Former Boise State coach Dirk Koetter is back on the sideline at practice. Here’s why
Former Boise State football coach Dirk Koetter, whose career spanned nearly four decades and included stints in college and the NFL, tried to steer his children away from the profession.
It didn’t work.
Koetter’s daughter, Kaylee, is the associate head volleyball coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of Wyoming. His son, Boise State wide receiver Davis Koetter, has also been open about joining the coaching fraternity once his playing career is over.
“He’s made it clear there are a lot of other ways to have a successful life outside of football,” Davis Koetter said. “But I can’t live without the game.”
Dirk Koetter, who was the head coach at Boise State from 1998 to 2000, knows better than most how difficult it is for coaches to establish roots in any one place. His career began at Highland High School in Idaho in 1983, and climbing the ladder to college and the NFL meant moving a lot for the next two decades.
He crisscrossed the country as a college coach, making stops at San Francisco State, UTEP, Missouri, Boston College, Oregon, Boise State and Arizona State. His NFL career included stints as offensive coordinator in Jacksonville, Atlanta and Tampa Bay, and three seasons as the Buccaneers head coach. Every stop required more time spent with the team and less with his family.
“There’s more to life than spending 16 hours a day coaching football,” Dirk said. “But we all want our kids to find a career they’re passionate about.”
Dirk’s words of warning — valid as they may be — have fallen on deaf ears with his son.
Davis Koetter is set to begin the sixth season of his college football career, having transferred from Portland State in early 2021. He’s made it clear that he wants to continue playing as long as he can. But Davis intends to be the one blowing the whistle in practice when it’s time to hang up the cleats.
“I’ve wanted to coach as long as I can remember,” he said. “I can’t really see myself doing anything else.”
Football royalty
Davis said he can’t help but feel destined to be a coach. He grew up around football. It’s in his DNA.
One of his earliest memories of the sport is enjoying the endless supply of candy that came with a first-class flight to the 2006 Hawaii Bowl during his father’s final season as head coach at Arizona State.
Davis spent the years that followed developing relationships with a long list of NFL stars who played for his father, including former Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston, who re-signed with the New Orleans Saints earlier this week, and wide receiver Mike Evans, who is still with the Buccaneers.
He said he’s never received better service at a restaurant than during a dinner he shared with former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, and Davis has been on the sideline to witness some of the NFL’s greatest players lead game-winning drives.
One such game-deciding drive ended with a long field goal from former Falcons kicker Matt Bryant, clinching a playoff win over the Seattle Seahawks in 2013.
Dirk Koetter, then the Falcons’ offensive coordinator, called the game from the box upstairs. He watched highlights of the winning kick on the news later that evening and saw Davis rushing on the field to celebrate, right next to Ryan.
“He’s had the chance to be around some of the greatest players in the world,” Dirk said. “I’m sure he learned some colorful language on the sideline, but he also learned how to be a professional.”
Back to Boise State
The Koetter family has owned a summer home in McCall for years. Dirk and his wife, Kim, debated settling down in Idaho or Arizona after he retired from coaching in January 2021. Ultimately, the decision came down to where Davis decided to end his college career.
After four years at Portland State, he was set to transfer to Missouri. That changed in January 2021 when Andy Avalos was hired to replace Bryan Harsin as head coach. The Broncos’ new coach reached out to Davis, who couldn’t say no when given the chance to end his playing career at the university that meant so much to his father.
Davis was born in Boise, and he was only 2 years old when Dirk was hired at Arizona State in 2001.
“This was kind of his first big break,” Davis said. “You’re never prepared to be a first-time head coach and have everyone looking to you for answers, but he loved his time in Boise and always talked about coming back.”
Dirk Koetter is back. And not just in Idaho or its capital city. He’s also back at Boise State practice.
The 63-year-old Pocatello native said he felt a little lost last fall without football in his life for the first time in 37 years, but showing up at a few practices and watching Davis take the field for games at Albertsons Stadium helped him stay connected to the sport and his son.
Dirk has been on the sideline for all of Boise State’s spring practices — not in any official capacity, but just as a proud dad who happens to have the expertise required to evaluate talent and pinpoint deficiencies on most teams.
“It gives me an outlet for my love of football,” Dirk said. “I’ll share my opinion if asked, but mostly I’m just a fan.”
Watching his son take the field at Boise State has been special for Dirk and his wife — never more so than when Davis hauled in his first touchdown pass as a Bronco last season against Oklahoma State.
“We both teared up a bit,” Dirk said. “Seeing him score a touchdown on The Blue, that’s a good one to keep in the memory bank.”
Avalos said having the Koetters around the program has been a blessing.
“Davis has been part of this program since the day he was born,” Avalos said. “It’s been tremendous having Dirk around on multiple levels. As a mentor, not just for myself but all the coaches, and having another set of eyes and ears with his experience is a blessing in itself.”
Having his parents in the stands for games is a welcome change, Davis said. They were splitting time between Florida and Georgia while he was at Portland State and had seen him play in college only twice before last season.
“It’s nice to see them every day, have dinner and talk ball,” Davis said. “It’s nice to have them give me a ride home after games and ask questions and give me pointers. It reminds me of high school.”
Instincts of a quarterback
Davis Koetter was a quarterback at Berkeley Preparatory School in Florida — and a good one, his father said.
“He had a good feel for the game,” Dirk said. “He was a good scrambler, and he could make something out of nothing.”
Davis spent his first season at Portland State as a quarterback, but his coaches approached him the following year about moving to wide receiver. Dirk was against it, but Davis was OK, and that was enough for the father.
“I think he still sees the game more like a quarterback, but it is what it is,” Dirk said. “He has a very high football IQ. You would expect that with how he grew up, but what I’m most proud of is that he’s a good teammate and willing to do whatever the team needs.”
That has been Davis’ approach at Boise State. He appeared in 11 games and caught 14 passes for 160 yards and a touchdown last season, but he also earned a starting spot on four of the Broncos’ special teams units.
“He earned the trust and respect of his teammates because of how he worked, and it wasn’t just about how many passes he was going to catch,” Avalos said.
Davis is one of 11 super seniors on the Broncos’ roster this year. Wide receivers coach Matt Miller said Davis’ experience made bringing him back for another season an easy choice — especially on a team that has to replace veteran wide receivers Khalil Shakir, Octavius Evans and CT Thomas.
“He’s played a lot of football, and he’s a leader,” Miller said. “Having an older guy to even out the younger guys in the room and educate them on how we roll has been really beneficial for us.”
Davis Koetter didn’t come back just to educate the next generation of receivers. At 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, he has the size to be a target in the red zone and compete for passes as an outside receiver. He also has the instincts and intellect to operate out of the slot, coaches say.
The question is what role will he fill? The answer is simple, Miller said. All of them.
“He can play in the slot where we can give him the option of different routes to run depending on what the defense is showing,” Miller said. “He’s also deceptive on the outside because he has enough speed to run by guys.”
Boise State spring game
When: 3:30 p.m., April 9
Where: Albertsons Stadium
Admission: Free
This story was originally published March 25, 2022 at 4:00 AM.
