Inside Gary Andersen's Office - View 1
A picture of Andersen with his wife, Stacey, and twin brothers, Mark and Clark, rests on a shelf behind his desk. It was taken Oct. 1, 2010, just after Andersen's Utah State team had upset BYU for its first win in the intrastate rivalry since 1993.
But Andersen remembers the picture more for what had happened following Utah State's previous game, a 41-7 loss to San Diego State. After returning home, Andersen collapsed in the bathroom, breaking two vertebrae and sustaining a nasty cut on his head. He reluctantly went to the hospital, where doctors conducted tests for several days, "looking for what in the hell was wrong with me."
They eventually concluded that Andersen had worked himself into exhaustion.
"It reminds me football's not everything," he said. "Don't put it on too much a pedestal. Take care of your business. Obviously, that was a huge win for Utah State but the bottom line is I overworked myself, and I was stupid. It reminds me to be smart with my players, with myself and with the staff. That was one of our biggest wins, and I almost didn't have the opportunity to enjoy it."
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