Troy Calhoun (Air Force)
Sometimes people seem born for a particular job or situation. That has never been the case more than Troy Calhoun being the head football coach at the Air Force Academy.
The coach ushered in a new era of Falcon football in 2007 as Calhoun replaced the legendary Fisher DeBerry, who retired after 23 years as head coach. Calhoun, a 1989 Academy graduate, is the sixth head coach in school history and the first graduate to hold the position.
Calhoun lifted the Falcon football program to unprecedented heights within the Mountain West Conference in just one season and, in the process, earned a reputation as one of the top coaches in college football.
Air Force, coming off three straight losing seasons, finished the 2007 season 9-4 overall and placed second in the Mountain West Conference with a 6-2 mark in Calhoun's first year. The Falcons earned their first bowl bid in five seasons, advancing to the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas. The 2007 Falcons are the only team in Air Force history to win road games at Notre Dame, Utah and Colorado State in the same season.
The five-game turnaround from 2006, in which Air Force was 4-8, was the largest in the nation by a first-year head coach and tied as the third-largest overall in the nation. The five-game turnaround is the best in school history since the 1958 team had a school-record turnaround of six games.
Air Force's nine wins tied Calhoun for the most wins ever at the Academy by a first-year head coach, matching the mark set by Ben Martin in 1958. The six MWC wins is a new Academy standard and is two wins better than the previous mark for conference wins by a first-year head coach at the Academy. Air Force also posted just the third undefeated home record in school history, establishing Falcon Stadium as one of the toughest venues in the country for visiting teams to play.
Calhoun was named the Mountain West Conference's coach of the year for his efforts. In addition, he was named coach of the year in Region 5 by the American Football Coaches Association and was one of eight finalists for the Eddie RobinsonNational Coach of the Year. He was also one of seven finalists for the AFCA National Coach of the Year award.
The Falcon offense reestablished itself as one of the top units in the MWC. Air Force was second in the conference in scoring offense with a 29.9 per-game average. The Falcons won their 24th conference rushing title and ranked second nationally with a 299.5 average per game. Air Force was also second in the conference in total offense with a 419.4 per-game average. Defensively, the Falcons showed tremendous success. Air Force finished fifth in the conference and 22nd nationally in scoring defense with a 21.1 average. The Falcons only allowed four opponents to hit the 30-point mark on the year. Special teams highlights included two 57-yard field goals and the school record for field goals in a season with 19.
Calhoun brought to the Academy a wealth of experience and impressive resume at the collegiate and professional levels that was flooded with success at every stop to the Academy.
Calhoun came to the Academy after serving as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Houston Texans in 2006. The Texans were one of only two NFL teams to triple their number of wins from the previous year.
They also were the last team to defeat the Indianapolis Colts on their way to the Super Bowl championship. On offense, the Texans had the NFL's leading receiver (Pro Bowler Andre Johnson with 103 catches), the NFL's best quarterback completion percentage (68.4 percent) and quarterback David Carr tied an NFL record against Buffalo with 22 straight completions.
Calhoun became a well-rounded NFL coach, working as a defensive assistant, special teams assistant and offensive assistant with the Denver Broncos from 2003-05. He began his NFL coaching career by serving as the defensive assistant under defensive coordinator Larry Coyer in 2003. He was a part of the NFL's fourth-ranked defense. The Broncos' defense ranked seventh against the run and sixth against the pass. Denver's defense yielded a mere 17.6 points per game as they made the playoffs for the first time since 2000.
In 2004, Denver utilized Calhoun's offensive prowess moving him to offensive assistant/special teams. On the offensive side of the ball, the Broncos ranked fifth in the NFL, averaging 395.8 yards per game. Broncos' quarterback Jake Plummer set a team record for passing with 4,089 yards and tied a team record with 27 touchdown passes. Coupled with an outstanding passing attack, the Broncos finished fourth in the NFL in rushing. The offense's ability to combine the run and the pass led to Denver ranking second in the NFL in time of possession with 32:37 per game. The Broncos' special teams connected on 29 field goals, second best in the NFL.
