Air Force Falcons football | |
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Location | |
Colorado Springs, Colorado |
The Air Force Falcons football program represents the United States Air Force Academy in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) level. Air Force has been a member of the Mountain West Conference since its founding in 1999. The Falcons play their home games at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Troy Calhoun has been the team's head coach since 2007.
The three major service academies—Air Force, Army, and Navy—compete for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy, which is awarded to the academy that defeats the others in football that year (or retained by the previous winner in the event of a three-way tie).
History[]
Running back Asher Clark and the Falcons take on the Houston Cougars during the 2009 Armed Forces Bowl
The Falcons are not only recognized by the lightning bolt on the side of their helmets, but their traditional option attack. Air Force is one of the premier rushing teams in the nation. Since Fisher DeBerry took over as Falcons head coach in 1984, they have ranked among the nation's top 10 in rushing 19 times in 21 years. The Air Force football team has enjoyed success not only on the field but also in the classroom. In 49 years of Air Force football, there have been 39 Academic All-Americans.[1]
The 1985 season[]
1985 was the most successful season in Air Force football history. Under second-year coach Fisher DeBerry, the Falcons came within one win of playing for the national championship. They recorded 10 straight wins to start the season, climbed the polls to #2 in the nation, but lost to BYU 28–21 in the penultimate game of the regular season. Air Force rebounded with a bowl game win over Texas in the Bluebonnet Bowl and finished with a 12–1 record as the #5 ranked team in the nation.
Conference affiliations[]
Air Force has been affiliated with the following conferences.
- Independent (1955–1979)
- Western Athletic Conference (1980–1998)
- Mountain West Conference (1999–present)
Bowl games[]
Air Force has played in 26 bowl games in their history, and they have a 12–13–1 (.481) record. Their highest finish in the AP polls was #5 in 1985.[2]
Date | Bowl | Opponent | Result | Score | Head coach | Record |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
January 1, 1959 | 1958 | Cotton Bowl | TCU | T 0–0 | Ben Martin | 9–0–2 |
December 28, 1963 | 1963 | Gator Bowl | North Carolina | L 35–0 | Ben Martin | 7–4 |
January 1, 1971 | 1970 | Sugar Bowl | Tennessee | L 34–13 | Ben Martin | 9–3 |
December 31, 1982 | 1982 | Hall of Fame Classic | Vanderbilt | W 36–28 | Ken Hatfield | 8–5 |
December 10, 1983 | 1983 | Independence Bowl | Ole Miss | W 9–3 | Ken Hatfield | 10–2 |
December 15, 1984 | 1984 | Independence Bowl | Virginia Tech | W 23–7 | Fisher DeBerry | 8–4 |
December 31, 1985 | 1985 | Bluebonnet Bowl | Texas | W 24–16 | Fisher DeBerry | 12–1 |
December 30, 1987 | 1987 | Freedom Bowl | Arizona State | L 33–28 | Fisher DeBerry | 9–4 |
December 28, 1989 | 1989 | Liberty Bowl | Ole Miss | L 42–29 | Fisher DeBerry | 8–4–1 |
December 27, 1990 | 1990 | Liberty Bowl | Ohio State | W 23–11 | Fisher DeBerry | 7–5 |
December 29, 1991 | 1991 | Liberty Bowl | Mississippi State | W 31–15 | Fisher DeBerry | 10–3 |
December 31, 1992 | 1992 | Liberty Bowl | Ole Miss | L 13–0 | Fisher DeBerry | 7–5 |
December 27, 1995 | 1995 | Copper Bowl | Texas Tech | L 55–41 | Fisher DeBerry | 8–5 |
