One to watch in 2016: Jim Knowlton
1/4/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
One to watch in 2016: Knowlton has built momentum in short time as Air Force A.D.
Gazette, Jan. 1, 2016
By Brent Briggeman
Used with permission from the Colorado Springs Gazette
The Falcon Fuel program isn't noticeable to anyone beyond Air Force's gates, but nothing Jim Knowlton has done at the academy provides the athletic director with more pride.
He saw a need to provide cadets with nutritious food and drinks before and after workouts, he took that case to a connection at the Pentagon, found a fund he could tap into, and, as a result, stations are fully stocked and accessible to all 4,000 cadets.
That process - identifying a need, articulating it to those in position to fund it, and then implementing a solution - is at the center of what has been a busy first nine months for Knowlton at Air Force, and what makes him the Colorado Springs sports figure to watch in 2016.
"We are making some progress," Knowlton said. "It's been fun."
Since officially taking over in March, Knowlton has overseen the renovation of the Blue and Silver Club at Falcon Stadium, the start of construction on a $2.9 million video board at the stadium, he's hired a women's basketball coach with a lengthy, successful track record, he brought in a $900,000 field turf surface to the multipurpose field just north of the football practice fields, and he will soon celebrate the opening of a downtown ticket and apparel location that the Falcons will run in conjunction with the Switchbacks.
While Knowlton can't technically raise funds, he has played a key role in that process. In his nine months, Air Force has received an anonymous $5 million donation and a pledge for another $5 million. Gifts that size had been given to the academy just four times in its 60-year history before Knowlton arrived less than a year ago.
Fundraising wasn't always critical for this program, since it was more or less fully funded before sequestration and budget cuts. So some of Air Force's alumni base hasn't grown accustomed to giving.
"If we want to provide an exceptional experience for our cadets, we've got to find other ways to support them," Knowlton said. "I think it's important to educate our alums and let them know that their support really and truly makes a difference.
"They have been phenomenal. I think it's just telling a story."
Of all the needs Knowlton has discovered in his short time, none is more pressing than a need for Colorado Springs to embrace Air Force athletics as a part of the city's fabric.
Compared to 10 years ago, attendance at Falcons football games has dropped by 9,000 per game. The basketball crowds aren't even half of what they were at that point.
To address this, Knowlton has spoken to the Kiwanas and Rotary Clubs, he's appeared before the Colorado Springs Execs and met with other community leaders. He's joined the board of the Colorado Springs Sports Corp., and he's made sure the Falcons are provided the resources to be included in every possible tourist brochure.
"We want the Air Force Academy to be Colorado Springs' team," Knowlton said. "We really want it to be Colorado's team.
"We ... want South Denver and we want Castle Rock. We want people to say, 'Man, I want to be at those games. They're great family events.'"
The stadium renovations are obviously a big part of fixing this, but Knowlton also plans to take all leaders in the athletic department in late January and spend a few days focusing on nothing but the football experience.
He'll leave the on-field product to the coaches, but he said everything else will be on the table.
He knows fans love flyovers, so that has been addressed. He knows people want pavement in the parking lot, so an engineering team is looking at the logistics of making that happen.
He wants to brainstorm all possible issues, because he wants to fix them.
"We are good, but we can be great," Knowlton said. "It's sort of changing the mindset of everyone. I come here with fresh eyes and everywhere I look, I go, 'We can be unbelievable. We can be one of the best athletic departments in the country. We've got the best product in the country. We're the leadership capital of the world. We're in one of the greatest states and one of the greatest cities.'
"It's just, 'Where do we want to be, where do we want to go?'"
Starting on Friday, Knowlton will begin his first full year at Air Force.
Based on the momentum he has going after just nine months, Falcon Fuel and the other changes he's ushered in may have been just the first taste of where his process will take the Falcons.
