Athletic Director's message to Falcon Nation
9/14/2020 9:00:00 AM | General
Hello Falcon Nation,
I hope everyone is healthy and safe and that you are enjoying the summer, or in the case of last week, the fall/winter!
I want to open this week's message with a major announcement! Your Air Force Falcons will host Navy on Saturday, Oct. 3, at 4 p.m. MT in Falcon Stadium for the lone home football game of the fall. We have finalized all the necessary steps with Navy, in regards to testing protocols, to be able to play the game.
The safety and well-being of our cadet-athletes, coaches, staff and local community have been at the forefront of our decision-making throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The Academy has been working closely with local and state public health officials and has determined that the only fans allowed at the game with be Air Force Academy cadets. The base remains closed to the public. Fans holding a Navy ticket will have multiple options, which includes donating your ticket payment as a tax-deductible donation to the Falcon Athletic Fund, rolling over your 2020 season tickets to the 2021 season or requesting a refund. For the most up-to-date information regarding the 2020 football season, please visit our "2020-21 Ticketed Sports FAQs" page here. You can always contact the Air Force ticket office with any questions at 719-472-1895 or afa.tickets@airforceathletics.org.
The capacity and accommodations at Falcon Stadium only allows us to host our cadets for the game, but the good news is that our broadcast partner, CBS Sports Network, will televise the game nationally. You can also listen to the game on KVOR AM 740. So please gather safely to watch and listen to the Falcons in their quest for a 21st Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. I'm also pleased to announce that the CIC game against Army is scheduled to take place Saturday, Nov. 7, at 9:30 a.m. MT and will be broadcast nationally by CBS in West Point, N.Y.
Fans will be able to watch the Falcons debut the Air Power Legacy Series uniform for the Navy game. We will be releasing a video with the new uniform next Monday, Sept. 21, on the website and on social media that you will want to check out. We are honoring the Tuskegee Airmen with this edition of the uniform.
The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of African-American pilots from the U.S. Army Air Corps, commissioned by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in September 1940. The pilots began their training at Morton Field in Tuskegee, Alabama. More than 900 pilots graduated from the program and more than 350 served in active duty as fighter pilots. The first African-American officer to solo an Army Air Corps aircraft was Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., who became the commander of the 99th Pursuit Squadron, the first all-African American air unit. The Air Force Academy airfield was re-named in his honor in November 2019 and is now the Davis Airfield.
Unfortunately, the Navy and Army games will be the only fall competitions between the three academies. After multiple conversations with the athletic directors at both Army and Navy, we are not going to be able to pull together inter-service competitions this fall. We have shifted our focus and efforts toward Mountain West and Western Athletic Conference competitions in the spring semester. We will continue to pursue one-off competitions in the spring semester prior to the start of Army and Navy's Patriot League competitions.
The Mountain West recently issued an updated statement about the postponement of fall sports. The complete statement is available by clicking the blue box at the top right of this message. We are continuing to work hard on scheduling the fall sports, along with the spring sports, for what will be a very busy spring sports season. We also anticipate some clarity by the NCAA Division I Council during its September 16 meeting, including frameworks for football, men's and women's basketball and rescheduled fall sports.
Switching gears, there is still plenty of time to get some golf in before the cold returns and stays. The Falcon Athletic Fund and Air Force Athletics are excited to announce a first of its kind event, the 2020 Virtual Falcon Classic. Typically held in the summer at Eisenhower Golf Course at USAFA, the tournament was a way to thank our local partners and sponsors. In 2020, we are proud to be able to open this experience to Air Force Athletics supporters around the world!
The virtual Falcon Classic kicks off September 24, and will end on September 27. Play any course, anywhere, anytime, as long as it is at least a 70 par and 18 holes, within those dates. This tournament will be a scramble format. Teams will register on FalconAthleticFund.com for $100 per team. Teams will also be able to buy mulligans and raffle tickets. Raffle will include multiple items such as AF football helmets and signed memorabilia. Prizes will be awarded to contest winners and 1st- through 3rd-place teams. We look forward to the friendly competition across Falcon Nation in support of our cadet-athletes! To register for the 2020 Virtual Falcon Classic, please CLICK HERE. For more information and for the full set of rules, please CLICK HERE.
We will continue to keep you updated on developments moving forward. Thanks again for your patience and I hope to see you soon. Thank you for your support of Air Force Athletics.
