Cougar Kickoff Countdown: 89 Days & "life was still worth living"

Former Voice of the Cougars Paul James related this story about BYU President Ernest Wilkinson, who was sick and in the hospital for the 1976 BYU-Utah game. During the broadcast James stated that a win for the cougars would be better for President Wilkinson than any kind of medicine or therapy. BYU beat Utah 34-12. The following week President Wilkinson sent James the following in a letter,

Dear Paul,

I'm informed that at the end of our game with Utah you announced that the score would be a better tonic to me at the Utah Valley Hospital than anything else. You were right! It made me feel that life was still worth living.

Sincerely,

Ernest L. Wilkinson