Cynthia Phillips does whatever she can to show her unwavering support and love for her two children, Andy and Bizzy, even if it means rushing from Provo to Salt Lake City in the same night to watch them both play the sports they dedicate so much of their lives to.
Andy is the kicker for the Utah football team, and Bizzy plays soccer for BYU, and honestly, Cynthia wouldn’t have it any other way — even if it does make things tricky at times.
When Bizzy has an early evening soccer game in Provo, Cynthia will head down south to watch her play. Then, as soon as that game finishes, Cynthia starts the journey up north, changing her BYU shirt to a Utah shirt in the car so she can catch the second half of Andy’s game. It’s something she takes pride in doing.
“I know people say you can’t actually love both [schools], but we do,” Cynthia said. “We love these universities, and we think the rivalry is great.”
Cynthia’s support for her children nearly matches the support the brother and sister show each other. Andy wears a BYU bracelet on his ankle for his sister, and in return, Bizzy wears a Utah bracelet that says “Utah specialist #39” along with the hashtag “Kickers are people too.” It’s their own way of showing everyone how much they want to see their sibling succeed. However, Cynthia thinks this doesn’t show the full context of their relationship.
In a family with five children, Andy and Bizzy have been able to build their own bond outside of their relationships with their other siblings. Since they are both student-athletes, they can better sympathize with each other whether it’s about school, homework, practice schedules, traveling, wins and losses, and everything else in between.
“These two would take a bullet for each other,” Cynthia said. “Because Bizzy and Andy understand the pressure [associated with being a student-athlete] — they’re under a microscope — they’re very empathetic with each other, and they’re very encouraging.”
So of course when the two schools are playing against each other in either football or soccer, the family immediately knows where their allegiances lie. And while Andy will cheer for the Utah women’s soccer team 364 days of the year, he has that one day where he’s cheering for the opposing team, and the same goes for Bizzy.
It’s a family-first mentality in the Phillips household.
“We’re a family that argues politics, teams, religion, just about everything,” Cynthia said. “But the thing we always solidify around is support of each other in our pursuits, our endeavors, our contests, and it has been amazing for me to see my kids loving each other.”
But Andy does think that cheering for Utah football instead of BYU football took some getting used to for his family.
Both his parents graduated from BYU, his other –sister is attending nursing school there, his two brothers also attended the school, and the ties don’t stop there. Andy’s wife, Megan, is a former Cougarette. However, the family also has quite a few ties to Utah.
Cynthia received her masters degree from the U, and at some point in her other two sons’ educations, they attended Utah. Still, in Andy’s opinion, the Phillips’ were more invested in BYU football.
The family had regularly attended games at LaVell Edwards Stadium to cheer on the Cougars. However, knowing that Andy was going to be playing in Rice-Eccles Stadium as a Ute, the entire family was more than willing to back him up.
“They’re there to support us in whatever color, whatever school, that’s how my family is, even though the first couple years it was kind of a transition, because they were so invested in BYU football,” Andy said. “But knowing I’m here and getting to know my teammates and knowing how much I love them, they love the program as much as I do.”
Even then, at the beginning of Andy’s pursuit of a college football career, Bizzy didn’t think he would actually make the team.
Of course Bizzy had faith in her brother’s ability to play — she just wasn’t sure if the coaching staff at Utah would recognize it. So when Andy did get the job as kicker, Bizzy didn’t think twice about switching her allegiances when it came to football.
“I was way bummed that BYU didn’t give him an opportunity, because we could have been there at the same time, but I honestly didn’t think much of it, because I didn’t think he was going to make the team,” Bizzy said. “Then as soon as he actually got a walk on spot, it was insane and really cool.”
According to Cynthia, the excitement Bizzy felt when Andy got a spot is more than she would feel about herself having a great game.
Cynthia thinks the two siblings are at their happiest when they are in the crowd watching the other one excel versus being on the field having one of the greatest games of their own careers.
“You’re nervous for the other person, how they’re going to feel and how everything’s going to go, and you know how miserable it is to have a bad game or a defeat,” Cynthia said. “I think they gain a lot of strength from the fact that the other person understands.”
So when Utah takes on BYU on Saturday, Sept. 10, the whole Phillips family, Bizzy included, will be flashing the U, cheering on the Utes to victory.
“I’m expecting Utah to win,” Bizzy said. “I’m expecting our family to be there in red with Ute signs everywhere, flashing the U and enjoying the moment.”
@kbrenneisen