December 20, 1997 | 1997 | Las Vegas Bowl | Oregon | L 41–13 | Fisher DeBerry | 10–3 |
December 25, 1998 | 1998 | Oahu Bowl | Washington | W 43–25 | Fisher DeBerry | 12–1 |
December 31, 2000 | 2000 | Silicon Valley Football Classic | Fresno State | W 37–34 | Fisher DeBerry | 9–3 |
December 31, 2002 | 2002 | San Francisco Bowl | Virginia Tech | L 20–13 | Fisher DeBerry | 8–5 |
December 31, 2007 | 2007 | Armed Forces Bowl | California | L 42–36 | Troy Calhoun | 9–4 |
December 31, 2008 | 2008 | Armed Forces Bowl | Houston | L 34–28 | Troy Calhoun | 8–5 |
December 31, 2009 | 2009 | Armed Forces Bowl | Houston | W 47–20 | Troy Calhoun | 8–5 |
December 27, 2010 | 2010 | Independence Bowl | Georgia Tech | W 14–7 | Troy Calhoun | 9–4 |
December 28, 2011 | 2011 | Military Bowl | Toledo | L 42–41 | Troy Calhoun | 7–6 |
December 29, 2012 | 2012 | Armed Forces Bowl | Rice | L 33–14 | Troy Calhoun | 6–7 |
December 20, 2014 | 2014 | Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | Western Michigan | W 38–24 | Troy Calhoun | 10–3 |
December 29, 2015 | 2015 | Armed Forces Bowl | California | L 55–36 | Troy Calhoun | 8–6 |
December 30, 2016 | 2016 | Arizona Bowl | South Alabama | W 45–21 | Troy Calhoun | 10–3 |
Championships[]

Presentation of the 2016 Commander in Chief's Trophy to the Air Force Falcons
Conference championships[]
Year | Conference | Coach | Overall Record | Conference Record |
---|---|---|---|---|
1985† | Western Athletic Conference | Fisher DeBerry | 12–1 | 7–1 |
1995† | Western Athletic Conference | Fisher DeBerry | 8–5 | 6–2 |
1998 | Western Athletic Conference | Fisher DeBerry | 12–1 | 7–1 |
† Co-champions
Division championships[]
Year | Conference | Division | Coach | Record |
---|---|---|---|---|
1998 | Western Athletic Conference | Mountain | Fisher DeBerry | 12–1 |
2015 | Mountain West Conference | Mountain | Troy Calhoun | 8–6 |
- Commander in Chief's Trophy Winners (AF-Army-Navy): 1982, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989–1992, 1994, 1995, 1997–2002, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2016.
Since 1980, the Falcons and Colorado State Rams have competed for the Ram–Falcon Trophy. Air Force currently holds a 21-14 advantage over Colorado State in games that the trophy has been contested in.
Head coaches[]
In over 60 years of play in college football, the Falcons have had seven head coaches.
Tenure | Coach | Record | Pct. |
---|---|---|---|
1955 | Robert V. Whitlow | 4–4 | .500 |
1956–1957 | Buck Shaw | 9–8–2 | .526 |
1958–1977 | Ben Martin | 96–103–9 | .483 |
1978 | Bill Parcells | 3–8 | .273 |
1979–1983 | Ken Hatfield | 26–32–1 | .449 |
1984–2006 | Fisher DeBerry | 169–107–1 | .612 |
2007–present | Troy Calhoun | 82–60 | .577 |
Falcon Stadium[]
Falcon home games are played in Falcon Stadium, which sits below the main campus at an elevation of 6,621 feet (2,018 m) above sea level. Pre-game activities include flyovers by USAF aircraft, including the F-15 and B-2. The highest attendance at a home game was 56,409 spectators in 2002, when the Falcons battled the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.[3]
Players[]
Individual accomplishments[]
Notable individual records[]
- Beau Morgan: He became the first player in NCAA history to rush and pass for over 1,000 yards in a season twice. He broke the NCAA single season rushing record for a quarterback, along with being only the second player in NCAA history to run and pass for 3,000 yards in a career.
