Retiring No. 14 in honor of two stars
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PROVO, Utah — The diverse paths taken to BYU by celebrated quarterbacks Gifford Nielsen and Ty Detmer connected at a ceremony honoring them during the Cougars' season opening football game Saturday, Sept. 1, in Lavell Edward's Stadium.
Their shared jersey number — 14 — was retired in front of a sellout crowd that cheered wildly for them as well as for the Cougars' 20-7 victory over the University of Arizona.
For Brother Nielsen, the senior of the honored duo, getting to BYU to play in the 1970s was a short trip across town. For Brother Detmer, the 1990 Heisman Trophy winner, the journey to play at BYU took him from Texas to the Rocky Mountains.
Houston Texas South Stake President Nielsen was born into the LDS faith. Brother Detmer, Varsity Scout Coach and assistant teachers quorum adviser in the Lake Travis Ward, Austin Texas Oak Hills Stake, attended BYU to throw footballs, but ended up joining the Church as well during those college years.
The criteria for a former student-athlete's jersey number to be retired are: must have been a first-team all-American and a recipient of a major national award; a university graduate; achieved significant athletic, civic or religious accomplishments after graduation from BYU; must be a faithful member of the Church or other religious affiliation; and a 15-year period must have passed since finishing his or her BYU athletic career.
Before their names and jersey numbers were unveiled on the face of the stadium press box, Brother Nielsen and Brother Detmer were honored on the football field. They were joined by their families as well as Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve and a member of the BYU board of trustees, Elder Cecil O. Samuelson of the Seventy and president of BYU, athletic director Tom Holmoe and former BYU football coach LaVell Edwards.
Elder Ballard told the cheering fans, "On behalf of the board of trustees, we extend a hardy congratulations to Gifford and Ty." Then turning to them he said, "Thank you for the wonderful example you are, both to the game of football and to the world."
Brother Holmoe thanked the former quarterbacks for their contributions on and off the field and added, "You're both excellent examples and great ambassadors for the university."
Coach Edwards said, "We hear so much about their accomplishments on the field, but the true measure of what these two are and what they represent is the way they live their lives. ... I'm so proud to have been their coach and a part of their great accomplishments."
In their responses, Brother Nielsen and Brother Detmer expressed love for their wives — Wendy and Kim, respectively. They also acknowledged their teammates, coaches and fans and agreed it was a privilege to be honored on the same day as the other.
Brother Nielsen said, "I was born and raised right here in Provo, Utah, and I have crossed paths with many of you. ... This is a dream come true for a local product."
Brother Detmer said in his Texas drawl, "I want to thank all of you for taking in my family and making me feel welcome here when I first got here. I couldn't ask for a better experience for a college career. A lot of things happened I never figured would. I'm just really blessed to have been able to be here, meet my wife and have all the great things happen to me that happened."
In a Church News interview earlier in the day, Brother Detmer was asked if, even though he might have thought he would be a Heisman Trophy winner, had he ever thought he might join the Church while attending BYU.
"I didn't think I'd do either," he responded with a laugh. Then he added, "Things have really fallen into place. You look back and you say, well, things happen for a reason. Leaving Texas and coming up here allowed me to grow as a person and spiritually."
He said membership in the Church has meant a lot to him. "It puts things in perspective, especially playing in the NFL and things like that. It gives you a great foundation for family life. It's really all the things I was looking for, things I'd grown up believing and things I thought that that's the way that they're supposed to be. So the Church has been a big influence in my life and I'm very grateful to have had the opportunity to come up here and to find that part of it."
In a written statement, current BYU football coach Bronco Mendenhall called the honored pair "two of the greatest quarterbacks in college football history."
Brother Nielsen, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and recipient of the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award, passed for more than 5,800 yards and 55 touchdowns at BYU. He was an all-American in 1976 as a junior, leading the NCAA in touchdown completions. Though his senior season ended with a serious knee injury in the fourth game, he recovered and played six years with the NFL's Houston Oilers, leading them to an AFC championship game.
Brother Detmer added two Davey O'Brien Awards, given to the nation's top quarterback, to his Heisman Trophy while playing at BYU. He set 62 records, including the NCAA mark for passing yards with 15,031. He was a consensus all-American in 1990 as the nation's leading passing and in 1990 when he was the nation's total-offense leader. He still holds the NCAA record for career touchdown passes with 121.
He was in the NFL for 14 years, ending up with the Atlanta Falcons. He was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 9th round of the 1992 NFL draft. He also played for the Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions.
E-mail to: ghill@desnews.com