Calhoun worked closely with Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan in the 2005 season, serving as the assistant to the head coach. He helped the Broncos win the AFC West title for the 10th time in their history. Denver reached the AFC Championship game for the first time in seven seasons. Their 14-4 record was the best since Denver finished the 1998 season with a 17-2 mark on their way to winning Super Bowl XXXIII. The offense finished fifth in the NFL averaging 360.4 yards per game. The defense was stout against the run, finishing second in the NFL with 85.2 yards per game. Denver finished with an undefeated record at home during the regular season for the fifth time in team history. During Calhoun's three years in Denver, the Broncos made the playoffs every season, averaging over 11 wins per season.
Prior to the NFL, Calhoun was an offensive coordinator for six seasons on the collegiate level. He began his coaching career at Air Force, where he worked as a graduate assistant from 1989-90. He started at quarterback for the Academy in 1986 and was one of only two freshmen to letter for the 1985 team that finished fifth in the final polls with a 12-1 record that included wins over national powers Notre Dame and Texas.
Calhoun served his country from 1989-95 as an active duty officer in the Air Force. He was the Falcons' recruiting coordinator and the junior varsity offensive coordinator in 1993-94.
He moved to Ohio University in 1995 where he served as the quarterbacks coach for two seasons. Calhoun guided the play of quarterback Kareem Wilson. In 1996, Wilson was named the Mid-American Conference Player of the Year. Wilson set a pair of Ohio records with 282 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns against Bowling Green. He set an Ohio record with 14 rushing touchdowns in 1996.
Calhoun was promoted to offensive coordinator in 1997. During his first season at the helm, the offense totaled 612 yards against Eastern Michigan, second-most in school history. The Bobcats defeated Maryland in 1997, marking the school's first win against a team from the ACC in school history. The '97 Bobcats' 8-3 record was the school's best in 29 years.
During his last season in 2000 at Ohio, the Bobcats won two games against bowl teams, Minnesota and Marshall, for the first time in school history. Calhoun's 2000 offense set a school record with 418.1 yards per game and rushed for a school best 3,553 rushing yards.
Calhoun moved to Wake Forest in 2001. The Demon Deacons were one of only seven teams in the country to score more than 30 points in each of the final four games. During his second season, Wake led the ACC in total offense with 408.1 yards per game. His offense had a league-best 990 plays and was efficient with the ball, committing only 16 turnovers to lead the ACC. The 2001 season culminated with a 38-17 bowl victory over Oregon to give Wake Forest its first back-to-back winning seasons since the ACC expanded from eight teams.
Groomed on the basics of integrity and passion, Calhoun is a native of Roseburg, Ore., and was raised in a home where both kids graduated from the Air Force Academy and were varsity letterwinners on nationally-ranked teams. Calhoun's younger sister, Callie, was a 1991 Academy graduate. She was a 10-time track and cross country All-American, who won a staggering six NCAA national titles.
Calhoun finished at the Academy on the superintendent's list and graduated with over a 3.0 grade point average and a military performance average of better than 3.0. He and his wife, Amanda, live in Colorado Springs and have two children, Tyler (six) and Amelia (four).
Calhoun, and his wife, Amanda, have a strong respect and affinity for the enlisted members of the armed services and are very involved with numerous charitable and community endeavors.
CALHOUN'S COACHING LEDGER
2006: Offensive Coordinator/ Quarterbacks, Houston Texans
2005: Assistant to Head Coach, Denver Broncos
2004: Offensive Assistant/ Special Teams, Denver Broncos
2003: Defensive Assistant, Denver Broncos
2001-02: Offensive Coordinator/ Quarterbacks, Wake Forest
1997-2000: Offensive Coordinator/ Quarterbacks, Ohio University
1995-96: Quarterbacks, Ohio University
1993-94: Recruiting Coordinator/ JV Offensive Coordinator, Air Force
1989-90: Graduate Assistant, Air Force
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