Memories of Air Force Head Coach Ralph Lindeman

Longtime Air Force Academy men's and women's track and field coach Ralph Lindeman passed away March 6. Lindeman was in his 33rd season at the helm of the Air Force track and field team. From the very first day he stepped onto the track at the Academy in 1989, the Falcons have benefited from his leadership and love of coaching to become one of the most recognized intercollegiate programs in the Air Force Academy athletic department.
The following are submissions from the Share a Memory of Coach link on the official track and field page of the official athletics website, GoAirForceFalcons.com. To share a memory, please click here.

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Coach Lindeman and Air Force have been staunch supporters of the Drake Relays. I was fortunate to chat with him every year as I helped figure their entries, arrival, and hotel arrangements. He always asked how I was doing, and he was so personable and wonderful to work with. I send my sincere sympathy to his family, the coaches and the track and field team. He will be missed by the track and field community and especially so by the Drake Relays. God bless Coach Lindeman.

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I have seen Coach Lindeman from a parent of an athlete perspective for quite a few years now. We have been watching Track and Field at USAFA through USATF, and now our own cadet for many years. He leaves such a legacy. It was so touching to see how he loved his wife and kids and grandkids. I was blessed to have him come to our home to discuss our son during his junior year of high school and when he left, I knew that he was genuinely interested in our son - not just as an athlete. He made parents feel welcome too. I'm so grateful that we went to Albuquerque this year and were able to talk to him before he was called home. His face would light up when he talked about our son - and that was just genuinely the good man that he was. We are all so blessed to have known Coach, and will miss seeing his kind, smiling face so much. He finished his race well and we will be praying for his loved ones.

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I have lots of memories from my time with Coach Lindeman. Two of my favorites involve food and all military academy track meet near DC. Food was the highlight of RLs trips, and I remember when we were in Albuquerque, NM the itinerary said we'd be going to Tuscano's Brazilian Grille after the meet. For those that don't know, it's an all you can eat meat restaurant. And I remember him saying something to the effect of "The men better win this conference meet or I'm going to have some explaining to do about this bill." Thankfully the men won! It was their first mountain west conference championship. What an experience!
The next memory was attending the all-military academy track meet in 2010 at VMI. I had just got done playing basketball and I was missing track and field. Coach Irving saw me staring at the track and had me talk to Coach Lindeman. Coach convinced me I could contribute to the team and invited me to come on the spring break trip without one practice, but he trusted me. I hadn't been home all year since I played basketball, so he graciously let me go home for spring break and flew me from South Dakota to Virginia. It felt amazing to be trusted and to be able to contribute to the team immediately. After that trip, I quit basketball and stayed with T&F for the rest of my time at the Academy. It's the best decision I ever made. I will never forget Coach Lindeman taking a chance on me :) He will be sorely missed but he will be getting a "well done, good and faithful servant."

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Coach Lindeman made such a positive difference in our daughter, Teri's (Class of 2020) life. Ralph made sure that that the Air Force Cross Country and Track & Field programs first and foremost supported and contributed to the Academy's mission of developing our Nation's future leaders. The excellence he required in his humble and gentle way created and sustained a highly successful Division I athletic program one cadet at a time. We are proud to have known him!

