Air Force extends Athletic Director Nathan Pine’s contract through 2026
5/20/2021 1:20:00 PM | General
Air Force Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Richard Clark and Air Force Academy Athletic Corporation (AFAAC) Chairman of the Board Brig. Gen. Harvey Schiller, USAF Ret., Ph.D. announced today that Director of Athletics Nathan Pine has agreed to a contract extension through 2026.
"Nate's leadership was instrumental in helping keep cadet-athletes safe while guiding Air Force Academy athletics through an unprecedented pandemic," said Lt. Gen. Richard Clark, Air Force Academy Superintendent. "I'm extremely proud and thankful that Nate will continue to dynamically lead our cadet-athletes and our program for many years to come."
"Nate has provided the needed direction of Falcon sport programs through the most challenging of times. I join the members of the AFAAC board in looking forward to his continued leadership as Academy athletics director," Shiller said.
Pine is completing his second academic year as the athletics director at the Air Force Academy after arriving in Colorado Springs in January of 2019. Since his arrival, the Falcons have seen success on a number of important fronts. In terms of comprehensive programmatic success, Air Force has finished as the top service academy in the Learfield IMG Director's Cup, second in the Mountain West and a top 70 Division I program. The program reached incredible heights during a COVID-affected season, including conference championships in men's cross country, water polo and men's soccer, five conference athlete of the year awards and the Falcons posting an 11-2 mark against Army and Navy in head-to-head competition.
"I would like to thank Lt. Gen. Clark, Dr. Schiller and the AFAAC Board for their guidance, support and continued confidence in my leadership of our athletic department," Pine said. "It is an absolute honor to play a central role in helping to build leaders of character for our Air Force and Space Force. We have worked hard over the past two years to establish a culture of success and we have made important progress. We will look forward to building upon that positive momentum in the years ahead."
The men's and women's rifle team won a national title in 2019, while women's cross country finished eighth in the nation and football completed an 11-2 season with a win in the Cheez-It Bowl over Washington State and a No. 23 final ranking (Air Forces' first since 1998). In total, eight teams have won conference championships since his arrival and 72 cadet-athletes have been honored as All-Americans.
Air Force has enjoyed record-breaking fundraising numbers under Pine, including total number of donors and dollars raised, as well as the rebranding of its fundraising arm for athletics to the Falcon Athletic Fund. Formerly known as the Falcon Pride Club, the Falcon Athletic Fund was refreshed and rebranded under Pine's leadership with increased giving levels and benefits. The Falcon Athletic Fund is responsible for generating philanthropic resources required to provide a first-class athletic experience for 1,000 cadet-athletes across 27 intercollegiate sports.
Pine has also focused on working to enhance the Air Force brand and national outreach through athletics. In February of 2020, Air Force hosted the 2020 NHL Stadium Series in Falcon Stadium to a sellout crowd of 43,500. The event had an ad value of $14.32 million and a national publicity value 25 percent higher than a typical NHL game. The game also brought significant resources to the Academy for hosting and an estimated $17.5 million to the local Colorado Springs economy.
Pine has overseen a number of important coaching hires during his tenure. In 2020, Air Force announced the return of Joe Scott, the only championship winning basketball coach in program history, to the Academy to lead the men's basketball program. He also ensured continuity within the football program after the 2019 season by signing head coach Troy Calhoun to a multi-year extension through 2026. Other head coach additions have included Omar Elgizery in men's and women's fencing, Josh Loeser in men's gymnastics and Jennifer Green in women's gymnastics.
Facility improvements continue to be an area of focus at Air Force and a number have been completed since his arrival on campus. Clune Arena has seen extensive improvements to improve the fan experience, including new video board and ribbons, venue lighting and new restroom renovations. The baseball stadium has received new turf as well as a new pitching area while Falcon Stadium has celebrated the program's heritage with two major projects. There are signs on the concourse depicting significant battles the Air Force has been involved in throughout time, in addition to signs celebrating competitive success with updated bowl signage on the lower concourse. The hockey locker room and offices, as well as the indoor track and field area also received significant improvements in branding through private funded.
Pine is a proven athletic administrator at multiple levels. Prior to Air Force, he served as the director of athletics at Holy Cross and was deputy director of athletics at the University of Maryland. In addition, he spent three years at the University of California at Berkeley and four years at the United States Military Academy. Pine began his career in the athletic department at Oregon State University.
