Ty Detmer
Encyclopedia
Ty Hubert Detmer is a former National Football League
and NCAA
quarterback
. He starred at Brigham Young University
, where he set many records and won the Heisman Trophy
in 1990. Detmer played for six NFL teams over 14 years, all of which employed a version of the West Coast Offense
.
in Laredo, Texas, and Southwest High School
in San Antonio, Texas
. He earned letters in golf
, football
, basketball
, baseball
, and track
. As a senior, Detmer won All-American honors in football and was the Texas Player of the Year. He also won All-State honors in baseball and All-District in basketball.
(BYU). He redshirt
ed for the Cougars
during the 1987 season, and shared quarterback duties with Sean Covey
as a freshman in 1988. Detmer started a game against New Mexico, and passed for 333 yards and 5 touchdowns in a 65–0 BYU victory. He was named Most Valuable Player of the 1988 Freedom Bowl
, leading BYU to a come-from-behind 20–17 victory over Colorado
.
Detmer became a full-time starter in 1989. He emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in the nation, passing for 4,560 yards and 32 touchdowns during the regular season. His passer rating of 175.6 led the NCAA
, and he finished second to Houston
's Andre Ware
in total offense. He led BYU to a WAC
Championship, the team's first since 1985. Detmer finished the season with a strong performance against Penn State
in the 1989 Holiday Bowl
, setting NCAA records for most passing yards (576) and most yards of total offense (594) in a single bowl game. He finished 9th in the Heisman Trophy voting.
During Detmer's junior season (1990) he passed for 5,188 yards and 41 touchdowns in 12 regular season games, finished the year with 42 NCAA records, and tied for five others. BYU achieved an 28–21 upset victory over top-ranked Miami
; he led the Cougars by passing for 406 yards and 3 touchdowns against the defending national champions. For his efforts, Detmer was awarded the Heisman Trophy
, and received many other honors (including the Maxwell Award
and the Davey O'Brien Award
). He was named consensus All-America
by the Associated Press
, UPI, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Football Writers, Walter Camp, Football News, Scripps Howard, and the Sporting News. Unfortunately for Detmer and BYU, the season ended in disastrous fashion: The Cougars lost 59–28 in their final regular season game (against Hawaii
), then lost 65–14 to Texas A&M
in the 1990 Holiday Bowl. Detmer was knocked out of the game against Texas A&M, suffering two separated shoulders that required off-season surgery.
The 1991 season started poorly for BYU. With inexperienced teammates, Detmer could not get BYU's offense going, and the Cougars lost their first three games (road contests against Florida State
, UCLA
, and Penn State). After a 0–3 start, Detmer and BYU turned things around. The Cougars won eight straight games, and clinched their third consecutive WAC Championship with a spectacular 52–52 tie against San Diego State in their final regular season game. In that contest, BYU fell behind 45–17 before Detmer led a comeback. He finished the game with 599 passing yards and six touchdowns, both career highs. In his final game as a Cougar, Detmer passed for 350 yards to lead BYU to a 13–13 tie against heavily-favored Iowa
in the 1991 Holiday Bowl
. Detmer totaled 4,031 passing yards and 35 touchdowns in regular season play during his senior year. He finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting, but won the Davey O'Brien Award again and also earned the Sammy Baugh Trophy
and Today's Top VI Award. Additionally, he was named a consensus All-American
.
Detmer finished college with the following career totals: 1,530 pass attempts; 958 completions; 15,031 passing yards; 121 touchdown passes; 14,665 yards of total offense; 135 touchdowns responsible for; and 162.7 passer rating – all were NCAA records at the time. In all, he finished his college career with 59 NCAA records and tied for three others. Including statistics from bowl games, Detmer totaled 16,206 passing yards and 127 touchdown passes at BYU. He graduated with a degree in recreation administration.
drafted him in the ninth round (230th pick overall) of the 1992 NFL Draft
. Detmer spent four seasons with the Packers, but did not see much action while backing up Brett Favre
.
