Air Force Falcons football
Air Force Falcons football | |||
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First season | 1955 | ||
Athletic director | Nathan Pine | ||
Head coach | Troy Calhoun 14th season, 98–69 (.587) | ||
Stadium | Falcon Stadium (capacity: 46,692) | ||
Field surface | Turf | ||
Location | Colorado Springs, Colorado | ||
Conference | Mountain West | ||
Division | Mountain | ||
All-time record | 401–329–13 (.548) | ||
Bowl record | 13–13–1 (.500) | ||
Conference titles | 3 | ||
Rivalries | Army (rivalry) Navy (rivalry) Colorado State (rivalry) | ||
Consensus All-Americans | 5 | ||
Current uniform | |||
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Colors | Blue and silver[1] | ||
Fight song | "Falcon Fight Song" (unofficial: "The U.S. Air Force") | ||
Mascot | The Bird | ||
Marching band | United States Air Force Academy Drum & Bugle Corp "The Flight of Sound" | ||
Outfitter | Nike | ||
Website | GoAirForceFalcons.com |
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
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.[2]
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)
Championships
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/2017_Commander_in_Chief%27s_Trophy_presentation_1.jpg/220px-2017_Commander_in_Chief%27s_Trophy_presentation_1.jpg)
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 | Division | Coach | Opponent | CG result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1998 | Western Athletic Conference - Mountain | Fisher DeBerry | BYU | W 20–13 |
2015 | Mountain West Conference - Mountain | Troy Calhoun | San Diego State | L 24–27 |
- 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 21–4 advantage over Colorado State in games that the trophy has been contested in.
Bowl games
Air Force has played in 27 bowl games in their history, with a 13–13–1 (.500) record.[3] Their highest finish in the polls was fifth (UPI coaches) in 1985.[4]
Season | Bowl | Opponent | Result | Head coach | Record |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1958 | Cotton | TCU | T 0–0 | Ben Martin | 9–0–2 |
1963 | Gator | North Carolina | L 0–35 | Ben Martin | 7–4 |
1970 | Sugar | Tennessee | L 13–34 | Ben Martin | 9–3 |
1982 | Hall of Fame | Vanderbilt | W 36–28 | Ken Hatfield | 8–5 |
1983 | Independence | Ole Miss | W 9–3 | Ken Hatfield | 10–2 |
1984 | Independence | Virginia Tech | W 23–7 | Fisher DeBerry | 8–4 |
1985 | Bluebonnet | Texas | W 24–16 | Fisher DeBerry | 12–1 |
1987 | Freedom | Arizona State | L 28–33 | Fisher DeBerry | 9–4 |
1989 | Liberty | Ole Miss | L 29–42 | Fisher DeBerry | 8–4–1 |
1990 | Liberty | Ohio State | W 23–11 | Fisher DeBerry | 7–5 |
1991 | Liberty | Mississippi State | W 31–15 | Fisher DeBerry | 10–3 |
1992 | Liberty | Ole Miss | L 0–13 | Fisher DeBerry | 7–5 |
1995 | Copper | Texas Tech | L 41–55 | Fisher DeBerry | 8–5 |
1997 | Las Vegas | Oregon | L 13–41 | Fisher DeBerry | 10–3 |
1998 | Oahu | Washington | W 43–25 | Fisher DeBerry | 12–1 |
2000 | Silicon Valley | Fresno State | W 37–34 | Fisher DeBerry | 9–3 |
2002 | San Francisco | Virginia Tech | L 13–20 | Fisher DeBerry | 8–5 |
2007 | Armed Forces | California | L 36–42 | Troy Calhoun | 9–4 |
2008 | Armed Forces | Houston | L 28–34 | Troy Calhoun | 8–5 |
2009 | Armed Forces | Houston | W 47–20 | Troy Calhoun | 8–5 |
2010 | Independence | Georgia Tech | W 14–7 | Troy Calhoun | 9–4 |
2011 | Military | Toledo | L 41–42 | Troy Calhoun | 7–6 |
2012 | Armed Forces | Rice | L 14–33 | Troy Calhoun | 6–7 |
2014 | Idaho Potato | Western Michigan | W 38–24 | Troy Calhoun | 10–3 |
2015 | Armed Forces | California | L 36–55 | Troy Calhoun | 8–6 |
2016 | Arizona | South Alabama | W 45–21 | Troy Calhoun | 10–3 |
2019 | Cheez-It | Washington State | W 31–21 | Troy Calhoun | 11–2 |