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I can't think of anyone else who's had a more personal and direct impact on the lives of so many people than Ralph Lindeman.
Many of you know the story of how Ralph and I first met. It was in the late summer of 1974 when my dad, the head track and cross country coach at Glendale High School in Arizona--where I was a rising sophomore—told us that he'd just hired a new cross country coach. Ralph had spent a year at Carl Hayden high school and told me many years ago that he didn't really want to coach cross country, but a friend recommend that he take the job in large part because of my dad's reputation among Arizona coaches. It would be a great foot in the door.
We met Ralph, Cindy and Jennifer soon after (Brian had not arrived). I know that my mom and Cindy hit it off right away. Ralph inherited a talented stable of runners, too. Robert Lopez would win the state title two years later and finish second in the national meet to some guy named Alberto Salazar. The team would finish second in the state in his second year with runners like Randy Espinoza and Alvin Rollier. Ralph convinced me to do my first and only decathlon, too. That didn't go as well.
In those days, our public high school did pretty well with service academy nominations, sending several members of the track team to USAFA, USNA, and West Point—including an 800 meter runner who was the #1 graduate in the class of '79, Dave Rhodes. Of course, Ralph new that both my brother, Mike, and I came here as well.
When my brother graduated from high school, my dad decided to move to coaching basketball (his first real love) and Ralph took over the program. From there, he went to Westwood High School in Mesa, ASU, UofA, and the Long Beach State. The France family tracked his progress and stayed in touch—I knew my dad was very proud of Ralph's professional progress.
In the summer of '89, Becky and I had just returned to Colorado Springs and USAFA after having finished my PhD at Virginia Tech. We were still waiting for our household goods but got the morning newspaper. Our second or third morning, at the breakfast table, I open the Gazette sports section and read that Air Force had hired a new head track coach, Ralph Lindeman, from Long Beach State.
No way!
That day I called Ralph and dropped by his office and for 23 of the next 33 years, off and on through our assignments in the Springs, I served as the team OR, announcer, photographer, etc. For road trips, I was also the "dining consultant." Ralph picked the breakfast places, I helped with dinner, wine lists, craft breweries, along with the assistants. Ralph wanted barbecue, Scottie always asked for free dessert and searched for the perfect blueberry pancakes.
At all of these meals we would solve world (and particularly USAFA and NCAA) problems, discuss the upcoming or just-finished meet, etc.
In the years after, Ralph would tell me that he never intended to stay at USAFA. He saw it as yet another steppingstone and that, after four or five years, he wanted to be a PAC-12 head coach. Like many others, though, he became a true convert to USAFA and its mission—and realized that he could develop a truly elite program here that transcended what was available to him elsewhere. He came to love this place like few others have.
We shared a deep love for the purity of track and field. I admired his ability to keep so many plates spinning at once as well as his penchant for attracting great assistant coaches and cadet-athletes. When we look back at his many successes, measures I think are most important are how many have served so well and for so long in our Air Force and beyond, but also how many successful walk-ons this program developed.
I used to joke with him that Air Force Track was a "sanctuary sport." In addition to all of the great cadet athletes that came unrecruited, there were also dozens of champions that came to USAFA recruited by other sports but were attracted to Ralph's teams and staff because they still loved track and saw the amazing environment Ralph created. Dana, Jamiel Trimble, Shelley Spires come immediately to mind, but I know there are many here that fit that description.
Ralph's leadership and character are ultimately what attracted all of us to him and the program. My last boss before I retired once "accused" me of only sticking around—and not retiring earlier—because I wanted to stay on as the track OR. He said that as if that was a negative. I decided not to respond (for once I let my silence speak) but realized then—and this is a feeling that's only gotten stronger since that day—that he was right. Track did keep me at USAFA longer and keeps me involved today because of Ralph. Because we are all attracted to great leaders—especially when faced with, well, shall we say… contrasts in leadership.
We all miss that leader today, but are all better because we followed him. We learned from him. He did what all great coaches and leaders do—leave a legacy of excellence that is never extinguished.

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As a parent of two AFXC/T&F athletes our family has had the privilege of knowing Coach Lindeman for the past five years. During that time, he has been a great mentor and friend. I have so many wonderful memories of Coach, but my favorites are highlighted by his big smile and laugh that reached all the way to his eyes. His words that still resonate strongly with me are this phrase that I heard him say in more than one team meeting, "never let a win go to your head and a loss go to your heart." I heard him say this to the team after a tough loss and I am so grateful I got to hear it one final time after the men's team won the Mountain West Indoor Conference Championship. I have to say that the sudden loss of Coach Lindeman has gone straight to my heart. Thank you Coach for all you did for my sons and for the positive impact you have had on our family! You will forever be in our hearts!

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I was the athletic trainer for track/XC for 6 years and got to know Ralph and Cindy well. Ralph and I had a common passion.....BASEBALL and the Colorado Rockies! While at track meets, we would text back and forth sharing information about the game that day....."wow, did you see that double play" or "holy cow, what a great walk off home run." It was fun to share a love for a sport outside of the track :) One great memory is from a road trip I took with Ralph and Cindy during spring break a few years ago. We were going from our spring break training trip in San Diego to meet the distance team at Stanford. Ralph, Cindy and I hit the road early in the morning and in the middle of nowhere, agriculture farm lands of California we encountered the biggest tumbleweed I've ever seen in my life.....coming straight towards us, rolling down the highway!!! The tumbleweed was as big as the car (as tall and as wide as the car) and there was someone in the lane next to us, so Ralph could only stay straight and take on the massive tumbleweed head on! At the last second, the tumbleweed blew off the highway and missed us completely and we just looked at each other in shock. We then looked at the guy in the car next to us and I think the poor guy needed to change his pants he looked so freaked out by the car sized tumbleweed! We laughed and laughed about that darn tumbleweed for the rest of that trip, trying to figure out how we'd explain to the rental car company on why the car was so scratched up. Who would believe that a tumbleweed the size of the car had rolled into us on the highway?!? Those are just a few of the memories I'll cherish from my many hours with Ralph and the team. Rest easy Ralph....tell Steve Scales I'm still smiling and please sprinkle a little luck from heaven on those Colorado Rockies this season!

