Get ready for an inspiring episode of Beyond the Game as host Mike Lacey sits down with Lucky Finau, BYU running back whose journey exemplifies resilience and faith. When a mass tumor on his heart nearly ended his football dreams before they began, Lucky faced emergency surgery that broke his sternum and ribs just weeks before fall camp, forcing him to redshirt his first year at BYU.
For months during his mission in Birmingham, Alabama, he couldn’t breathe properly and lost his voice for nearly a year, unaware that his heart condition was slowly stealing his strength. Now fully recovered and entering his third “freshman” year, Lucky has become the spark plug of BYU’s locker room, bringing infectious joy and authentic energy that unites players from diverse backgrounds and faiths.
As the nephew of head coach Kalani Sitaki and cousin of PGA Tour star Tony Finau, Lucky understands both the pressure and privilege of his position, wearing number 45 – the same number once worn by his position coach Harvey Unga and host Mike Lacey.
Through stories of serving a mission in “Roll Tide” country where he used Alabama football to connect with locals, navigating the complexities of NIL while maintaining team unity, and switching from linebacker to running back to help the team, Lucky demonstrates how gratitude and brotherhood create championship culture. His message resonates beyond football: someone always has it worse, so stay grateful for what you have, keep working toward your dreams, and surround yourself with teammates who lift you up when discouragement creeps in.
Download the full podcast here: Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/btg45podcast/episodes/John-Denney-From-BYU-Defensive-End-to-NFL-Special-Teams-Star-e2lonn7?%24web_only=true&_branch_match_id=1057833302747152496&utm_source=web&utm_campaign=web-share&utm_medium=sharing&_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA8soKSkottLXLy7IL8lMq0zMS87IL9ItT03SSywo0MvJzMvWT9XPLPTLyXQMCU%2F0SQIAD1UnbzAAAAA%3D
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Video Chapters:
00:00 – Opening
0:42 – Meet Lucky Finau
1:10 – Third Freshman Year Explained
1:36 – Heart Tumor Discovery and Surgery
2:40 – Mission Health Struggles
4:02 – Surgery Before Fall Camp
4:46 – Recovery with Coach T
5:11 – Family Connections to Tony Finau
6:02 – Uncle Kalani Sitaki Relationship
7:03 – Locker Room Personality
8:13 – Team Chemistry and Authenticity
9:24 – Running Back vs Fullback Role
10:52 – Running Back Depth Chart
12:21 – Team Unity Across Cultures
14:44 – Religious Diversity and Acceptance
16:34 – Coach Sitaki’s Tradition
17:44 – NIL Era and Team Dynamics
20:35 – Birmingham Alabama Mission
22:34 – Roll Tide Connection Stories
24:52 – Mission Companions from Team
25:32 – Personal and Team Aspirations
27:35 – Gary Bohanon’s Leadership
29:40 – Transfer Portal Impact
33:26 – Message to Cougar Nation
34:58 – Gratitude and Perspective
36:38 – Team Service to Community
36:45 – Closing Thoughts
So, no matter where you go, like there’s always fans. I just want to just give my appreciation and love for all the fans out there. And just like to all the kids out there that are trying to like make it to the next level, just keep working. [Music] [Music] Lucky Fenow is here with us. My name is Mike Lacy and we’re with Beyond the Game. Lucky, we’ve heard about you. It’s great you’re on the set because now we get to, you know, sense the real Lucky Feno. Oh, yeah. No, it’s h I’m happy to be here. Thank you so much for having me. Thank you. Um, it’s interesting. I was unaware that you are this will be your third freshman year at BYU. And that’s not an academic issue, right? Oh, no, not academic. Get your master’s degree before you’re done with football. Yeah. I mean, I guess third times the charm, you know, so this would be, you know, and and you were telling me why. So, tell tell us why because a lot of people during COVID, you know, got that COVID year, but Oh, yeah. Why uh why do you have three freshman year years? So, I came uh I joined the team back in uh 2023 that uh winter uh winter spring season. And uh when I got when I got there, I just uh I had some like health problems where I had like this mass tumor on my heart. So, they had to like they had to remove it and during the procedure they had to uh break my sternum and a couple ribs. So, that first year I I red shirted just because of that. And then Yeah. Okay. So, you had a tumor on your heart. Yeah. And that was removed. Uhhuh. They had to cut the sternum and you had some broken ribs. Yeah. I mean, that’s hard to play football with a broken sternum. And is everything all healed up right? Um, honestly I could feel I feel like this this off seasonason I feel back to my normal self like before my mission and and stuff like that because even on my mission I didn’t know it was affecting me like uh the mass tumor but it was like there’d be times where I’d wake