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 | 96–69 | .584 |
Falcon Stadium
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. Opened in 1962, its highest attendance was 56,409 in 2002, when the Falcons hosted Notre Dame.[5]
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
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),[6] Associated Press (3rd) |
Academic All-Americans
Academic All-Americans at Air Force.[1]
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 |
2018 | Garrett Kauppila | DB |
Future non-conference opponents
Announced schedules as of February 3, 2020.[7]
2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Duquesne | Lafayette | Colorado | at Wake Forest | Navy | at Navy | Navy | at Navy |
at Purdue | Florida Atlantic | Navy | at Navy | at Army | Army | at Army | Army |
Navy | at Navy | at Army | Army | ||||
at Army | Army |
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 won 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 57 times since 1957, the Falcons' first season.
In 2019 Air Force renewed a rivalry with Colorado, winning at Folsom Field on Sept. 14 by a score of 30–23.[8] The teams had not played since Oct. 5, 1974, a game that Colorado won by a score of 28–27.[9] Air Force won the first meeting between the teams in 1958. The 1963 game between the two college football teams was postponed due to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The 1973 game, the last one played in Boulder before the 2019 clash, was marred by a riot.[10] Fans threw eggs and beer at Air Force personnel and cadets.[11]
Top 10 rivals
Below are Air Force's record against its top ten most-played opponents since 1957.[12]
Opponent | Games | Wins | Losses | Ties | Pct. | Last Meeting |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colorado State | 58 | 36 | 21 | 1 | .629 | Nov 16, 2019 (W 38–21) |
Wyoming | 58 | 29 | 26 | 3 | .526 | Nov 20, 2019 (W 20–6) |
Army | 54 | 37 | 16 | 1 | .694 | Nov 2, 2019 (W 17–13) |
Navy | 52 | 30 | 22 | 0 | .577 | Oct 5, 2019 (L 25–34) |
New Mexico | 37 | 23 | 14 | 0 | .622 | Nov 23, 2019 (W 44–22) |
San Diego State | 36 | 19 | 17 | 0 | .528 | Oct 12, 2018 (L 17–21) |
BYU | 30 | 7 | 23 | 0 | .233 | Sep 11, 2010 (W 35–14) |
Notre Dame | 30 | 6 | 24 | 0 | .200 | Oct 26, 2013 (L 10–45) |
Utah | 27 | 14 | 13 | 0 | .519 | Oct 30, 2010 (L 23–28) |
UNLV | 22 | 16 | 6 | 0 | .727 | Oct 19, 2018 (W 41–35) |
References
- ^ "Air Force Athletics Style Sheet" (PDF). March 12, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- ^ http://www.airforcesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=3000&KEY=&ATCLID=157958&SPID=804&SPSID=22383
- ^ https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/air-force/bowls.html
- ^ 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. Archived from the original on 2016-10-21. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
- ^ "Air Force Falcons Football Future Schedules". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
- ^ "Remsberg scores in OT, Air Force beats Colorado 30-23". Retrieved 31 December 2019.
- ^ "Why renewal of CU Buffs-Air Force football game "should've been done a long time ago"". denverpost.com. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
- ^ "Why renewal of CU Buffs-Air Force football game "should've been done a long time ago"". denverpost.com. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
- ^ Howell, Brian. "CU football: Buffs renew old rivalry with Air Force". dailycamera.com. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
- ^ "Air Force Falcons Head-to-Head Results". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 30 Nov 2019.
External links
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