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My favorite memory of Coach Lindeman was the first time I cleared 6-1.5 at an Air Force home meet. I distinctly remember bouncing off the mat and jumping in the air thinking FINALLY I've conquered the 6ft barrier! I ran straight over to Scottie and RL, both of whom gave me high fives and hugs, before I continued in the competition (although I didn't clear another bar, so it ended soon thereafter). After the meet, RL practically jogs over to greet me with a huge smile and says, "Great job Shell! Now we can get after the BIG bars!" All the while I'm thinking, "That's the best mark in the country so far... I thought that was a big bar!" Of course, I would never dream of saying that to Coach, so I smiled and said he was exactly right, and sat down for our usual post-meet team meeting. I still smile thinking about this poignant memory because he always told us to enjoy our successes but stay hungry- and that stuck with me to this day.
Outside of track related memories, I had the pleasure of living in the same neighborhood as Mr. and Mrs. Lindeman during my time as a member of the World Class Athlete Program. Perhaps my favorite memories of Coach are when he and Mrs. Lindeman rolled down their car window as they passed me walking my dog just to ask how practice was going, which meets I was headed too, and to let me know they were right around the corner should i need anything.
I've had a tremendous amount of coaches throughout my life playing various sports, and Coach Lindeman was extremely special. In my personal experience, I would argue that very few coaches value you both on and off the field of play, but Coach Lindeman recognized us as athletes, students, and just regular people. I feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to be a part of his program, and I'm certain his legacy will remain a powerful force in AF Track and Field for years to come. I considered RL not only a coach, but a close friend and role model, and he will be deeply missed.

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Coach Lindeman was a good man and a great coach and leader who always took a keen interest in his athletes. He had a special gift of getting everyone to work together as a team at the conference championships. On many occasions, I witnessed teammates (and myself) set PRs and exceed their expectations at the conference championships.
I was a member of the first class that he recruited at USAFA. Prior to Coach Lindeman's arrival at the Academy, the track team was average at best. Upon his arrival, he demanded that everyone give 100% and our team steadily improved each year at the WAC Conference Championships. He continued to build the program until it was always competing to win the conference title every year. In my humble opinion, he built the track team into the most successful athletic program at USAFA with multiple All Americans and national champions.
One thing that I really liked about Coach Lindeman is that he really cared about how his former athletes were doing. I would stay in touch with him over the years and would stop by his office every time I visited USAFA. He would always ask me how I was doing and would enquire about other teammates. Thank you for caring, coach.
I will always remember your great smile and laugh. Thank you for the memories coach and you'll be sorely missed. RIP Coach Lindeman.

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I had the unbelievable pleasure of meeting Coach Lindeman when I was on what should have been a 2-day recruiting visit to the Air Force Academy. I was ostensibly a "stranger" to Coach Lindeman but in a moment, he touched my life in a way that only comes in fairytales. On our trip to USAFA, on our first night, my husband had a horrific accident and was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. He remained in the hospital ICU for 5 days. He lost his eye and his vision on that trip. My daughter went on as best she could on her visit, but I remained at the hotel. I had no car and no family and no way of getting back and forth to the hospital where Alana's dad remained in ICU. Coach Lindeman refused to allow me to feel alone and stuck. He insisted on picking me up each day to bring me to the hospital to be there for my husband and came back at the end of the day, sometimes late in the evening to bring me back to my hotel. The time of day or night was no matter. He wanted me to know...I was not alone. And thanks to Coach Lindeman, I was not. He was selfless those days, helping me and my family who he had never even met before. My fondest memory was the night I met Coach Lindeman's beautiful wife. They were having dinner together but called me and asked what I would like them to bring me from the restaurant. Of course, I said no thank you , it was not necessary. After all, they had already done so much for me. Coach Lindeman, with no waiver in his voice said, "we are bringing you dinner, you can tell me what you want, or I will choose for you". There was such strength in his overwhelming kindness. When I met his wife that night, she hugged me.... yes, a real hug. and G-d knows I needed it. The two of them gave me such encouraging words and shared some past struggles like what I was going through. We laughed a little, I cried a little.... but their kindness was so overwhelming. I loved seeing how much he adored and respected his wife in those few short moments I was there. I will always remember Coach Lindeman's kindness at a time when I was so alone and so needed a wonderful helping hand. Coach Lindeman touched my life in a profound way in only a microscopic moment in life, but it will remain Grande in my mind forever. Coach Lindeman was heaven sent to me and my family in our time of need. I will never forget and always be grateful.