up in the middle of the night like and I couldn’t breathe and it’s just because like the blood wasn’t wasn’t wasn’t flowing to my lungs. You didn’t know about it, right? No, I thought I was just out of shape honestly. So I was like oh maybe I’m just out of during your mission. Yeah. And when I came back, we’d have we’d work out and then after every workout, I would see stars and then I would always see stars. And this wasn’t the quarterbacks. This No, sorry. Yeah. It’s just from like running. Yeah. You’re seeing stars in your vision. Yeah. I’m seeing stars like there’d be times where I’ I’d be sleeping and I’d wake up just gasping for air. So I and I cuz I thought like but I didn’t know what was the problem until I lost I end I actually lost my voice for like 9 to 10 months. So I I could I was mute really. And then now let me let me interrupt you right there. All right. You were mute. We are blessed today because on set we w we you’re not on camera, but we have Ly’s dad Ammy and his sister Sweetie. And so they’re here with us and uh I was going to tease you a little bit more because I mean maybe it was a blessing to them that you were mute. Oh yeah, probably. No, no, no, no, no, no. No, what a scary thing, you know, especially losing your breath, seeing stars when you’re running, feeling like, oh well, I’m on my mission. I’m getting out of shape. This is really frustrating. And then discovering that you had a mass on your heart. Was that during your mission that they discovered that? It wasn’t until almost going into fall camp, uh, 2023, that 2023 season. Yeah. Wow. And so you had to go in for surgery. Yeah. I went into surgery maybe a week and a half before we started fall camp. Yeah. And it’s only just now that you’re feeling, you know, almost fully recovered from that issue. Yeah. And it’s interesting because right before you, we had Terrence Mley here. Oh, Terrence was here. Terrence was here. Yeah. Oh, Terrence is my boy. I love Coach Terrence. What a good guy. Yeah, that’s a good guy. And seriously, there was wisdom coming out of that dude. No, I love Terrence. Call him dude, but but yeah, he uh he’s he’s a so I assume with your recovery and everything that you were working with coach T. Yeah, Coach T, uh Kobe Clawson, like the both of both of them are they know what they’re doing. Yeah, I trust both of them. Good for you. All right, so I interrupted you. You uh there were three freshman years. Yeah. So then last year I did I I registered again and then this will be my your real fresh my real my real freshman year. Okay. So, you took your freshman year last year now. It’s interesting because last year we’ve, you know, the running back, you’re a running back. Oh, yeah. Oh, let me interrupt myself now. I mean, Lucky Feno. Yeah. You should be a golfer because for me, golf, you need a lot of luck. And so, with the name Lucky, hey, maybe you’re going to sink more putts than me. But then, Fenow, that’s I think that’s kind of a a golf name here in Utah. Oh, yeah. at uh Tony’s grandpa and my grandpa are are brothers. So you’re a cousin? Yeah, that’s my cousin. Oh, so do you get tickets to any golf tournaments? No, I’ve only met Tony like once when I was like eight. So since then I’ve never seen him. What an unbelievably good golfer though, right? Yeah. And I understand that you might have some other athletic oriented uh cousins or uncles or things like that. Oh yeah, I do. So my my mom’s brother is actually Khalani. Kehani. Yeah. Kehani Satakei, your head coach. Yeah, my head coach. Now that you know that is that hard? Yeah. Really hard. Why? Well, just because like you know a coach can get on you like as a coach, but like but as an uncle. Yeah. As an uncle, it’s like he when you mean the words he say like I’ve heard coaches all the time be like, “Hey, like I’m not joking around.” And you always be like, “Oh yeah, whatever. He’s just saying that.” But like when he says stuff to me, it’s like, “Oh, he’s not playing.” Like you can tell. Yeah, I can tell he’s being serious. Yeah. And do you have Thanksgiving dinner with them every sometimes? Yeah, sometimes. Yeah. Oh, man. Coach, I didn’t get enough playing time last week. Okay. Yeah. All right. So, we met with um Trey Alexander and La Mason Waller and they both said that you’re really shy in the locker room. Is that right? If that’s what they’re saying. Obviously, they said the opposite. What What goes on? I mean, tell us about why why do some of the guys on the team, maybe everybody, why do they consider you one of the spark plugs, the guy that keeps everybody, you know, in tune, happy, um, what is it about your personality that causes your team to feel so good about you? Um, really it’s just the other guys, you know, like every time I walk into the locker room, like someone’s always like dancing or like making a joke. So it just is easy to feed off of that energy, you know, like I’m I’m always walking in