College football coaches don’t stop practice for much — unless it’s a butt-chewing.
The Boise State Broncos often stopped for Lyle Smith.
Smith, the legendary former coach and athletic director who died Wednesday at 101 years old, frequently visited practice well into his 90s. Coaches stopped what they were doing to jog to the sideline and shake his hand. Players used any break to greet him. Equipment staff members would get him a chair, or a hat, or a jacket — or whatever else would make the man who built Broncos football comfortable for his 15- to 20-minute stay.