This is a special year for Robbie Bosco. Also, an unfortunately hard one to bank on.

The director of BYU's "Varsity Club," the fundraising arm for the school's athletic department, finds himself making a lot of calls these days just to make sure donors are "doing OK."

In other words, usually Bosco's work revolves around making Cougar fans cognizant of how they can help him their favorite teams. Right now, in a down economy that is famously afflicting schools' sports programs all around the country, Bosco has been keeping in touch with folks without any premonition he'll be able to get in their wallets.

"Right now, you want to keep relationships building," Bosco said. "Everyone's being hit right now, but you want people to know you're still friends. We're doing pretty good. Everyone's working hard and we're always trying to be a positive."

Is this any way to celebrate the 25-year anniversary of one of BYU's greatest athletic accomplishments?

It's been a very hard time to try and cash in on the sentimentality of the 1984 national championship, a team that Bosco led as the quarterback.

"We're not up to the numbers in the past couple of years," Bosco said. "But look around anywhere, numbers will be down."

Bosco knows numbers, crazy ones in fact. He went 24-3 as a starter in 1984-85, including winning all 13 games in his first year after replacing Steve Young.

Bosco completed 283-of-458 passes for 3,875 yards and 33 touchdowns during the 1984 regular season. He led the nation in passing yardage that year, and in both seasons placed third in the Heisman Trophy balloting.

He's worked at BYU since 1989, since an NFL career was cut short by an arm injury. He stopped coaching after the 2003 season.

Though he laughs that he wouldn't consider himself the most affable "people person," Bosco has helped to put the school in position to have buildings and treatment for athletes (travel, meals, and so on) that BYU feels can compete with any other school.

Asked if there are similarities between leading a team on the field, and helping to form a fundraising initiative, Bosco initially chuckles. But then he does recognize a bond.

"As a quarterback, you're trying to lead the team," he said. "You want to play as an example to everyone. Same thing with fundraising. You're trying to make the best for your program. Do the best. You try to lead other people in a direction that they want to go to see success."

And, yes, winning makes it easier to get followers.

"That can make everything better, for everyone," Bosco said.

This season brings up fond memories for him.

"I know this sounds like a cliche, but we had a pretty special bond," he said of the '84 team. "We were pretty close. Not that we went out and did a lot of things together after practices or games. But we were good friends, played hard and had a lot of fun being around each other."

He tries to re-live those glory days in a different way now, helping a new generation of Cougars achieve.

A major, ongoing project is the "Coaches' Circle," as the athletic department is aiming to raise $10 million as a means to pay ever-escalating salaries (especially in the face of success, when continually winning seasons from football's Bronco Mendenhall and men's basketball's Dave Rose makes their market value rise).

Bosco said there are no plans this season for a 25-year reunion. He doesn't sound nearly as surprised as some fans might be.

But he's been part of finding a member of that team, each week, to run out the school's alumni flag (joined by the current team's).

For today's noon kickoff at Wyoming, it's Larry Hamilton -- who was a senior defensive tackle that recorded 61 tackles and two sacks plus an interception -- who will carry in one of the two BYU team flags.

Reliving memories like that, and helping former teammates do it as well? Priceless.

"That's allowed me to be in contact with guys who haven't been around in a while," Bosco said. "It's been a lot of fun. Really, it's amazing it's been so long."