Favero: From Helix star to Logan legend

By Ramon Scott
Updated: September 3, 2026

2026 EAST COUNTY ALUMNI

Former Helix QB, multi-champion coach honored with Logan High field dedication

By Ramon Scott
EastCountySports.com

LOGAN, Utah — The football education of Mike Favero began under the Friday night lights at Helix High School.

More than four decades later, the lessons learned by the former Highlanders quarterback helped place his name permanently on another football field nearly 750 miles from La Mesa.

Logan High School officially renamed its longtime Crimson Field as Favero Field on Aug. 28, honoring the former Helix standout who built one of the most accomplished coaching careers in Utah prep football history.

Favero and his family were recognized during Logan’s home game against Mountain Crest as former players, coaches and members of the community celebrated the man who guided the Grizzlies to five state championships, eight region titles and a 149-60 record during 17 seasons as head coach.

The field’s new scoreboard carries Favero’s name along with the years of Logan’s five championships under his direction: 2000, 2005, 2007, 2011 and 2015.

For the Logan community, the dedication honored a championship coach, offensive innovator and educator.

For East County football followers, it also celebrated another product of the storied Helix program.

A quarterback from La Mesa

Favero graduated from Helix in 1985 after playing quarterback for legendary Highlanders coach Jim Arnaiz, who has the stadium named in his honor at the La Mesa campus.

A 1985 Los Angeles Times feature on Arnaiz quoted Favero and provided a revealing glimpse into the football mind that would later transform the game in Utah.

Favero recalled that Arnaiz trusted his quarterbacks enough to allow them to offer opinions and occasionally call plays.

“He had enough confidence in me to let me call the plays sometimes,” Favero told the Times. “I felt confident making a call out there. Even if you’re not right, he will listen.”

That freedom to study defenses, understand situations and take ownership of an offense apparently stayed with Favero.

He did not follow the conventional path of playing college football. Instead, Favero began coaching at his alma mater the year after graduating. A Helix yearbook from the period lists him among the Highlanders’ football coaches, confirming that his transition from player to coach came almost immediately.

The young quarterback was already becoming a young teacher.

Favero eventually moved to Utah and graduated from Utah State University with a bachelor’s degree in teaching in 1992. He later earned a master’s degree in education in 1998.

He began teaching and coaching at Logan High in 1993 and was promoted to head coach in 1999.

It did not take long for the former Highlander to leave his mark.

Building a Utah powerhouse

In only his second season as head coach, Favero led Logan to the 2000 state championship, beginning a run that would make the Grizzlies one of Utah’s signature programs.

Logan returned to the championship game in 2003, finishing as the state runner-up, before capturing additional titles in 2005 and 2007.

Those teams established Favero as one of Utah’s leading coaches. His willingness to change, however, helped establish him as one of the state’s most influential offensive minds.

Favero’s early Logan teams operated out of a traditional two-tailback, 21-personnel offense. Even after winning a championship with that approach, he recognized that the sport was changing.

During the early 2000s, when spread offenses were still uncommon in Utah high school football, Favero made the transition to a wide-open passing attack.

The move changed more than Logan’s playbook. It helped change the offensive landscape throughout the state.

The Grizzlies became known for producing prolific quarterbacks and receivers, with Logan passers eventually filling the Utah High School Activities Association record book.

Among the quarterbacks developed by Favero were Riley Nelson, who played at Utah State and BYU, and Luke Falk, who starred at Washington State before reaching the NFL.

Favero also coached future college and professional players such as Chris Cooley, B.J. Larsen, Chasen Andersen, DJ Nelson and several others who continued their careers at Utah State.

His impact extended beyond statistics and championships. Favero coached 12 Utah National Football Foundation Scholar-Leader-Athletes and produced 56 first-team all-state selections and six state most valuable players.

Logan added another state championship in 2011 before Favero completed his career in storybook fashion four years later.

In his final season as head coach, the Grizzlies defeated Dixie, 26-15, to win the 2015 state championship. Favero stepped down following the season with five titles and a career winning percentage of .713.

A legacy beyond victories

Favero received the National Federation of High School Football Coaches Western United States Coach of the Year Award in 2008 and was named the National Football Foundation’s Utah Outstanding High School Football Coach in 2018.

In 2023, he was honored by the Utah Sports Hall of Fame as a Distinguished High School Coach.

Favero continued teaching physical education at Logan until retiring following the 2017-18 school year. He returned to the college game in 2019 when Utah State hired him as an offensive analyst, bringing the former Helix quarterback’s career full circle at the university from which he graduated.

The strongest testimony to Favero’s influence, however, came from his former players and members of the Logan community following the field dedication.

Derek Henderson, a member of Logan’s 2013 team, called Favero “the greatest coach ever” and said the season produced some of the best memories and most meaningful life lessons of his career.

Another message recalled one of Favero’s defining instructions:

“Always outwork your opponent.”

That philosophy traveled a long way from La Mesa.

Favero learned the game as a Helix quarterback, began teaching it from the Highlanders’ sideline and ultimately built a championship legacy in Utah.

Now, every Logan player who takes the field will do so with the name of the former Highlander beneath his feet.

Favero Field is more than recognition of five championships. It is a permanent tribute to a coach whose influence stretched from East County to Utah—and across generations of football players.