in 1996. After Rodney Peete
suffered a knee injury, Detmer became the team's starting quarterback. Detmer posted a 4–0 record in his first four starts. In his first start against the division rival New York Giants
, Detmer completed 18 of 33 passes for 170 yards and no interceptions in the 19–10 victory. In his second start, he threw four touchdown passes (all to Irving Fryar
) against the Miami Dolphins
. The following week, he passed for a career-high 342 yards against the Carolina Panthers
. The next week, he passed for 217 yards and a touchdown and added his first career rushing touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys
. It was Philadelphia's first victory at Dallas since 1991, and earned Detmer the Miller Lite
NFL Player of the Week award. A few weeks later, Detmer and the Eagles ended a three game losing streak as they shut out the Giants in the rematch 24–0. Detmer threw three touchdowns in the win. For the year, Detmer passed for 2,911 yards and 15 touchdowns; his 80.8 passer rating ranked fourth among NFC
quarterbacks. The Eagles posted a 7–4 record with Detmer as the starter during the 1996 season, good enough to enter the NFC playoffs. The following season, Detmer shared quarterback duties with Rodney Peete and Bobby Hoying.
as a backup to Steve Young. He spent only one season in San Francisco. His lone start came against the Panthers in which he passed for 276 yards and 3 touchdowns in the 49ers' 25–23 victory.
in 1999; the Browns wanted him to mentor rookie quarterback Tim Couch
. Detmer started the first game of the 1999 season, then served as backup until Couch sprained his foot in week 15. He started the final game of the 1999 season. Detmer injured his right Achilles
and was inactive the entire 2000 season.
where he started four games during the 2001 season. His first start was a disaster: he threw seven interceptions against the Browns, the second-highest single-game total in NFL history (tied with seven other players). He was eventually replaced as starter, but did start the final two games of the season. He set career highs for attempts (50) and completions (31) against the Chicago Bears
, finishing with 303 passing yards. He closed out the season with 242 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Cowboys.
and Matt Schaub
.
In 14 total seasons in the NFL, Detmer played in 54 games (with 25 starts), totaling 6,351 yards passing with 34 touchdowns and 35 interceptions. Detmer did not officially retire from football at the time of his release from Atlanta, but he has not played since then.
, is also a former NFL quarterback, and their father, Sonny, is a prominent San Antonio high-school coach. Detmer became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during his junior year at BYU. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife, Kim, and four daughters – Kaili, Aubri, Mayci, and Rylli.
Detmer was a large investor in, and was employed in the Athlete Services Division at, Triton Financial Corporation from 2007–2009, before the firm collapsed and its founder was indicted for fraud. Detmer was not implicated in the scandal, and claims to have lost more money than anyone else. In December 2009 he was announced as the new head football coach at St. Andrew's Episcopal School
.
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
and NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
. He starred at Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
, where he set many records and won the Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
in 1990. Detmer played for six NFL teams over 14 years, all of which employed a version of the West Coast Offense
West Coast offense
In American football, "West Coast Offense" refers to two similar but distinct offensive-strategic-systems of play: the "Air Coryell" system; or more commonly the pass play system popularized by Bill Walsh...
.
High school
Detmer attended Hobby Middle School, Mount Sacred Heart Middle School, and United Middle SchoolUnited Middle School
United Middle School is a middle school located in the northern portion of Laredo, Texas and is a part of the United Independent School District. Enrollment at United Middle school is estimated to be about 900 students. The current campus is overcrowded and a new middle school campus is in the...
in Laredo, Texas, and Southwest High School
Southwest High School (San Antonio, Texas)
Southwest High School is a 5A high school in the Southwest Independent School District of San Antonio, Texas, USA.-Band:-Organizations:Southwest High School has many organizations, which include:...
in San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
. He earned letters in golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, and track
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
. As a senior, Detmer won All-American honors in football and was the Texas Player of the Year. He also won All-State honors in baseball and All-District in basketball.