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Ralph was so good to me!! My Name is Tim Rutherford with Colorado Track Stats.
I have been keeping Colorado track and field stats for 36 years now and in the beginning, after about 7 years in, I made my way to the Air force Academy in search of track history. I had no idea where to start, however after getting to the indoor track and the offices of the track staff, I found Ralph. I am kind of shy and Ralph could see that, he put me at ease and open all that I needed at that time. From that moment Ralph supported me in my endeavor of my track journeys. He was one of the very few that has!!
I am going to truly miss him!!

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Three Weeks In A Nutshell, a tribute to Coach's positive outlook on the future. One of my favorite "isms" of Coach Lindeman is how every Monday during indoor and outdoor season, he would spend the first 15 minutes or so of each practice walking the entire team through "The Next Three Weeks In A Nutshell." In this speech, he would outline the next three weekends' worth of track meets, and how we needed to be ready for what was coming. To the best of my knowledge, he did this every Monday from January, with the start of organized indoor practice, through the end of May, with the Conference Outdoor Meet. We loved to poke fun at this habit (I know I joked about it a lot), but I sure will miss the idea that Coach is no longer bringing stability and optimism to the world of USAFA Track and Field people by completing this weekly ritual!
One of my other favorite "isms" of Coach Lindeman is the "Positive vs Negative Stress" speech that he would give us, usually Monday, as those were the most fun days of Coach's speeches at practice. The story goes something like:
"Let's say I come home from work. My wife surprises me; she tells me "Honey, I'm pregnant, we're having a baby!" Well, I am kind of stunned; but I think about it a bit, and I get fired up – I'm like "yes, we're having a baby!" I'm feeling good about things, looking forward to a new kid, all that stuff - that's positive stress! But then she tells me "but Honey, it's not yours!" - that's negative stress!
I want this Conference Championship Meet to be all about positive stress!"
That story usually got a lot of laughs and groans, but the best part of hearing it was that it meant the Conference Meet was close, and Coach was telling us it was OK to get excited about it.
Doolie Day Out (July 1992 for me), a tribute to the Coach Lindeman's entire family's generosity
Coach opened his house to all the Freshmen XC and Track people on this Sunday, and we likely ate enough food to feed a small country. The amazing part of this event is that I don't remember interacting with Coach Lindeman, Cindy, or any of the other Coaches (I think Coach Stinson and his wife were there, but I'm not even sure if Coach Stanforth had moved in yet) or their families. All I remember is eating continuously (my pants fit on the way there, they did not fit on the way back) and calling home, and that Coach and Cindy were OK with that. Thank you Coach and Cindy for sharing your house that day; it was great to get away from the USAFA campus and relax for several hours.
May 21. This last section is a just a date; however, the time is significant - I had just received a blog notice about Memorial Day and an Air Force fighter pilot that survived a stint as a Vietnam POW. The pilot just happened to be a former USAFA track and XC runner; I had not heard of him, but I know Coach Lindeman really likes USAFA track/XC history nuggets, so I forwarded the story to him. He thanked me for telling him and mentioned that he was really excited at the timing of my message – he happened to be at a track meet in Austin, TX, and how it reminded him of when he got to meet up with me and my Dad at the Texas Relays (I grew up in Austin) a mere 29 years ago! Stories like these are what I will treasure about Coach Lindeman the most; his excitement to hear from us no matter where he was or what he was doing, and the intricate details he would remember about how and when he'd interacted with us in the past.

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RL was an amazing person. He truly dedicated his life to building up young men and women of character. Athletics came second. I truly appreciate RL for giving me a chance to compete in the sprints and hurdles. I wasn't the fastest, but he still made me feel like a key member of the team. After what essentially became a career-ending injury, RL made sure that I was getting the care that I required from the training staff. Almost 18 months later, I came back to run one more 200m dash. Thank you, Ralph Lindeman for the opportunity to compete.