and everyone else is always smiling. So then it just makes you Yeah. You feel it, you know? I I want to smile, too. Like I want to get in on the shenanigans and just like just be with the boys. And I I feel like that’s what makes it so easy. Just like everyone’s just I feel like everyone can just be who they want to be like when they’re in the locker room. Like it’s it’s real. It’s like it’s authentic like the way we hang out and stuff. Would you say it’s kind of being a jokester or pranks or just saying silly stuff? I’d say all of it. Being Adele. Oh, yeah. Yeah. I’d say it’s all I’d say it’s all of it, man. Just Yeah, it’s all of it. It’s a mixture of all those things. Lucky, I love you already, man. That is I love you, too, Mike. That is so good. I mean, and you know what? To have the courage to just, you know, be yourself and do that. That’s half the battle. Yeah. All right. So, are you uh now we are always running one back sets, right? Well, I don’t know if I can say this, but this Don’t say it. I’m happy to hear that there’s might be a a wrinkle. This will be fun. I’ve been saying all along because I was a fullback and I could run. I could go out for a pass and it was fun. And it was almost like having two tight ends because as a running back, you’ve got perhaps a a strong side or a weak side linebacker who has to cover you. Yeah. And the white outs always have have cornerbacks and they’re designed to cover, you know, but linebackers aren’t always designed to cover you. And so you can get open sometimes when the other guys can’t. And so I’ve always, oh man, we need to go back to that two back set. Yeah. where you can do those little out routes or hook, you know, or little uh circle routes and and you’re open right over the middle for five, 10 yards all the time. Um but it takes courage to be a running back, right? Yeah. Because I mean those guys are all right there and they’re growling at you. They want to hit you. They want to take your legs out. What’s it like to get the ball and to see all this massive humanity trying to take you down? Um, it is pretty intimidating like pre- snap because like last year like you’ll see like you’re sitting there and you’re trying to see who you like have to block if it is a block or if you know you’re going to get the ball like and you’re seeing like JTO or like Tyler Baddy and then behind them you see Harrison and Jack Kelly and Isaiah Glaser or Ace Kafussi or Chay. So those guys and all those guys are huge. So they are and then but then you look at your own line you’re like okay we have some good old linemen like Bruce Mitchell like Sonia Makosini like all those guys are guys that I trust that you know can uh do their job to allow me and the other backs to do their job too. I love it. So would you consider yourself more of a fullback or a tail back halfback? It depends like so sometimes like we’ll be like in two back and like have like I can be the lead blocker or like go out to the for the pitch or it just depends on whatever. Good. Yeah. And uh running back because you know we run like what 50% sometimes run 50% pass. Those guys are getting hit. So we need we need a good lineup of running backs that can come in and play. Yeah. Last year Oh, sorry. Go ahead. No, no. I tell me last year because LJ was injured for Yeah. a couple games. Yeah. Yeah. So last year I think they played maybe six running backs the whole season. So, and then that just makes it good. So, it keeps everyone accountable. Like, uh, this off off seasonason so far, like coach Harvey’s been telling us like you never know what’s going to happen, you know, like if someone goes down, like the the first guy shouldn’t look like should look the same as the the 10th guy. So, uh, he holds us to a high standard of just knowing the plays, like knowing our assignment, and then just giving effort all the time. And I think just having a bunch of backs like LJ Martin, uh, Eno Nah, Jovesa Demoney, Charlie Misa, we got Logan Payne that Logan Payne’s going to be a good back his name. Oh yeah, he’s a he just come back came off his mission. He’s a good back. We have Pokai Sha Moa obviously all those guys can play. All those guys can Now you you pronounced his name Shion. Yeah. I always I’ve always said Yeah. No, that’s the brother, man. Okay. know you’ve got a lot of good brothers. Yeah, they’re in your back field and we’re going to need you all. Do you catch passes out of the back field much or mostly lead block or run? No, we Yeah, I catch passes out of the back field, too. Good. All right, so back to um your antics in the locker room. Think of Trey Alexander or LaMason Waller. You know, they’re just guys that are freshman here, you know, and and I know you’re a freshman, too, but you’ve been here for two years. Yeah, I’ve been here for a while. Yeah. So, you know the system. Yeah. You’ve had your locker. You know your guys, you know, and they know you. They