| Air Force Falcons | |
| University | United States Air Force Academy |
|---|---|
| Conference(s) | Mountain West Conference Atlantic Hockey ECAC Lacrosse League National Collegiate Boxing Association Western Wrestling Conference |
| NCAA | Division I |
| Athletics director | Hans J. Mueh |
| Location | Colorado Springs, CO |
| Varsity teams | 29 (including 2 non-NCAA) |
| Football stadium | Falcon Stadium |
| Basketball arena | Clune Arena |
| Other arenas | Cadet Fieldhouse |
| Mascot | The Bird |
| Nickname | Falcons |
| Fight song | "Falcon Fight Song" (unofficial: "The U.S. Air Force") |
| Colors | Blue and Silver
|
| Homepage | Official Air Force Athletics site |
The Air Force Falcons are the collegiate athletic teams that represent the United States Air Force Academy, near Colorado Springs, Colorado. The intercollegiate program has 17 men's and 10 women's NCAA-sanctioned teams. Men’s teams are football, baseball, basketball, ice hockey, cross-country, fencing, golf, gymnastics, indoor and outdoor track, lacrosse, rifle, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, water polo and wrestling. The Academy fields women's teams in basketball, cross-country, fencing, gymnastics, indoor and outdoor track, swimming and diving, soccer, tennis and volleyball. In addition, the Academy sponsors two non-NCAA programs: boxing and cheerleading.
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).
The current athletic director is Hans J. Mueh.
Contents |
The falcon mascot was selected by popular vote of the Academy's Class of 1959, the first class to graduate from the Academy. The team mascot is "The Bird".
Air Force enjoyed some success on the baseball diamond in its early years, earning six berths to the NCAA Division I playoffs (1961, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1967, 1969). The Falcons, however, never advanced beyond the district/regional rounds. The closest they have come to earning a NCAA berth since 1969 was in 2000, when the Falcons lost to San Diego State in the MWC tournament championship game (which would have earned an automatic berth).
The baseball program plays home games at Falcon Baseball Field on campus.[1]
The men's basketball team has had strong showings in the last several years, qualifying for the NCAA tournament and, most recently, making the final four of the 2007 National Invitational Tournament. The best player in Air Force history (According to ESPN) is Bob Beckel, who scored 50 points in a game against Arizona in 1959 and scored over 45 points on 3 other occasions. The best Coach in Air Force history is Bob Spear, who coached for 15 years (1956–1971), had a Career record of 177-175, and led the Falcons to 2 NCAA Tournament Appearances.
The women's basketball team competed at the Division II level in both the AIAW and NCAA from 1976-1996. Since then, the team has competed at the Division I level.
The Air Force boxing team has had astonishing success. Led for 31 years by Coach Ed Weichers, the team has won 18 National Collegiate Boxing Association championships, and until 2009, had never finished lower than second in the nation. In 2009, the team finished third in the Nation.
From 2007-2009, the men's hockey team won three straight Atlantic Hockey conference tournaments, and made three straight appearances in the NCAA Division I hockey tournament. Their 2007 appearance in the NCAA tournament was the first ever by a service academy. In the East Regional of the 2009 NCAA Tournament, Air Force upset top seed Michigan 2-0, and just missed going to the Frozen Four in a 3-2 double overtime loss to Vermont.
The Falcon wrestling team began competition in 1957 and currently competes in the Western Wrestling Conference (since the Mountain West doesn't sponsor wrestling). Home wrestling events are held at either the Cadet East Gym or at Clune Arena. The team is currently coached by Joel Sharratt, a former national champion for the University of Iowa and legendary coach Dan Gable.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||