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After 16 years in the Air Force, I was assigned to the Air Force Inspection Center reviewing AF procedures at military bases. One of the inspections included the Air Force Academy Based on my college Division I athlete past, I was requested to review AFA and NCAA procedures within the Athletic Department. After my review, and before departing the Academy, I had the honor to meet with Coach Lindeman to discuss applying as an assistant coach and PE Instructor. He was extremely professional and congenial and suggested I submit the application to the Air Force Headquarters for assignments. Not having been a professional track coach, I was concerned this would be a showstopper, however, Ralph said if I received the assignment, he would teach me on the higher level intricacies of each jump event. After some time, I received notification that the Academy had requested my assignment. From day one, Ralph and Cindy welcomed me and my family with open arms. There was always a family atmosphere when we traveled to away meets. After retiring, I kept a close relationship with Ralph and always reviewed how the cadets did at the meets. A couple years ago, Cathy and I flew to New Mexico to see the MWC Indoor Championship. I was honored when Ralph asked me to speak to the cadets before their team dinner. I can say I was a better coach due to Ralph's tutoring, and he has made me a better person. I am truly saddened by his passing. I was fortunate to have spoken to him a few days ago, talking about the fantastic MWC Indoor meet results. I will always remember that he was a great coach and a wonderful person and family man. Our prayers to Cindy and the family.

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I was a sophomore at USAFA when Coach Lindeman arrived to take over the track program in the spring of 1989. He will be greatly missed. Looking back, I most appreciate how he instilled the importance of character in his athletes. This memory comes to mind...during a team meeting he very sternly admonished certain members of the team (the female distance runners...including myself) because we refused to stay out at the track to cheer on our teammates but instead retreated to our hotel rooms to do homework as we did not want to stay out in the sun and be drained of our energy since we were the ones who usually scored most of the points for the team. At the time I was resentful for the public "scolding," but through deeper self-reflection realized he was absolutely right and we deserved to be called out for our selfishness. Through my career in the Air Force and throughout other areas of my life I saw how important it is to be there for others and support them even if it was costly or inconvenient. I truly appreciate everything Coach has done for me and the thousands of other athletes. May God Bless his family and legacy.
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I think the value of a person can many times be measured by the people he attracts. I became introduced to Coach Lindeman via Dana Lyon through Scott Irving. Every day, it wasn't just about what you were doing on the track, Coach always cared about us immensely in our personal lives.
I originally went to Harvard before going to the Academy and I remember how much that coach fought for me to come back to the Academy after my time away.
The time we won conference my freshmen year it was a special time. Coach Lindeman and the seniors had built such a team atmosphere that when everything came together, it was amazing that we were rewarded for all our hard work.
Not only on the highs but on the lows I knew Coach Lindeman had my back. After my junior year indoors, I had partially torn my hamstring pretty bad. Coach had my best interest as I finished out the next two years and I got to work directly with him and he kept me calm as I had to battle back from that frustrating injury I still felt a year out.
At senior night, I knew that I had enjoyed a powerful advocate in my life that had played the most important part in providing the structure, love and protection for me to get through the crazy journey I had at the Academy.
When I came back and worked up in CW, I still came down and visited Coach because I really knew that he cared and wanted to take care of us and cared about where we were going with our families later in life.
His presence will truly be missed. The track program was the defining experience of my collegiate experience. I hope that whoever takes the reins going into the future realizes the impact that such a position must shape the lives of so many when led with love, care, and expertise that Coach led with.

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Coach is a part of nearly every memory I have from my USAFA running career. From his encouragement during my worst injuries to his excitement in my greatest victories, RL always showed how much he cared. I'll never forget how proud he was of the women's cross country team when we qualified for our first national meet in 2016. His enthusiasm was contagious and made the experience that much more special. Even after I graduated, he followed my races and career. I received the most thoughtful text from him the night before the 2020 Marathon Trials, promising that he'd be cheering and tracking my race from afar… this was in the middle of the indoor conference meet! I doubt there's another coach in the world who shows as much care for ALL his athletes, past and present, than Coach Lindeman did.