College
In part attracted by the promise of an alcohol-free lifestyle, Detmer attended Brigham Young UniversityBrigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
(BYU). He redshirt
Redshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
ed for the Cougars
BYU Cougars
BYU Cougars is an American soccer team based in Provo, Utah, United States. The team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference....
during the 1987 season, and shared quarterback duties with Sean Covey
Sean Covey
Sean Covey is an American author, motivational speaker, and publishing executive providing business leadership and time management educational tools for organizations and individuals. He is known for writing motivational books for children and teens...
as a freshman in 1988. Detmer started a game against New Mexico, and passed for 333 yards and 5 touchdowns in a 65–0 BYU victory. He was named Most Valuable Player of the 1988 Freedom Bowl
Freedom Bowl
The Freedom Bowl was an annual post-season college football bowl game played at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, California, from 1984 to 1994. Beginning with the 1995 season, the Freedom Bowl's WAC tie-ins were merged with that of the Holiday Bowl and the game was dissolved...
, leading BYU to a come-from-behind 20–17 victory over Colorado
Colorado Buffaloes football
The Colorado Buffaloes football program represents the University of Colorado at Boulder in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The team is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference, having previously been a charter member of the Big 12 Conference. Before joining the Big 12,...
.
Detmer became a full-time starter in 1989. He emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in the nation, passing for 4,560 yards and 32 touchdowns during the regular season. His passer rating of 175.6 led the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
, and he finished second to Houston
Houston Cougars football
The Houston Cougars football program is an NCAA Division I FBS football team that represents the University of Houston. The team is commonly referred to as "Houston" or "UH" . The UH football program is currently a member of the Conference USA intercollegiate athletic conference, and is coached by...
's Andre Ware
Andre Ware
Andre Ware is a sports analyst and commentator and a former American football player. He was the 1989 Heisman Trophy winner as a quarterback for the University of Houston, becoming the first African-American quarterback to win the award. In the 1990 NFL Draft, Ware was the first round selection ...
in total offense. He led BYU to a WAC
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
Championship, the team's first since 1985. Detmer finished the season with a strong performance against Penn State
Penn State Nittany Lions football
The Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference. It is one of the most tradition-rich and storied college football programs in the...
in the 1989 Holiday Bowl
1989 Holiday Bowl
The 1989 Holiday Bowl was a college football bowl game played December 30, 1989 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. It was part of the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season...
, setting NCAA records for most passing yards (576) and most yards of total offense (594) in a single bowl game. He finished 9th in the Heisman Trophy voting.
During Detmer's junior season (1990) he passed for 5,188 yards and 41 touchdowns in 12 regular season games, finished the year with 42 NCAA records, and tied for five others. BYU achieved an 28–21 upset victory over top-ranked Miami
Miami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
; he led the Cougars by passing for 406 yards and 3 touchdowns against the defending national champions. For his efforts, Detmer was awarded the Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
, and received many other honors (including the Maxwell Award
Maxwell Award
The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best football player in the United States. The...
and the Davey O'Brien Award
Davey O'Brien Award
The Davey O'Brien Award, officially the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, named after Davey O'Brien, is presented annually to the collegiate American football player adjudged by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to be the best of all National Collegiate Athletic Association quarterbacks. The...
). He was named consensus All-America
1990 College Football All-America Team
The 1990 College Football All-America Team is composed of the following All-American Teams: Associated Press, United Press International, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Football Writers Association of America, American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp Foundation, Scripps-Howard, The...
by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, UPI, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Football Writers, Walter Camp, Football News, Scripps Howard, and the Sporting News. Unfortunately for Detmer and BYU, the season ended in disastrous fashion: The Cougars lost 59–28 in their final regular season game (against Hawaii
Hawaii Warriors football
The Hawaii Warriors football team represents the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The team, which is currently coached by Greg McMackin, is part of the Western Athletic Conference until 2012, when the team joins the Mountain West Conference.The Hawaii Warriors...