the team. You all know each other. One of the things that I love about our culture that I think Coach Colani is really pushing is how much you all, you know, love and learn with each other, you know, and it feels like it’s sincere. And it starts with a guy sometimes that is is having fun in the locker room that loves everybody. So tell us your opinion, your feel of how the guys on the defense and the offense get along, how offensive line versus I mean how how because you guys are all from different parts of the country, you’re from different cultures, a lot of the guys are from different religions. Um how does everyone get along so well? I think one thing that really helps everyone get along so well is just the love of football. you know, that’s really why everyone’s there is because everyone loves the game of football. Everybody is um has spent their own time and has bought in like beforehand, you know, getting to before coming to BYU that, you know, this is why they want to be here. And then it’s just like you hang out with guys for like a couple minutes and you’re like, “Oh, he’s just like me.” Like he likes to laugh like and do all this other stuff. He likes to eat this or whatever just like me, but he also loves football. And a big thing that uh Kehlani has like emphasized with us is just is religion. Whether it is like the Church of Jesus Christ, the Latter Day Saints or or anything we obviously like uh like Jake being Jewish and like we have a couple guys that are Muslim like Mory Bomba and everyone just embraces like their faith no matter what it is. Like uh I mentioned JT uh earlier like he he’s Method. He’s Methodist and like it doesn’t matter like what JT uh oh uh uh his name’s I’m sorry. I’m sorry. John John Tamop. He plays DTackle. Tamop. Yeah. So he’s a big guy. Yeah. He’s big and he’s Methodist. Yeah. He’s from he’s from Tongla too. So Okay. Yeah. But even him like he doesn’t he’s not a member of our church but he’s always like like preaching his religion like living his religion too. And nobody that doesn’t bother anybody. Yeah, it doesn’t bother anybody that like when we have team prayers and stuff like and it’s their turn to say their prayer like Jake will pray and and my will my too like they’ll pray whatever they they feel like uh how they do it in their religion and and nobody gets on them for that you know it’s it’s just it’s really accepting um an accepting thing we have going on right now. To me it’s a good education you know because I mean when you consider it Christianity is a minority in the world when you consider that you know all the Hindus and Muslims and and so we need to understand each other and it’s cool that on your football team that you’re doing a little bit of that effort to understand to hear somebody can you imagine hearing a prayer a Muslim prayer in Arabic that would be yeah fascinating yeah it’s cool I would love that I I hope to be in your locker room soon. Oh, you should come. You should come to our our locker room or our team meeting. Can you talk to your uncle and and see if he’ll let some old, you know, fullback come in? Oh, yeah. He’ll let you in. I’m telling you. I know. I know his answer. He’ll let you come come to our meetings, man. I’m going to hold Lucky Fe now to this. You can hold me to that, you know. I And I love Coach Sitake. I ran into him at the airport and introduced myself and said how much Anyway, I love what he’s doing. And I played for coach Edwards. I was way before coach Satakei before he played, but I remember him playing. And I remember Harvey Younger, your your running back coach. I remember him playing and he was You guys were the same number. 45. Well, he’s the same number. Oh, same as Oh, yeah. Yeah. I have that number now. Do you really? Yeah, they they gave me they gave me that 45. Yeah. I love you, too, Mike. Yeah. Oh, dude. Yeah. I tell people that Harvey took my number. He he did a lot with it. Yeah. Lucky I I think that it’s so cool that our culture on our team because when I met Coach Satakei, he he just said, “Hey, I’m just trying to keep the tradition going that Coach Lavell started, Coach Edwards.” And you know what? I think he’s taken it to, you know, some further steps. And it’s cool that in I I I don’t know if it’s social media or you young people You’re so more so much more aware than maybe we were at when I was your age. So, it’s fun that you can have so much fun playing football and going to school. Yeah. But you said something about you were just at a camp. Oh, yeah. So, we had we were just coaching the football camps earlier today and uh they pay us for doing those. So, I was just saying like if we were get if I was getting a lot of money like I wouldn’t have been working those camps earlier today, you know. There you go. Thank you. Yeah. cuz I’m te, you know, I now we all think that you guys make a million dollars a year playing football and I know that’s