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I was an athlete of RL's and graduated in 2009. I made it back to visit and attend some of the events he and Cindy hosted at their house over the years. It always amazed me how much he cared and remembered about his athletes. Times, distances, scores, and events from years ago he would remember with genuine excitement.
Last year I was unpacking from a move and found the hand-written card he had given me senior year. It still made an emotional impact on me reading it 12 years later. I'm thankful I kept that note and had it to show my wife that day about a year ago and will have it to show my children.
What an amazing man who impacted so many people.

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Even though I retired and moved away for several years, I really enjoyed attending the annual MWC Indoor Championships in Albuquerque and cheering for the Falcons. I would dope out the meet a few times and always emailed my updated prognostications to RL. We would correspond regularly, and I always got a kick out of his tallying point totals after each event at conference. And he kept track of the points for good reason. Not only did it elevate the importance of the competition for the team, it inspired the athletes and gave the coaches some insights about how to approach later events in the competition. It was a wonderful testament to Coach Lindeman's attention to detail. But much more than that, RL wanted the athletes to, in his words, "play track and field," to have fun and thoroughly enjoy the experience. Less stress, improved performance and "excellence in all we do." He not only preached it to his athletes, but he also lived it with his whole heart. Ralph Lindeman was THE person responsible for the growth of the program over a 33 year period, building it from the ground up with only a couple coaches in the beginning, to seeing the women transition from the NCAA Division II to Division I, to dealing with being a NAF (Non-appropriated Funds) coach who was then required to teach classes and taking the T&F/CC programs to what they have become today. Few can understand the additional load for the coaches at USAFA who teach classes. For RL it may have been a bump in the road, but, as in life, he persevered - James 1:2-3. In my fourteen seasons at the Academy working with Coach Lindeman, the highest honor I believe I can pay to RL is that he was a brother in Christ and it is with Christ that he now waits for us. As I used to say to recruits, when comparing USAFA to the other institutions at which I was blessed to coach, "Nothing holds a candle to the Academy - it's not even close!" One of the main reasons that was true was Ralph Lindeman. Thank you for your encouragement coach, not only of the athletes, but the coaching staff, athletic trainers, officials, support staff, administration and most important your family - 1 Thessalonians 5:11.

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My fondest memories with coach were when we would set aside the business of the day and talk about the Colorado Rockies. He was a big fan (at least right up until the Nolan Arenado trade), to where his face would light up and he'd get excited talking about performances of different players from the game the night before, or how players were doing on the season. It was great to see him happy like that. He will be missed.

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Coach Lindeman has meant a lot to me since I joined the track & field team in fall of 1995. From the first spring break trip (1996) my freshman year when I overslept and showed nearly 20 minutes late for departure and in disarray to my 20-year reunion when he took an hour to chat and reminisce the "good ole days" with us and our families. I am always amazed that he remembered me and all his former athletes and could discuss details from our time and then brag on the new athletes and the current team. There was never a doubt that he loved every one of his athletes. Anytime he talked of the team and his athletes his face would beam.

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I am deeply shocked and saddened to learn of Coach Lindeman's passing. On February 27th I congratulated Ralph on his most recent MWC championship, and we exchanged some good memories of his many Falcons accomplishments over the years. I was part of his hiring as the new Air Force track coach back in 1989, and I always jokingly reminded him that he needed to buy me a drink when he finally retired. Little did I know that would be our last conversation. I did however tell him "You continue to be the best thing to ever happen for the Falcons' track program." Again, I didn't realize it at the time those were my last words to him, and, ended up being like telling a close friend you loved him before he passed away. A great coach, a great person, and an important part of Air Force athletic history. He will be missed, but always a part of the many lives he touched.

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Ralph was a man we all looked up to in our profession. He was one of the classiest men I have ever known. He followed the rules and always played fair. I remember one time one of his assistants wanted to protest an event. I said go ask Ralph what he thinks. The assistant returned and said, we won't be protesting. This was Ralph in a nutshell. He would compete like crazy but never took advantage of another team or colleague. He and his wife Cindy were and are the consummate coach and wife team.
They were a special couple that set a very high bar to aspire too. May you Rest In Peace my friend and may Cindy's great memories carry her through this tough time.