), then lost 65–14 to Texas A&M
Texas A&M Aggies football
The Texas A&M Aggies football team represents Texas A&M University in college football. The Aggies have competed in the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996. They will join the Southeastern Conference in July 2012. Texas A&M football has earned one national title and 18...
in the 1990 Holiday Bowl. Detmer was knocked out of the game against Texas A&M, suffering two separated shoulders that required off-season surgery.
The 1991 season started poorly for BYU. With inexperienced teammates, Detmer could not get BYU's offense going, and the Cougars lost their first three games (road contests against Florida State
Florida State Seminoles football
The Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University in college football. The Florida State Seminoles compete in NCAA Division I-FBS and are members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
, UCLA
UCLA Bruins Football
The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll...
, and Penn State). After a 0–3 start, Detmer and BYU turned things around. The Cougars won eight straight games, and clinched their third consecutive WAC Championship with a spectacular 52–52 tie against San Diego State in their final regular season game. In that contest, BYU fell behind 45–17 before Detmer led a comeback. He finished the game with 599 passing yards and six touchdowns, both career highs. In his final game as a Cougar, Detmer passed for 350 yards to lead BYU to a 13–13 tie against heavily-favored Iowa
Iowa Hawkeyes football
The Iowa Hawkeyes football team is the interscholastic football team at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes have competed in the Big Ten Conference since 1900, and are currently a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
in the 1991 Holiday Bowl
1991 Holiday Bowl
The 1991 Holiday Bowl was a college football bowl game played December 30, 1991 in San Diego, California. It was part of the 1991 NCAA Division I-A football season. It featured the seventh ranked Iowa Hawkeyes, and the unranked . The teams played to a 13-13 tie....
. Detmer totaled 4,031 passing yards and 35 touchdowns in regular season play during his senior year. He finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting, but won the Davey O'Brien Award again and also earned the Sammy Baugh Trophy
Sammy Baugh Trophy
The Sammy Baugh Trophy is awarded annually to the nation's top college passer. The award is named in honor of former Texas Christian University and Washington Redskins quarterback "Slingin' Sammy" Baugh. The trophy has been given out by the Touchdown Club of Columbus since 1959...
and Today's Top VI Award. Additionally, he was named a consensus All-American
1991 College Football All-America Team
The 1991 College Football All-America Team is composed of the following All-American Teams: Associated Press, United Press International, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Football Writers Association of America, American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp Foundation, Scripps-Howard, The...
.
Detmer finished college with the following career totals: 1,530 pass attempts; 958 completions; 15,031 passing yards; 121 touchdown passes; 14,665 yards of total offense; 135 touchdowns responsible for; and 162.7 passer rating – all were NCAA records at the time. In all, he finished his college career with 59 NCAA records and tied for three others. Including statistics from bowl games, Detmer totaled 16,206 passing yards and 127 touchdown passes at BYU. He graduated with a degree in recreation administration.
Green Bay Packers
Despite his success at BYU, many thought that Detmer was too small to play quarterback in the NFL. The Green Bay PackersGreen Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
drafted him in the ninth round (230th pick overall) of the 1992 NFL Draft
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
. Detmer spent four seasons with the Packers, but did not see much action while backing up Brett Favre
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...
.
Philadelphia Eagles
Detmer found more playing time after signing a free agent contract with the Philadelphia EaglesPhiladelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in 1996. After Rodney Peete
Rodney Peete
Rodney Peete is a former American football quarterback from the University of Southern California who played in the National Football League for 16 years. He retired in 2004 and is now in broadcasting.-Early life:...
suffered a knee injury, Detmer became the team's starting quarterback. Detmer posted a 4–0 record in his first four starts. In his first start against the division rival New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Detmer completed 18 of 33 passes for 170 yards and no interceptions in the 19–10 victory. In his second start, he threw four touchdown passes (all to Irving Fryar
Irving Fryar
Irving Dale Fryar is a former American football wide receiver of the National Football League.Fryar grew up in Mount Holly Township, New Jersey and played high school football at Rancocas Valley Regional High School...