not how it works. Yeah. No, no. Maybe some guys that can dunk basketball. Those guys. Yeah. Yeah. What a fun life though. I mean, what do you think about this NIL era and some of the guys in your locker room are making a lot of money. Some good money. Maybe there’ll be a day when you do. Yeah. What you know, how do you live? Back in our day, everybody made the same. So, is it hard in the locker room? Does it create tension that, hey, so and so, I know he’s making a lot of money from X, Y, and Z. I feel like it doesn’t create any tension just because like everyone like wants to see everybody win. And like if anything, it just motivates the boys because it’s like, oh, if he’s doing good and like this is happening for him, like who’s to say it can’t happen for me? And I think everyone is just has a has the same outlook on on it. It’s just like football. The love of football is what got us all here, not the love of money. And you know, so yeah. So everyone just sticks to like loving football. And like that’s what Colani always preaches to us too. It’s just like if we just play good football, like the money will come eventually, whether it’s now or down the road. Like he’s like it money is not a big thing that um that drives the boys, like drives anybody on our team. So, it was just like we want to win like winning a national championship that would do more for us like both like with money or anything than just trying to play for money. And uh with that being said, like Coach Colani, he does like and like John Swift and them and like shout out to Dave George. That’s my boy. He’s like that’s our G our GM. He’s he’s from the he grew up like in in Vegas uh with me. I know we uh I played in the same little league as him. But like they they they give us the tools that we need to like be financially like educated and to know that like this money that’s coming in that like what to do with it and how it it can’t be it won’t be a distraction for us like getting it. Does that make sense? Makes tons of sense. In fact, what you said, uh, there’s more more depth to what you said than maybe you realize because our whole our whole country was built on an idea that I’m not going to be envious of you. Yeah. Hopefully, you’re not going to be envious of me. Don’t be because I’m old, you know. But, but it’s built on, hey, if Lucky can do it, maybe I can. Yeah. and and that hope, that aspirational idea that hey, if Lucky served a really good mission in Birmingham, Alabama, maybe I can too. Oh, yeah. You know, um, so I wanted to get to that, too. But your wisdom in uh that in the locker room there’s, you know, you don’t have that tension. In fact, it even kind of gives you, hey, if if my friend over here, he’s a senior, he’s a junior. Yeah. He’s done some really good things. Uh if he can do that well then you know there there’s that hope for me too. Yeah. Totally. I love that. Good for you. Um tell us though when did you go on your mission? Was it right out of high school or did you Were you already here a year? Oh, so I graduated in 2020 and I went on my mission that following fall in October. Okay. Yeah. And you went to Birmingham, Alabama? Yeah. Best mission out there, man. That’s you know my wife and I visited the Birmingham Alabama mission. The mission president is the leader who it well this was a long time ago. It was uh President Perry Webb, Perry and Cindy Webb were the presidents. And this was actually the same year that BYU went down to Bur not Birmingham to Tuscaloosa and played against University of Alabama. And so I think it was in the late 1990s. It’s before you were born, brother. And but we went there and I don’t know if it’s the same mission home or not. It could be. It was a nice place. Uh but that is that is roll tide country, right? Yeah. Tell us about how was it being an LDS missionary in roll tide country. Roll tide is is what they talk about University of Alabama. Yeah. You know, and it’s roll tide all day long. I actually have a funny story about that. Uh I serve I saw obviously serving in 2020 like it was during like the pandemic and ah we were eating at a at a member’s house and Nick Sabin had gotten uh COVID and we’re eating and like the father of the home goes everyone stop eating elders I need you guys to say a prayer uh for Nick Sabin and and me and my companion just start laughing and then like but then serious he was serious the wife was serious the whole family was serious like me and my companion are laughing were like, “Oh, yeah. Haha.” And then they’re like, “No, like serious. Let’s let’s go to the living room and let’s say a prayer for him.” So we Wow. Yeah. So they they all they were big time Alabama fans over there. I mean, I saw that. I There’s a highway. I don’t know if it’s 50 or 80 or 100 miles uh from Tuscaloosa to Birmingham. Do you remember? I only remember the one highway. It’s one road, you know? So like it’s mostly just two lane