Alumni in the National Football League[]
- Matthew Farmer
- Bryce Fisher
- Ben Garland
- Chris Gizzi
- Chad Hall
- Chad Hennings
- Ernie Jennings
- Dave Lawson
- Ben Miller
- Beau Morgan
- Dan Palmer
- Steve Russ
- Rashad Penton
- Frank Staine-Pyne
- Ted Sundquist
- Joe Wood
All-Americans[]
Year | Player | Position | Award(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1956 | Larry Thomson | FB | Little America (3rd) |
1958 | Brock Strom | OL | Consensus |
Robert Brickey | HB | Helms | |
1963 | Terry Isaacson | QB | Helms |
Joe Rodwell | C | Helms | |
1966 | Neal Starkey | DB | Playboy Magazine All-American |
1967 | Neal Starkey | DB | Associated Press (3rd) |
1969 | Ernie Jennings | WR | Central Press (2nd) |
1970 | Ernie Jennings | WR | Consensus |
1971 | Orderia Mitchell | C | Black Sports |
Gene Ogilvie | DE | UPI (3rd) | |
1972 | Orderia Mitchell | C | Associated Press (2nd), Gridiron (2nd) |
Gene Ogilvie | DE | UPI (2nd) | |
1973 | Steve Heil | ROV | Associated Press (3rd) |
1974 | Dave Lawson | LB/K | Football Writers |
1975 | Dave Lawson | LB/K | UPI (2nd), Football News (2nd) |
1981 | Johnny Jackson | DB | Associated Press (2nd) |
1982 | Dave Schreck | OG | Associated Press (2nd) |
1983 | John Kershner | FB | Football News (2nd) |
Mike Kirby | WR | Sporting News (2nd) | |
1985 | Mark Simon | P | Scripps Howard, Associated Press (2nd) |
Scott Thomas | DB | Walter Camp, Kodak, Football Writes, Associated Press (2nd) | |
1986 | Terry Maki | LB | Kodak, Football News (2nd), Associated Press (3rd) |
Tom Rotello | DB | Football News (2nd) | |
1987 | Chad Hennings | DT | Consensus, Walter Camp, Kodak, Football Writers, Associated Press, UPI, Scripps Howard, Sporting News, Football News, Outland Trophy winner |
1989 | Dee Dowis | QB | Heisman Trophy finalist |
Ron Gray | KR | Associated Press (3rd) | |
1991 | Jason Christ | P | Associated Press (2nd), Football News (3rd) |
1992 | Carlton McDonald | DB | Consensus, Walter Camp, Kodak, Football Writers, Associated Press, UPI, Scripps Howard, Sporting News |
1993 | Chris MacInnis | P/K | UPI, Associated Press (2nd) |
1996 | Beau Morgan | QB | Associated Press (3rd) |
1998 | Chris Gizzi | LB | Associated Press (3rd), Football Writers (2nd) |
1998 | Tim Curry | DB | Sporting News (3rd) |
Frank Mindrup | OL | American Football Foundation (3rd) | |
2001 | Anthony Schlegel | ILB | Sporting News (Freshmen 3rd team) |
2002 | Brett Huyser | OL | Sporting News (4th) |
2007 | Chad Hall | WR | Rivals (3rd), Sports Illustrated |
Carson Bird | CB | Sports Illustrated | |
2008 | Ryan Harrison | K | College Football News |
2010 | Reggie Rembert | DB | AFCA (1st),[4] Associated Press (3rd) |
Academic All-Americans[]
Air Force Academy Falcons free safety Bobby Giannini (#11) prepares to finish off Tennessee tailback Montario Hardesty, while Falcons defensive end Josh Clayton (#97) loosens Hardesty's grip on the football. The Falcons lost 31-30 in 2006.
Academic All-Americans at Air Force.[when?][2]
Year | Player | Position |
---|---|---|
1958 | Brock Strom | OT |
1959 | Rich Mayo | QB |
1960 | Rich Mayo | QB |
Don Baucom | HB | |
1967 | Ken Zagzebski | MG |
Carl Janssen | OE | |
1969 | Ernie Jennings | WR |
1970 | Ernie Jennings | WR |
Bob Parker | QB | |
Phil Bauman | LB | |
1971 | Darryl Haas | LB/P |
Bob Homburg | DE | |
John Griffith | DT | |
1972 | Gene Ogilvie | DE |
Bob Homburg | DE | |
Mark Prill | MG | |
1973 | Joe Debes | OT |
1976 | Steve Hoog | WR |
1977 | Mack McCollum | ROV |
1978 | Steve Hoog | WR |
Tom Foertsch | LB | |
Tim Fyda | DE | |
1981 | Mike France | LB |
Kevin Ewing | ROV | |
1982 | Jeff Kubiak | P |
1983 | Jeff Kubiak | P |
1987 | Chad Hennings | DT |
Scott Salmon | DB | |
James Hecker | DB | |
1988 | Scott Salmon | DB |
David Hlatky | OL | |
