PROVO, Utah, Dec 23, 2015 (Gephardt Daily) — It’s official. Ty Detmer in Utah bound.
“Welcome home Ty Detmer, our new offensive coordinator,” said a BYU Football Facebook post which, within the first hour of its Thursday afternoon posting, had 2,070 likes and 316 shares.
“Sitake is setting up a Dream Team of assistant coaches for BYU Football,” said a post from a St. George fan. “Cannot wait to see who gets hired next to lead these young men in the future! Go Big Blue!!”
BYU also announced the hiring of Ilaisa Tuiaki as its new defensive coordinator.
“It’s an honor to announce Ty Detmer and Ilaisa Tuiaki as the offensive and defensive coordinators on our coaching staff at BYU,” Sitake said in a statement released by BYU. “Each has an exceptional football mind and a real passion to help our young men succeed on and off the football field.
Fans have tried for years to convince Detmer, the former BYU quarterback, Heisman Trophy winner and 14-year NFL veteran, to return to Cougar Nation.
D.J. Hunter, a resident of West Jordan who has been a BYU fan his entire life, said on Wednesday that Kalani Sitake’s first hires show he is ready to build a strong coaching staff that will hopefully include more former players.
“Many Cougar fans have been clamoring for years for Ty Detmer to return to Provo,” Hunter said. “His career in the NFL had few highlights, but paid dividends tutoring under the likes of Steve Young and Brett Favre. His return to Provo and the Cougar sidelines is a welcome change of pace for BYU fans.”
Detmer, who grew up in Texas, attended Southwest High School in San Antonio, Texas, won high school All-American honors in football, and was the Texas Player of the Year.
He attended BYU, where he played for the Cougars from 1987 to 1991. While playing for the Cougars, he emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in the nation. In Detmer’s junior year— the year he received the Heisman—he passed for 5,188 yards, had 41 touchdowns in just 12 regular season games, and claimed 42 NCAA records.
In his 14 seasons in the NFL, starting with the Green Bay Packers in 1992, Detmer played in 54 games (with 25 starts), had 6,351 passing yards with 34 touchdowns and 35 interceptions.