coming and going. Oh, okay. Okay. Okay. And and this was back in the late 1990s, but it took like four hours to get back from Tuscaloosa to Birmingham because it was Yeah. I mean, the roll tide environment, that religion that the people of Alabama have toward their football team is amazing. Yeah. That that’s how you get get contacts and like you just say roll tide to people and they’ll they’ll like wave back and say it back to you and then you’ll be like, “Yeah, we have a message for you.” And then they’d be like, “Oh, okay. But yeah, so you really did use that as a way to connect like, “Hi.” Yeah. Roll tide. I like roll tide. And they’re like, “Yeah, roll tide.” And then be like, “You guys want to come in?” And it’ll be funny. Like there’ll be people that like they’ll see us and like hurry into their home and then like later we’ll be walking past the same home and then be like real tide and they’ll be like, “You guys thirsty? You want to come in?” And then like oh yeah, you’re just friends. Yeah. Now we’re friends now. Yeah. Isn’t that cool? Yeah. That’s cool. I don’t know with a lot of people I want to tell or say because not everybody loves sports and I mean most people do. We understand but you know some people just aren’t into sports but sports give you so much of a life lesson. Uh for example using your little roll tide to say hi to somebody and all of a sudden they feel like there’s a connection. Yeah. To where you’re walking by later. Hey, come in and get a drink of water cuz you know our roll tide, you know, quote or whatever. Yeah, that’s actually it was actually cool serving because two uh I serve with two of the guys on our team. So Trevor Pay, he that’s Connor Pay’s little brother. He was on the mission with me. And uh is he a big lineman, too? Yeah, he’s big like his brother. He plays center. Yeah, he’s he’s smart. He’s a smart guy. He’s a really good player. And uh Vil Vha. Yeah, he ser he’s a he’s coach Shauna Boha’s son. Mhm. He plays defensive end for us. So, yeah, we all three of us served in that mission together. So, at the same time. Yeah. At the same time. Wow. Yeah. That’s interesting that you’d all get called to to roll Tide country from the BYU football team. Yeah. Um I I don’t know if this matters at all, but when we met Kayanu Tanavasa, you know, he talked about his mission was served here in Utah. Oh, yeah. I forgot he already on the University of Utah’s team and he went back to the U of fortunately, you know, he’s he’s now here. Have you run into him in a practice at ever? Oh, yeah. I I was just hanging out with him earlier today. So, yeah, that’s a good guy. Like, what a strong Yeah, good guy. Strong guy. Well, tell me, Lucky, um, what are your aspirations on this BYU football team? What What do you want to accomplish personally and as a team? What when you guys talk about your goals, when you think of your goals, what what’s going to happen in the next couple years, what do you see? For me, I just see myself being out there, you know, playing with the guys like in whatever aspect it is. I just love football. Like when they asked me to switch the offense, like I was more than happy to do it if what position were you playing defensively? So, I was I was with the linebackers with Coach Anna and them. So, uh Isaiah and Ace and all them like those are my boys. Like, we all came We all came into BYU together. we all started. We all I was with them when I started and uh so now I’m a running back. But yeah, I just I see myself playing, you know, like I know I’ve had some uh setbacks these last couple years, but I really do feel like um something’s better, you know, coming for me in the future. I just I just want to be out there playing football. Like that’s just what I want to do. Like in whatever capacity it is like for the team like whether if it’s just special teams or if it’s just anything like anything to get out there. Yeah. are willing to give. And I feel like that’s one thing I have learned from uh these last couple years of like sitting out, you know, not being healthy all the way is just learning to appreciate it. A lot of the older guys like um have told me to keep my head up like uh my first year like nice Mah, that’s my big brother. Like Chaz Aou, Ben Bwater, an Ammon Hanaman, uh Dion Jones, like all those guy, even AJ Vong, like they all were just telling me to keep my head up, you know? like knowing that like get through it. Yeah. To get through, you know, my time’s going to come. And then especially last year, like someone who was always helping me out too was uh Gary Bohannan. Yeah. He he played quarterback for us. I remember from Yeah. From Baylor. Yeah. So, I’m just here to play. He had a really good attitude and he he had to because he didn’t get the playing time that we all kind of expected that that he would. Was he injured? Uh, did he just have a good attitude and want to help the team? Tell us about