A native of Eagle Point, Ore., Pine received his bachelor's degree in marketing and international business from Oregon State University, and a master's degree in education from the University of California at Berkeley. He and his wife, Stephanie, reside in Colorado Springs with their two dogs, Deuce and Lola.
"Nate's leadership was instrumental in helping keep cadet-athletes safe while guiding Air Force Academy athletics through an unprecedented pandemic," said Lt. Gen. Richard Clark, Air Force Academy Superintendent. "I'm extremely proud and thankful that Nate will continue to dynamically lead our cadet-athletes and our program for many years to come."
"Nate has provided the needed direction of Falcon sport programs through the most challenging of times. I join the members of the AFAAC board in looking forward to his continued leadership as Academy athletics director," Shiller said.
Pine is completing his second academic year as the athletics director at the Air Force Academy after arriving in Colorado Springs in January of 2019. Since his arrival, the Falcons have seen success on a number of important fronts. In terms of comprehensive programmatic success, Air Force has finished as the top service academy in the Learfield IMG Director's Cup, second in the Mountain West and a top 70 Division I program. The program reached incredible heights during a COVID-affected season, including conference championships in men's cross country, water polo and men's soccer, five conference athlete of the year awards and the Falcons posting an 11-2 mark against Army and Navy in head-to-head competition.
"I would like to thank Lt. Gen. Clark, Dr. Schiller and the AFAAC Board for their guidance, support and continued confidence in my leadership of our athletic department," Pine said. "It is an absolute honor to play a central role in helping to build leaders of character for our Air Force and Space Force. We have worked hard over the past two years to establish a culture of success and we have made important progress. We will look forward to building upon that positive momentum in the years ahead."
The men's and women's rifle team won a national title in 2019, while women's cross country finished eighth in the nation and football completed an 11-2 season with a win in the Cheez-It Bowl over Washington State and a No. 23 final ranking (Air Forces' first since 1998). In total, eight teams have won conference championships since his arrival and 72 cadet-athletes have been honored as All-Americans.
Air Force has enjoyed record-breaking fundraising numbers under Pine, including total number of donors and dollars raised, as well as the rebranding of its fundraising arm for athletics to the Falcon Athletic Fund. Formerly known as the Falcon Pride Club, the Falcon Athletic Fund was refreshed and rebranded under Pine's leadership with increased giving levels and benefits. The Falcon Athletic Fund is responsible for generating philanthropic resources required to provide a first-class athletic experience for 1,000 cadet-athletes across 27 intercollegiate sports.
Pine has also focused on working to enhance the Air Force brand and national outreach through athletics. In February of 2020, Air Force hosted the 2020 NHL Stadium Series in Falcon Stadium to a sellout crowd of 43,500. The event had an ad value of $14.32 million and a national publicity value 25 percent higher than a typical NHL game. The game also brought significant resources to the Academy for hosting and an estimated $17.5 million to the local Colorado Springs economy.
Pine has overseen a number of important coaching hires during his tenure. In 2020, Air Force announced the return of Joe Scott, the only championship winning basketball coach in program history, to the Academy to lead the men's basketball program. He also ensured continuity within the football program after the 2019 season by signing head coach Troy Calhoun to a multi-year extension through 2026. Other head coach additions have included Omar Elgizery in men's and women's fencing, Josh Loeser in men's gymnastics and Jennifer Green in women's gymnastics.
Facility improvements continue to be an area of focus at Air Force and a number have been completed since his arrival on campus. Clune Arena has seen extensive improvements to improve the fan experience, including new video board and ribbons, venue lighting and new restroom renovations. The baseball stadium has received new turf as well as a new pitching area while Falcon Stadium has celebrated the program's heritage with two major projects. There are signs on the concourse depicting significant battles the Air Force has been involved in throughout time, in addition to signs celebrating competitive success with updated bowl signage on the lower concourse. The hockey locker room and offices, as well as the indoor track and field area also received significant improvements in branding through private funded.
Pine is a proven athletic administrator at multiple levels. Prior to Air Force, he served as the director of athletics at Holy Cross and was deputy director of athletics at the University of Maryland. In addition, he spent three years at the University of California at Berkeley and four years at the United States Military Academy. Pine began his career in the athletic department at Oregon State University.
A native of Eagle Point, Ore., Pine received his bachelor's degree in marketing and international business from Oregon State University, and a master's degree in education from the University of California at Berkeley. He and his wife, Stephanie, reside in Colorado Springs with their two dogs, Deuce and Lola.
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