I Caught a Pass From Ty – Part 2

My 4th grade artistic rendition of the Heisman Trophy

There is a crazy-nervous energy that overcomes us when we are on the brink of a larger-than-life moment. Where courage is required to tackle the fear of rejection or failure. When our heart beats loud enough we feel nearly that we can hear each pound like the powerful drumline. Which causes nervous sweat to run down our brow, and often times, that little tingle in the tips of your fingers, cause your hands to uncontrollably shake. This is the story, of one of those moments.

Disclaimer…In order to fully appreciate and understand the significance of the following account, consider an entertainment, sports, or master of industry hero, to whom you would die to meet. A Michael Jordan, Celine Dion, or Ellen if you will. If you have ever had the crazy dream and ambition to meet your hero or icon, I can promise you that any effort you put forth into that end, will produce an experience so grand, and a nervousness so tense, that you’ll never forget it as long as you live. That’s what happened, when I made a phone call one afternoon on an impulse, to the office of Ty Detmer.

It was warm early summer afternoon in south-western Montana 2007. I was sitting in my office in a manufacturing plant in a small town just outside of Bozeman, checking reports, responding to emails, and other various ‘administrative’ tasks before making my afternoon round throughout the plant.

The sound of forklifts driving by, nailing machines hammering down, and Mexican dudes singing along to their well over-played music, became the soundtrack to my days there. Looking out my window were a couple small willow trees and a baseball field across the street. I missed playing baseball, or any sport for that matter. I loved the competitive nature of athletics, and passionately followed a few sports teams growing up. But none as zealously, as the BYU Football team.

For a couple months now, I had been planning a mini vacation down to San Antonio, Texas with an amazing friend I had met while working there a few years before. I was excited to go back to that city that had become, and still is, my favorite city to visit in the United States. She was excited to go home and visit her family and spend time with friends. It was a much needed break for both of us and a trip, which for me, would bridge the excitement of the boy I used to be, with the man I was becoming.

As I looked over at that baseball field, my mind was caught up in memories of watching games as a kid. And that’s when something hit me.

My childhood hero was none other than Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer, who quarterbacked at BYU for a few years. He was from the San Antonio area, and from conversations with friends about sports lately, I had learned that he had recently retired from the NFL. That afternoon as I was thinking about it, I wondered out loud: ‘is there a chance he moved back home and lives in Texas now?’ And if so, maybe I could go meet him!

Not realizing where this thought process was really taking me, I jumped on the internet and navigated through ESPN, to BYU’s homepage, to Google and finally landed on an investment firm’s webpage where I had learned in my search, that Ty was currently employed and acting as primary face.

At this point, not unlike many decisions I make, I was not thinking more than a half a move ahead. I saw that the firm was located in Austin, Texas, roughly an hour from San Antonio. I also noticed that there was a ‘contact us’ link with a phone number right on their webpage. And most importantly, I learned that I didn’t think about what I might say, before picking up the phone and dialing.

When I nice lady with a southern accent answered the phone, I still wasn’t giving it much thought.

“Hello there, is Ty in today?” I asked, like a buddy calling to simply catchup.

“Yes of course” she replied, “Can I ask who’s calling?”

Her accent made me smile, I spent time in the south as a missionary and then again on a sales team and absolutely fell in love with the southern people. Their hospitality, generosity, and even the way they talk made me feel welcome and home.

“This is Greg”, I responded. Once again seemingly calm and cool as if he would be expecting my call.

In retrospect, I’m not sure if it was just plain arrogance or not really being aware of what I was about to do, that made my confidence level seem so smooth up to that point. The nice lady told me she would place me on a brief hold and he would be on the line in a moment.

Okay, so you know that moment I was referring to earlier, where your hands shake, body freezes, jaw locks, and all recollection that you speak fluently the English language goes directly out the window? That all hit me in that brief moment while on hold. It couldn’t have been more than 30 seconds, however the last 10 years of my life has seemingly gone by faster than those 30 seconds did.

“This is Ty”, I heard in a familiar southern drawl.

Owing to the many interviews he had done during his playing years at BYU, I recognized his voice the moment I heard it.

There is a strong possibility that the term awkward silence, could never account for such a moment, and what again felt like hours, was probably only a few seconds of acknowledgment of what I had just done.

My heart raced, and the phone nearly slipped out of my sweaty palms as I introduced myself as a huge fan of his.

He graciously and humbly thanked me for the sentiment and asked if there was something he could do for me. I felt so ridiculous because I had clearly not thought this through. I didn’t know what to say, let alone request to meet. In retrospect, I probably couldn’t have ordered a milkshake at the local diner at that moment. I was a complete mess.

Somehow, I managed to utter the news that I’m certain he had been waiting all day to hear that I would be down in San Antonio in a few weeks and would love the opportunity, if possible, to take him to lunch.

Was I asking Ty Detmer on a ‘lunch date’? What on earth was I doing? And more importantly, now I faced the potential of being turned down, and how would I handle that coming from my childhood hero!

Funny thing about heroes. If you choose the right kind, they rarely if ever let you down. Something I have taken as inspiration to be that kind of person, as a dad to my 2 awesome boys.

He responded positively enough that we spoke about a potential day during that week of my visit and he suggested for me to follow up with him the week before to nail down a time and location. I’m sure my salutation in ending that conversation was just as awkward as it had begun, we said our goodbyes and I hung up the phone.

As the reality began to hit me of what I had just done, I couldn’t believe it! I rehearsed the conversation over and over in my head for a few moments, just to be certain that it had actually occurred.

I believe the reality didn’t really sink in until I did the one thing which always brings me back to reality, no matter what the circumstance, I called my mom.

To Be Continued…