Go Falcons!
Nathan Pine
Director of Athletics
I hope everyone is healthy and safe and that you are enjoying the summer, or in the case of last week, the fall/winter!
I want to open this week's message with a major announcement! Your Air Force Falcons will host Navy on Saturday, Oct. 3, at 4 p.m. MT in Falcon Stadium for the lone home football game of the fall. We have finalized all the necessary steps with Navy, in regards to testing protocols, to be able to play the game.
The safety and well-being of our cadet-athletes, coaches, staff and local community have been at the forefront of our decision-making throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The Academy has been working closely with local and state public health officials and has determined that the only fans allowed at the game with be Air Force Academy cadets. The base remains closed to the public. Fans holding a Navy ticket will have multiple options, which includes donating your ticket payment as a tax-deductible donation to the Falcon Athletic Fund, rolling over your 2020 season tickets to the 2021 season or requesting a refund. For the most up-to-date information regarding the 2020 football season, please visit our "2020-21 Ticketed Sports FAQs" page here. You can always contact the Air Force ticket office with any questions at 719-472-1895 or afa.tickets@airforceathletics.org.
The capacity and accommodations at Falcon Stadium only allows us to host our cadets for the game, but the good news is that our broadcast partner, CBS Sports Network, will televise the game nationally. You can also listen to the game on KVOR AM 740. So please gather safely to watch and listen to the Falcons in their quest for a 21st Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. I'm also pleased to announce that the CIC game against Army is scheduled to take place Saturday, Nov. 7, at 9:30 a.m. MT and will be broadcast nationally by CBS in West Point, N.Y.
Fans will be able to watch the Falcons debut the Air Power Legacy Series uniform for the Navy game. We will be releasing a video with the new uniform next Monday, Sept. 21, on the website and on social media that you will want to check out. We are honoring the Tuskegee Airmen with this edition of the uniform.
The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of African-American pilots from the U.S. Army Air Corps, commissioned by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in September 1940. The pilots began their training at Morton Field in Tuskegee, Alabama. More than 900 pilots graduated from the program and more than 350 served in active duty as fighter pilots. The first African-American officer to solo an Army Air Corps aircraft was Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., who became the commander of the 99th Pursuit Squadron, the first all-African American air unit. The Air Force Academy airfield was re-named in his honor in November 2019 and is now the Davis Airfield.
Unfortunately, the Navy and Army games will be the only fall competitions between the three academies. After multiple conversations with the athletic directors at both Army and Navy, we are not going to be able to pull together inter-service competitions this fall. We have shifted our focus and efforts toward Mountain West and Western Athletic Conference competitions in the spring semester. We will continue to pursue one-off competitions in the spring semester prior to the start of Army and Navy's Patriot League competitions.
The Mountain West recently issued an updated statement about the postponement of fall sports. The complete statement is available by clicking the blue box at the top right of this message. We are continuing to work hard on scheduling the fall sports, along with the spring sports, for what will be a very busy spring sports season. We also anticipate some clarity by the NCAA Division I Council during its September 16 meeting, including frameworks for football, men's and women's basketball and rescheduled fall sports.
Switching gears, there is still plenty of time to get some golf in before the cold returns and stays. The Falcon Athletic Fund and Air Force Athletics are excited to announce a first of its kind event, the 2020 Virtual Falcon Classic. Typically held in the summer at Eisenhower Golf Course at USAFA, the tournament was a way to thank our local partners and sponsors. In 2020, we are proud to be able to open this experience to Air Force Athletics supporters around the world!
The virtual Falcon Classic kicks off September 24, and will end on September 27. Play any course, anywhere, anytime, as long as it is at least a 70 par and 18 holes, within those dates. This tournament will be a scramble format. Teams will register on FalconAthleticFund.com for $100 per team. Teams will also be able to buy mulligans and raffle tickets. Raffle will include multiple items such as AF football helmets and signed memorabilia. Prizes will be awarded to contest winners and 1st- through 3rd-place teams. We look forward to the friendly competition across Falcon Nation in support of our cadet-athletes! To register for the 2020 Virtual Falcon Classic, please CLICK HERE. For more information and for the full set of rules, please CLICK HERE.
We will continue to keep you updated on developments moving forward. Thanks again for your patience and I hope to see you soon. Thank you for your support of Air Force Athletics.
Go Falcons!
Nathan Pine
Director of Athletics
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