Gary. I’m curious. Yeah. Shout out Gaby. That’s what we call him. G Baby. Gabby. Yeah. Everyone really calls him Unk. Like he he sounds like a old man. Like his mannerisms are as a old man, but like now be careful talking about Oh, sorry. But he can play, man. He can play like uh I I know he’s coaching people right now, but I can see him like making the UFFL like working his way back working his way into the NFL. But he had he had a such a good attitude like coming into our team when he came uh for that spring and even that uh fall camp prior to the to this last season. He was a real competitor. Uh pushed all the boys. And that’s one thing like I really loved about Gary last season was like even though he wasn’t getting the playing time that you know he wanted or like a lot of people expected him to get like anytime someone needed to know their route, he’s the first person to tell them what they’re doing. Yeah. Like he’s the anytime Jake is making a check, he’s the first one to be like good check. Like he’s tell he’s the first one to compliment. Yeah. To compliment like no negative energy like whatsoever in that guy like just a good guy because a lot of times I’m second team behind you. I might hang my head. Yeah. So you know how does that affect the team versus how Gaby Yeah. you know took it? I just feel like it’s because of the culture uh Kehlani has like built with the with the team that it makes it not that bad to like it doesn’t make it like it’s not like that you’re still rooting for your team. Yeah. like you’re like that’s still your boy like that’s that’s your brother like that when I was playing linebacker like it was easy for us to just be to be happy for the guys ahead of us like Kafussi Michael Kofussi like uh Miles Hall like those in Seattle like those guys haven’t like all of us maybe hadn’t played as much as we wanted to but the guys in front of us like as soon as the game’s over we’re all hanging out as soon as practice is over we’re all hanging out like it was just I think just being happy for like it’s easier to be happy for someone rather than like tear them down. And I feel like that’s the spirit everyone has. Especially like the Moa Boys. I don’t know if you know and Shauna Moa, they were here with us last season and I want to meet them. Yeah, those guys are cool. Shona. Yeah, Sha Moa. Sha. So him and so Shauna Moa the running back. He uh he he really lit it up some last year. Well, we you talked about Gbab. Yeah. Gary Bohannan. Yeah. And you called him Unk. That’s the second time I’ve heard people calling someone Unk. Oh, can you think of the other one that I may have heard? Trey Alexander and La Mason Waller. Maybe it’s just Trey because Trey was talking about Were you talking about Keelin? Ke. Oh, yeah. I know he’s talking about Keelin. Yes. You knew it. Yeah. And I worried because I talked to Trey. love the kids, you know, and they were together here, LaMason and Trey and um and Trey told this story about Ank and how, you know, Keelin kind of took him under his shoulder, you know, and and was showing him the ropes. He felt really good. He called him and then Keelin announced he was going to leave. Oh, yeah. And I felt bad like, oh dang. I How does that affect Trey? What do you see? I mean, I I mean, I just seen him calling him the other day. Like, they’re still boys, you know, like they’re still buzz. Yeah. That’s the only thing that sucks about like when your friends transfer, you know, like cuz like you built you’ve been with each other like the whole time like you were like a lot of the guys that leave like the team spend so much time together not just based on like cuz we have to be there, you know, like but like outside of like football, you know, like outside of like like when Harry left. Yeah. When Harry left, who was that? Uh Harrison Tagert. Call him Harry. Yeah. Like we we’d go like cook steaks at his house all the time. So then like now then like when he leaves it’s like oh dang like that’s one of the boys you know so it’s like that’s right. So it’s just like everyone’s happy for them that they’re going to go but at the same time it’s like you’re just going to miss hanging out like but the good thing is like you can always like play the game with them you know like call them you know I have you know it’s funny how social media works nowadays but I have a son here from Southern Virginia University another son in Dallas who’s in his career. another son here in Pleasant Grove. And last night, my son Luke from SVU, and he’s not heavy into gaming, you know, but these three boys, my sons, all wanted to play together. I don’t know if it was Call of Duty or Oh, yeah. You Fortnite or whatever you guys do, you know, but they were going to hang together, you know, thousands of miles apart and yet and yet play that game together. And so I assume that when Trey Alexander when his leaves ke they’re so close. They’re still going to