Provo • Even a heart attack can’t keep BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill away from practice.
But it has kept him off the field.
As Hill continues to recover from the heart attack he suffered on Aug. 29, BYU has built the coach a fortress of sorts to keep him safe. The 49-year-old Hill has been observing practice from a balcony overlooking BYU’s practice fields. Hill sits in a tent with a tarp draped over the sides to shield him from the sun.
“Practice is a smidge different. I’m on a headset so they can yell at the guys anything I see. I don’t love it, but it is better for me,” Hill said this week.
The Cougars gave him an iPad to replay the action instantly in case he missed anything from his new vantage point.
Hill had a heart attack the Thursday before the Cougars’ season opener. He had surgery that night and was discharged on Aug. 31. He went to LaVell Edwards Stadium that day and watched the Cougars beat Southern Illinois. He also traveled with the team to Dallas last week for BYU’s game against SMU.
His wife, Sara, also made the trip with him. While she typically travels to road games, she stayed close to his side, walking into the stadium with him and joining him on the field before the game.
Hill said he has no travel restrictions but has to “be smart” about how he handles it.
“I owe it to my family and everyone else to do it that way,” he said. “It brings a different perspective on life when you are laying on the table and the doctors tell you you’re having a heart attack and they have to go in and do a quick surgery. But nothing will take away the passion for the game and my passion for my family. You have to find that balance and honestly I don’t know exactly what that looks like. I’m finding my way through that.”