I Caught a Pass From Ty - Part 3

Me and Ty Detmer, June 11, 2007

“You did what!?” Came the overwhelming response from my mom, and a few close friends and family to whom that news would be relevant. The next question on their minds was something I hadn’t thought through yet either, “what are you going to talk to Ty Detmer about?”

What questions had he not been asked countless times, what type of conversation would make me seem less like a creeper and more, an adoring fan with the up most respect for his talent and person? In search for those answers, the next couple of weeks went by in a flash and the day came for me to make a follow up call to confirm and time and location.

While my nerves were still on high alert, that next conversation went much better, at least in my head, than the first. I actually had to leave a message for him and yet within the same day, a number with a familiar Texas area code showed up on my cell phone. That’s right, Ty Detmer had my cell phone number. I can only assume that he saved it in his phone and put it in his ‘favorites’ list. (Deliriously optimistic I am)

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The drive from San Antonio to Austin is about an hour give or take. That smoldering summer afternoon however, it felt more like San Antonio to El Paso. (A much longer and more Wyoming-ish drive I assure you)

I arrived in Austin and with a map I printed off of MapQuest in hand, found my way to the BBQ joint he had recommended. Since I was nearly an hour early, I drove around and admired the green hills of Austin, Texas. It’s a beautiful city with lots of trees and a downtown that reminded me of Salt Lake City, which I frequented often.

I pulled into the parking lot of County Line On The Hill, about ten minutes before we were to meet. I made a couple last minute phone calls for reassurance that this was really happening, and quite possibly for some calming advice since I had never really done anything like this before.

I had brought several items, including football cards, a BYU branded football, and the very Sports Illustrated issue I received when I was 10, in hope he would autograph them for me. As I sat there gathering my thoughts, a large white F-250 pickup pulled up on my passenger side, and a slightly older, yet recognizable Ty Detmer appeared in the driver’s seat.

I took a deep breath and said “here we go”.

I had rehearsed my first impression with him over and over in my head and yet nothing seemed fitting for the larger than life moment set before me. I was 26, yet I felt more like I was 10 again.

“Mr. Detmer, thank you so much for coming, this really means a lot to me.”

"Just call me Ty", he responded. And thanked me for the invite. So humble.

We shook hands and made our way into the restaurant. Small talk about the southern Texas heat, two-a-day practices in such humidity, and why he picked this specific restaurant ensued.

“You get used to the heat” he admitted. “Up until I arrived in Provo for camp, the first time, I didn’t know anything different!”

Sitting down at a table in a restaurant, with your hero sitting across from you, is by far one of the coolest experiences in the world! I was in awe, possible some shock, and just overwhelmed that this moment, for me, even materialized. I probably spent the first 5 or 10 minutes just telling him how much I looked up to him, the inspiration he was, and even how much my own mother appreciated his example to her son. The fun coincidence for us is that both our moms, are named Betty!

I showed him a few of the cards, and a letter he had sent me in response to letters I sent him back in the day. I even showed him a short note that my Uncle Brent had asked him to sign for me one day when he went into the city of Provo offices to pay his utility bills. He was flattered that I was so honored and grateful to have been the recipient of his time and efforts like that, and yet in his own way, he made me feel like he was the lucky one to have been part of my growing-up experience.

After ordering lunch, a conversation took place which went from one incredible story to another. We talked football, including the differences in the different organizations he played for. He spoke of playing with talented guys like Brett Favre and Michael Vick. He spoke humbly of backing up someone he really looked up to, in Steve Young in San Francisco, and how that was a great time in his career with many guys on that team of the same Faith.

He told me of how he threw Chad Lewis, a great BYU Tight End, his first NFL touchdown and how it was little moments like that, which really made his career amazing.

Ty’s memory of the detail is remarkable. I asked about, and he walked me through the play against Miami, in 1990, where two giant defensive ends were closing in on him. Not only did he escape their crash, but ended up throwing a touchdown pass to Brent Nyberg seconds later. He wasn’t aware there were two guys after him on that play, until he stepped out of the way and heard a loud crash! “That was a close one!” he recalled.

His humble acknowledgement of his success, is nearly as legendary as his actual success on the gridiron. He kept giving the credit to the QB’s before him for paving the way, Coach Edwards, and the support of his family, in particular his parents and little brother, Koy.

He spoke highly of what Coach Mendenhall was doing with the BYU football program now and how he was proud of the guys playing at the time. He even mentioned how he had texted John Beck, after his last second touchdown pass, to beat Utah in the 2006 rivalry game in Salt Lake. Who does that! I wondered, apparently Ty does.

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We stopped for a picture near the door as we were leaving the restaurant. As we stood there for the picture, I remember turning to my right, looking up, and just saying “Thanks Ty”. I can only hope that the emotion and gratitude behind those two words, he felt as strongly as I meant them.

As we got out to the parking lot, I asked him to sign a few things and he was more than willing. The football I had brought however, was for a specific reason, not only to be signed, but I wanted to catch a ball thrown by the Heisman Trophy winning quarterback. I awkwardly made the request, and his big Texas smile told me all I needed. I tossed him the ball and took off about 10 yards out.

I’m not going to lie, as that spiral ball game heading my way, the fear occurred to me more than once, “DO NOT DROP IT!”

Catching the perfect spiral thrown by Ty, I secured it against my body, as if it was a precious game ball I would cherish forever. And I Have.

Nearly 10 years later, and 25 years from the time I first saw him throw a football, I still look at Ty Detmer as a hero of mine, not just of my childhood, but now as an adult as well.

I now have 2 little boys under the age of 10. My hope is that one day, both of them can find a hero like Ty to look up to. In our culture of ‘fame before values’ and ‘riches before integrity’, heroes, like Ty, are difficult to find, yet they are there. Every day, men and women, athletes or not, whose principal and integrity overshadow any talent or fame, stand as incredible role models to all of us, the kind of people each of us can be.

Perhaps one day, my boys, might have the opportunity to sit across a table from their hero, and express their appreciation for them as a positive role model in their life. An imperfect father’s wish, for his amazing sons.

And then, I want them to call me immediately, and tell me the story. And in their own words, with as much excitement as I had on that hot, humid, afternoon in Austin, tell me about how they too, caught a pass from Ty!