The Detmers have always been a football family. Ty and Koy both played quarterback for their dad, legendary Texas high school coach Sonny, but until 1997, they had never played together.
That was when the Eagles, who had Ty on their roster after signing him as a veteran free agent a year earlier, chose Koy in the seventh round of the NFL Draft out of Colorado.
"We knew it could possibly happen," Koy says. "It was really exciting for us as a family that he was there and we were going to be on the same team."
Detmer had his work cut out for him if he hoped to make it a family affair. It was a tough task made a little easier by having Ty there as an example and, more importantly, as a sounding board.
"Oh, yeah. Definitely. He was already established and I was really just trying to make the team," Koy says. "It's an adjustment going from the college level to the pro level. To have somebody there who already knew the ropes and how everything worked, I knew that would be a big help for me. And in particular, having it be a family member, your brother, makes it even better."
The family reunion only lasted a year. With Ty off to San Francisco, Koy was the last Detmer left on Philadelphia's roster in 1998.
And after spending his rookie season on Injured Reserve, Detmer was third on the depth chart behind Bobby Hoying and Rodney Peete. But after they were injured during the season, it became a good news/bad news situation for him.
The good news: He was the Eagles' starting quarterback. The bad news: The team was 2-9 when he took over during a game at Green Bay. Detmer started the final five games and finished the year with a team-high 1,011 passing yards and five touchdowns.
"My first year on IR, I wasn't able to do any of the practices, but I was able to sit in meetings and learn. So it was great to have a chance to play," Koy says. "Unfortunately, our season wasn't going well. But in any event, it was an opportunity to get on the field.
"It was a great experience for me and a chance to prove myself and show people what I was able to do as a player. We didn't win a lot of games, but it was a positive experience. The production by the offense was better than what it had been throughout the year and we had some good chances to win games, but didn't finish them off."
Philadelphia's 1999 season saw a new head coach, Andy Reid, and a new quarterback, Donovan McNabb, who was the Eagles' first-round draft choice out of Syracuse. It also saw Detmer back to third on the depth chart behind Doug Pederson and McNabb.
Making one start that season – a 24-9 victory over New England when he passed for three touchdowns – Detmer's next opportunity didn't occur until three years later on a Monday night in San Francisco when McNabb was sidelined with an ankle injury. The seemingly rust-free Detmer completed two touchdown passes and ran for another before being sidelined himself with a dislocated elbow. Philadelphia won its second of six straight games, 38-17.
"I'd spent a lot of time standing on the sideline watching and learning. And so when I got a chance to play in San Fran, that was exciting," Koy says. "It was great because our team was successful at that point in time. We were having a good season and on the way to the playoffs. And it being Monday night, playing against San Francisco, they were on that same path heading towards the playoffs."
A fan favorite and respected teammate, Detmer contributed greatly during his 10 seasons in Philadelphia. In 2004, the local media acknowledged him with the Jack Edelstein Award, which is presented annually to the player who displays good character and lifts the spirits of others.
"I knew my role," Koy says. "Obviously, you're always working and preparing to be the starter, but Donovan was going to be our guy. So I always focused my energies on trying to help him be as successful as possible, and the team be as successful as possible. Whatever it may be, whatever I needed to do to try to help that. Also, in 2000 is when I became the holder (for David Akers), so I had a role with that.
"I tried to focus on the things I could control and tried to help the team be successful and just stay positive and ready to go if an opportunity came up where I did have a chance to play."
Detmer is now literally following in his dad's footsteps. Sonny, a longtime head coach at Somerset (Texas) High School, passed in September 2020. In January, Koy was named as his successor.
"I started in 2009 at Somerset and was here for six and a half years coaching under him. We had a lot of success and I learned a lot," Koy says. "I was then able to have an opportunity to go (be the head coach at) Mission, where I graduated high school from. We had some success and got things going down there over the past five years, and that was a lot of fun. And now I have the opportunity to be back here at Somerset. So it's gone full circle."
This fall will be special for Detmer. Not only will he be in his first season as Somerset's head coach, but he'll also be coaching his youngest son, Koal, who will be a senior quarterback.
His oldest son, Koy Jr., is continuing the family tradition as the running backs coach at Texas A&M-Kingsville, where he played quarterback.
"Him growing up, you could see he had a love for sports, just how Ty and I did coming up with Sonny," Koy says. "I'd always told him, 'You're a great player and you do a lot of great things, but as a coach, you could really far exceed whatever you accomplish as a player.' I'm glad to see that he's following that because he does it well and he really enjoys it."
Making his home in Somerset with his wife, Monica, Detmer's daughter, Katie, plays soccer for San Angelo State, where she's a midfielder/defender. He has two stepsons: Carson and Caleb Green, who's a nationally ranked rodeo team roper.
(Editor's Note: A previous version of this story stated that Detmer coached at Mission Heights High School instead of Mission High School before going to Somerset. We apologize for the error.)