James Hecker | DB | |
1989 | Chris Howard | HB |
1990 | Chris Howard | HB |
J.T. Tokish | LB | |
1992 | Grant Johnson | LB |
1996 | Dustin Tyner | WR |
Rashad Penton | DB | |
1997 | Rashad Penton | DB |
1998 | Rashad Penton | DB |
2003 | Ryan Carter | DE |
2004 | Ryan Carter | DE |
Current coaching staff[]
- Troy Calhoun – Head Coach
- Steve Russ – Asst. Head Coach/Def. Coord./DBs
- Mike Thiessen – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
- Clay Hendrix – Assoc. Head Coach/Off. Line
- Matt McGettigan – Strength/Conditioning
- Ron Vanderlinden – Inside Linebackers
- Matt Weikert – Outside Linebackers
- Jake Campbell – Assistant Backfield
- Tim Cross – Defensive Line
- Ben Miller – Running Backs/Special Teams Coordinator
- Steed Lobotzke – Tight Ends
- Derek Lewis – Wide Receivers
- John Rudzinski – Secondary
- Steve Senn – Director of Recruiting and Player Personnel
- Capt. Ross Weaver – Asst. Off. Line
- Chris Miller – Director of Football Video Operations
- Janel Mitchell – Administrative Assistant
- Scott Richardson – Equipment Supervisor/Head Football Equipment Manager
Future non-conference opponents[]
Announced schedules as of July 15, 2015.[6]
2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
vs Stony Brook | at Colorado | at Army | vs Florida Atlantic | vs Colorado | vs Army | at Army | vs Army | at Army | vs Army |
at Florida Atlantic | at Navy | vs Navy | vs Army | at Army | at Navy | vs Navy | at Navy | vs Navy | at Navy |
vs Navy | vs Army | at Navy | vs Navy | ||||||
at Army | at Wake Forest |
Rivals[]
Air Force has a traditional rivalry against the other two FBS service academies, Army and Navy; the three play for the right to hold the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. Air Force has held the trophy 20 times, more than either Army or Navy. Among other schools, Air Force has played more games against Colorado State and Wyoming, having played each school 55 times since 1957, the Falcons' first season.
Top 10 rivals[]
Below are Air Force's record against its top ten most-played opponents since 1957.[7]
Opponent | Games | Wins | Losses | Ties | Pct. | Last Meeting |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colorado State | 56 | 34 | 21 | 1 | Oct 28, 2017 (W 45-28) | |
Wyoming | 56 | 28 | 25 | 3 | Nov 12, 2017 (L 14-28) | |
Army | 52 | 36 | 15 | 1 | Nov 4, 2017 (L 0-21) | |
Navy | 50 | 29 | 21 | 0 | Oct 7, 2017 (L 45-48) | |
San Diego State | 35 | 19 | 16 | 0 | Sep 23, 2017 (L 24-28) | |
New Mexico | 34 | 21 | 13 | 0 | Sep 30, 2017 (L 38-56) | |
BYU | 30 | 7 | 23 | 0 | Sep 11, 2010 (W 35-14) | |
Notre Dame | 30 | 6 | 24 | 0 | Oct 26, 2013 (L 10-45) | |
Utah | 27 | 14 | 13 | 0 | Oct 30, 2010 (L 23-28) | |
UNLV | 21 | 15 | 6 | 0 | Oct 14, 2017 (W 34-30) |
References[]
- ↑ http://www.airforcesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=3000&KEY=&ATCLID=157958&SPID=804&SPSID=22383
- ↑ 2013 Air Force football media guide. Retrieved 2013-Sep-25.
- ↑ airforcesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=3000&KEY=&ATCLID=157958&SPID=804&SPSID=22383
- ↑ Mayer, Larry (2013-05-12). "Tryout players followed unusual path to minicamp". Chicago Bears. http://www.chicagobears.com/news/article-1/Tryout-players-followed-unusual-path-to-minicamp/03014c1d-88ad-4632-9959-99b518fcffa6. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ "Air Force Falcons Football Schedules and Future Schedules". fbschedules.com. http://www.fbschedules.com/ncaa/mtn-west/air-force-falcons.php. Retrieved 2017-01-19.
- ↑ "Air Force Falcons Head-to-Head Results". Sports-Reference.com. http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/air-force/head-to-head.html. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
External links[]
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