) against the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. The following week, he passed for a career-high 342 yards against the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
. The next week, he passed for 217 yards and a touchdown and added his first career rushing touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
. It was Philadelphia's first victory at Dallas since 1991, and earned Detmer the Miller Lite
Miller Lite
Miller Lite is a 4.2% abv pale lager brand sold by MillerCoors of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Sibling beers include Miller Genuine Draft and Miller High Life.-History:...
NFL Player of the Week award. A few weeks later, Detmer and the Eagles ended a three game losing streak as they shut out the Giants in the rematch 24–0. Detmer threw three touchdowns in the win. For the year, Detmer passed for 2,911 yards and 15 touchdowns; his 80.8 passer rating ranked fourth among NFC
National Football Conference
The National Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the American Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL.-Current teams:Since 2002, the NFC has comprised 16 teams,...
quarterbacks. The Eagles posted a 7–4 record with Detmer as the starter during the 1996 season, good enough to enter the NFC playoffs. The following season, Detmer shared quarterback duties with Rodney Peete and Bobby Hoying.
San Francisco 49ers
Detmer left Philadelphia in 1998 and joined the San Francisco 49ersSan Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
as a backup to Steve Young. He spent only one season in San Francisco. His lone start came against the Panthers in which he passed for 276 yards and 3 touchdowns in the 49ers' 25–23 victory.
Cleveland Browns
Detmer was traded to the Cleveland BrownsCleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in 1999; the Browns wanted him to mentor rookie quarterback Tim Couch
Tim Couch
Timothy Scott "Tim" Couch is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at the University of Kentucky...
. Detmer started the first game of the 1999 season, then served as backup until Couch sprained his foot in week 15. He started the final game of the 1999 season. Detmer injured his right Achilles
Achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon , also known as the calcaneal tendon or the tendo calcaneus, is a tendon of the posterior leg. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius and soleus muscles to the calcaneus bone.- Anatomy :The Achilles is the tendonous extension of 3 muscles in the lower leg:...
and was inactive the entire 2000 season.
Detroit Lions
Detmer spent three seasons (2001 to 2003) with the Detroit LionsDetroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
where he started four games during the 2001 season. His first start was a disaster: he threw seven interceptions against the Browns, the second-highest single-game total in NFL history (tied with seven other players). He was eventually replaced as starter, but did start the final two games of the season. He set career highs for attempts (50) and completions (31) against the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, finishing with 303 passing yards. He closed out the season with 242 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Cowboys.
Atlanta Falcons
Detmer spent the 2004 and 2005 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, but did not see any action as the third-string quarterback behind Michael VickMichael Vick
Michael Dwayne Vick is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League...
and Matt Schaub
Matt Schaub
Matthew Rutledge Schaub is the starting quarterback for the Houston Texans. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Virginia.-College career:...
.
In 14 total seasons in the NFL, Detmer played in 54 games (with 25 starts), totaling 6,351 yards passing with 34 touchdowns and 35 interceptions. Detmer did not officially retire from football at the time of his release from Atlanta, but he has not played since then.
Personal life
Detmer's brother, KoyKoy Detmer
Koy Dennis Detmer is a retired American football quarterback. He was originally drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the seventh round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at Colorado. He is the younger brother of former NFL quarterback Ty Detmer, and son of coach Sonny...
, is also a former NFL quarterback, and their father, Sonny, is a prominent San Antonio high-school coach. Detmer became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during his junior year at BYU. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife, Kim, and four daughters – Kaili, Aubri, Mayci, and Rylli.
Detmer was a large investor in, and was employed in the Athlete Services Division at, Triton Financial Corporation from 2007–2009, before the firm collapsed and its founder was indicted for fraud. Detmer was not implicated in the scandal, and claims to have lost more money than anyone else. In December 2009 he was announced as the new head football coach at St. Andrew's Episcopal School
St. Andrew's Episcopal School (Texas)
St. Andrew's Episcopal School, also known as SAS, is a private school located in Austin, Texas, USA. St. Andrew's enrolls students in grades 1-12 and is divided into three divisions: Lower , Middle , and Upper Schools...
.