BY BRAD FRANKLIN
T
HE SIX OR SEVEN DAYS after
Bronco Mendenhall was hired to be
UVA's next head coach were hectic,
but they've got nothing on what was
the first part of 2016 for him, his family
and his new coaching staff.
However, to hear the 49-year-old Mendenhall
talk, the beginning of his time in the McCue Center
has been every bit as exciting as it has been chaotic.
"My impressions have been overwhelmingly posi-
tive," he said in mid-January. "I've been delighted
by the welcome and how many times I've heard,
'Welcome to Charlottesville.' That literally seems to
be the first thing that comes out of everyone's mouth.
The community is so welcoming and so inviting, and
they also seem so anxious and excited for change
and success and for the hope of both within the
football program.
"My family, Holly and the three boys, have had
similar experiences," Mendenhall added. "Folks
have been so gracious, hospitable and welcoming,
DIFFERENCE
MAKER
Bronco Mendenhall Has Embraced The Challenge
Of Rebuilding UVA's Football Program
Mendenhall, the 40th head football coach in
school history, said it took something special
— the challenge and opportunity to make a
difference at an institution like UVA — to lure
him away from BYU.
PHOTO BY MATT RILEY/COURTESY UVA