be friends. You feel good for him. Hey, you you have maybe a better opportunity now. I don’t know. We love Kayla Marion. What a great athlete. What a great kid. Um but you don’t want it to hurt, you know, our guys that are still here. Trey Alexander. Yeah, totally. So you got that this transfer. That’s what you said. That’s the one thing that sucks about the transfer portal is it breaks you up for a little bit. Yeah. But in our lives that happens. I mean, in my career, you know, sometimes guys, people left for another job and hey, I’m going to miss you. You were friends. Yeah. All right, Lucky, we’ve we’ve kept you here for a while. Love your attitude. Thank you so much for having me. The wisdom that you have. What what further things would you like to share? Because you have so many experiences, great attitude, the mission. Hey, you’re even married, right? You have a family. You have children. Oh, no. No, no children yet. Okay. Just just married. But is there anything you’d like to share with our Cougar Nation or things that we haven’t been able to talk about yet? I just want to just thank all the fans out there just uh for all their support. Like there’s there’s always so many people that support the the program and it’s it’s hard to understand like how many people are out there but anywhere you go like the team goes like there’s always people that are like Goks like I was in Yeah. It’s crazy. Like I went I was in the Bahamas like last year for my honeymoon and like I had my BYU stuff on and like literally so many people were like Goks Goks and I was like oh dang. Like so no matter where you go like there’s always fans. cuz I just want to just give my appreciation and love for all the fans out there and just like to all the kids out there that are trying to like make it to the next level. Just keep working and I just want to thank you so much for having me, especially my dad and my sister um out here. Just I really do feel blessed just to be on here. Just there’s been a lot of great players on here and coaches. Uh and I just I feel uh really grateful that I could be another guy on on this on this show. It’s fun to hear your stories and to me now older I remember some of those old experiences that are just like maybe or very similar to what you’ve had and we learn from those things. So the reason we’re doing this is because in this difficult game of football where you get knocked down and sometimes you knock other people down, you get knocked down, sometimes you’re injured. Um, how how do we get back up and how do we do it with a good attitude like like lucky female? One thing like my parents always like stressed to me growing up is like someone always has it worse, you know, and so just be grateful for what you have right now. And I feel like that’s one thing that I try to do is just to be grateful for what I have right now. And like yeah, a lot of times like especially when you have goals like it’s easy to get uh discouraged and get angry at whatever is happening right now. But if you just are grateful for whatever is good in your life, right? Then that’s going to help you like h just even just to change your attitude for a second to like keep going, you know, and to keep your head up. And that’s one thing that I love about all the all the boys. Like all the boys are all like that. Like there’s not a single guy on our team that is like is like a negative Nancy. Like every all the boys are always like, “No, ne let’s go. Let’s go.” Like let’s let’s keep going. And like there’s so many times where I I’ll start feeling a certain way and then like one of my teammates they bring you back. Yeah. They’ll bring me back, you know, and that’s that’s what’s so good about the team. Like everybody just helps each other and feeds off of each other’s good energy. So yeah, that’s all I’d say. just to add to that and we’ll finish, but um I saw a video from last year, maybe one or two, where you as a team will dedicate some things to someone who’s been disabled. Yeah. And to see your players, your teammates, whether it’s you or another teammate, lo this young man or young woman, and and then give these gifts and then see the joy that happens to this little child or someone who’s who’s disabled. I mean, you’re doing God’s work, so thank you for for all that you’re doing. Oh, yeah. No, appreciate it. Yeah. All right. Lucky fee now, everybody. No, thank you so much, Mike. One of the guys in the future, I uh I hope you’re not 30 years old when you graduate, but you might. Oh, yeah. No, me too. Thank you, Lucky. No, thank you so much, Mike. [Music] Thank you for watching another episode of Beyond the Game. Remember to click here to subscribe and click here to watch our recent videos. Also, please follow us on social media and remember, Goks.
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Thank s interviewing these wonderful humble and meek athletes
‘Ofa atu Lucky 🤗