Jewish.
You do have to abide by the Mormon rules. Awhile back they had a very good non-Mormon basketball player Brandon Davies get kicked off the team for having sex.
No...you don't have to be Mormon. Take the football team for example, they have several players including some starters that are non-Mormon.
Starting QB is Jewish.
You do have to abide by the Mormon rules. Awhile back they had a very good non-Mormon basketball player Brandon Davies get kicked off the team for having sex.
I talked to someone who was recruited by BYU back in the day, and he talked about some kind of honor code that the students had to agree to follow. He did not wind up attending BYU — it would’ve been a poor fit for a fraternity type basketball player.
Can anyone talk about this honor code thing? What it’s actually called (I am probably misnaming it), and what kinds of behavior are required?
From what I recall, it was a pledge to live the LDS values, more or less, during their time as a student there. A WAY higher standard than some twenty-somethings would want to adhere to, but a good fit for someone who doesn’t want a jock culture, partying culture. (Women’s Diljeet Taylor says the Jain culture she was raised in is pretty similar — work hard, don’t drink, be modest in all ways, uphold family values, avoid addictive substances, etc.)
I do think that you’d never quite fit in if you weren’t Mormon, or at the very least, someone like Diljeet Taylor who is just as steeped in those values. I’ve heard Clayton Young talk about sharing a faith with his teammates, and that is another thing that bonds them.
You do not have to be mormon, but I think you have to be religious - ie you need a religious recommendation or something to that effect from a church type leader. You will not really fit in or get invited to do stuff if you are not mormon. Southern Utah or University of Utah might make more sense. BYU's distance strength means you get to run 1 more xc meet a year at the cost of a normal college experience if you're not mormon.
All students have to sit through multiple, mandatory "Book of Mormon" classes, which would be a deal breaker for me. Non-Mormon basketball and football players are likely "assisted" with getting through those classes.
All students have to sit through multiple, mandatory "Book of Mormon" classes, which would be a deal breaker for me. Non-Mormon basketball and football players are likely "assisted" with getting through those classes.
Religion classes. Old Testament, New Testament and such. Everything will have a Mormon perspective, but you could probably avoid a lot of it.
Jim McMahon was a very successful NFL player with the Bears in the 80's who was recruited to play at BYU and had no connection with LDS. For some HS kids who get a scholarship offer there, it's a good choice for college, and you can look the other way with the LDS side of it.
no, BYU has plenty of non-Mormon athletes. though all students follow a code of ethics.
FYI, the Mormon Church has had missions in Africa for decades. they have a massive footprint over there, they don't just build churches but also schools. If they truly coveted cross country championships they could EASILY identify talent at an early age and steer them to BYU. easily. at any moment they could have an entire team of Brian Musau's. Thank God they never would, cause it would ruin cross country.