Troy Calhoun, Air Force Agree to Extension

In the more than 100-plus year history of football at the Air Force Academy coach Troy Calhoun is creeping his way to records for lengths of service, wins and games.

Because of those numbers, Air Force locked up the the long-time Falcons coach with an contract extension through the 2029 season. Air Force Academy Athletics Director Nathan Pine announced the agreement on Tuesday.

Understanding the Mission

When you coach at one of the service academies you can face different challenges that most Division I football coaches experience.

"He understands and embraces the mission of the Air Force Academy and leads our program accordingly," Pine said in a news release. "I am proud of the success we have enjoyed together over the last five seasons and look forward to continuing to build on that in the new College Football Playoff model. We are pleased to have coach Calhoun continue leading our program for the next six years and beyond."

Passing Fisher DeBerry

Calhoun will be entering his 18th season in 2024. Legendary coach Fisher DeBerry coached from 1984-2000 and is the longest-tenured coach at Air Force at 22 years. DeBerry stands as the standard in Air Force football with the most wins (169), years of coaching (22) and conference titles (3). Calhoun has a higher winning percentage as of now at .613 while DeBerry has a winning percentage of .609.

With this extension, Calhoun can become the leader in Falcon's coaching history. Calhoun has a 130-82 overall record and a 77-54 mark in the Mountain West Conference. Calhoun has led the Falcons to 13 bowl games, which include a school-record six straight from 2007-2012.

Calhoun took over his alma mater in 2007 and took over a program that had experienced some down times with three straight losing seasons. That season, the Falcons earned a bid to their first bowl game in five seasons as they appeared in the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas. Calhoun has the distinction of engineering a five-game turnaround—the largest in the nation by a first-year coach and tied as the third-largest overall in the nation. In that season Calhoun won MWC Coach of the Year.

"Thank you to General Richard Clark, Nathan Pine and the AFAAC for the Academy's sturdy commitment and support to help our football program build character for our country," Calhoun said. "Amanda and I are incredibly grateful for the tremendous people, coaches, players. administration, faculty, the Foundation, staff, cadet wing, and their families that we are blessed to be alongside each day. Bolt Brotherhood."

Who is Troy Calhoun?

Raised in Roseburg, Oregon, Calhoun attended the Air Force Academy from 1985-89. Calhoun was one of only two freshmen to letter on the 1985 12-1 Falcon team that was led by DeBerry. He then served his country as an active-duty officer in the Air Force from 1989-95.

Calhoun gained extensive experience through coaching at both the collegiate and professional levels. As the offensive coordinator, he was instrumental in the Houston Texans tripling their win total in the 2006 season. Calhoun also coached on the defensive side of the ball and was the special teams assistant for the Denver Broncos from 2003-05. He began his NFL coaching career as the defensive assistant for Larry Coyers Bronco's defense in 2003.