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There are few consistent variables I have found so far in my life, and there are even fewer which are variables that affect you in a positive manner. Ralph Lindeman was one of these variables, he was a man who consistently cared and loved others day in and day out. I might even say he opened my eyes to what it means to love others and accept others.
I trusted him from the moment I got to the Academy, but he had something more in store for me. There was one day freshman year that I went to his office to both pick up a package and as I left the office he said, "I love you Connor" to which I responded, "I love you too Coach." There was a hesitation for me to say it back as I felt that I did not understand what he meant by "love." Over time, and over the years, this continued in our interaction, and it took me three years to understand what love meant in this context. I knew that he had meant this love as we are children under the body of Jesus Christ, but there was still more that I found here. I found that love extends to each and every person we meet in life, and that it is the relationship between individuals that determines the type of love. You see, before I began to contemplate all these things, I thought of love as a binary relationship between a man and a woman. I no longer accept this as the truth, due to his simple acceptance of me without any true context of who I am, I learned that love is something we must give to all.
While this may seem like a simple lesson, its impact has got me to where I am today. I have learned to find joy and acceptance in others as I left high school and entered the next stage of my life. Coach Lindeman truly cared for me, and I know he was my Coach, but I also viewed him as a Grandfather figure to me. I lost my Grandpa in 7th grade and he was my favorite person in the world. He didn't need to do anything special to become this person to me, it was like an internal compass pushing me to him. I felt like Coach Lindeman embodied this same spirit to me. He provided spiritual guidance, wisdom, fellowship, and inspiration to me without fail. There are so many moments in my years at the Academy where simply seeing him nearby or watching from a distance provided me with a level of comfort and joy amongst all the other chaos that the sport and Academy had to hold.
I remember the day I asked him if I could do the decathlon. I had such uncertainty about my abilities at that point, and I was afraid of being shot down. I had only ever dabbled in the other events as my life was pole vaulting. Regardless, I felt a strong pull to the event, and I sucked it up and asked him if he would have me as a decathlete. He looked at me with this smirk on his face has we stood in front of the bay door of the indoor track, and he said, "I have been waiting for you to ask me that." He said, "I have wanted you to do it for a while now, but I wanted you to come to me." A long set burden came off of my chest when I heard this, and I was filled with some of the most joy I have felt in my life. I walked away from that conversation feeling like I was walking atop of the world.
Mrs. Lindeman, I am beyond grateful for all the hours you let us have your husband. He gave me and many others an opportunity which will shape our lives for many years to come. Without him, I am not sure I would have gone to the U.S. Air Force Academy and met my best friends, my sponsor family, and my fiancé. There is a quote that I have thought of from the moment I heard of his passing, "What is Grief but Love Persevering." In the pain felt from losing him I see that there is so much love that he gave to the world and his impact has spread far and wide. I can only hope that one day I can touch lives the way your husband did.

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Coach had such an impact on my life. He was not just the head coach, he was also the multi-events coach. Due to this, decathletes and heptathletes had the opportunity to learn and be coached by him nearly every day. I have many great memories with coach.
Here is one example, I had just turned 19, and the multi-event athletes were off to LA for one of the best (my favorite) track meets of the year, Mt. Sac. The multi-event competitions were always earlier than the other events, so usually the multi-event athletes along with Coach Lindemann and Coach Steffan would always go together. We didn't always wear blues for these trips, but coach did make us wear business attire. When we arrived at the airport and met coach (he came in a different car), coach quickly pointed out that I needed a tie. Outside of the service dress tie, I didn't own one, so I thought I could just get away without it. That wasn't enough for coach. He quickly told me that if I didn't get an appropriate tie, I wouldn't be going to the meet. That rubbed me the wrong way back then, but now as an adult I see the wisdom. It wasn't only about track, we were representing USAFA and the military, and we needed to look the part, even in civilian clothes. Coach had amazing technical knowledge in all the events in the decathlon, but even more so, he used his amazing wisdom to put athletics aside to instill life lessons to his athletes.
Another compilation of memories remains clear in my mind. Back in the fall of 2012 during my senior year, we had just finished a very difficult workout for the 400m race. When I was lying on the ground after the workout, on the verge of throwing up my lunch, coach told me that he believed that I had the potential to break the school record in the decathlon. After our first indoor meet in December, I had PRs in three events (HJ, SP, PV). After the meet, in front of the entire team, coach called me out and said that I was on my way to breaking the indoor school record in the heptathlon and to qualify for the NCAAs. Over the years, he taught me to have relentless work ethic for my goals, and that affirmation (like he would give to everyone else in similar situations) saying that he thought I had that kind of talent was a great honor. It made me want to work even harder to live up to those expectations. Although a major hamstring injury kept me from competing most of my senior year, at the 2013 going away for the senior class, Coach told me I was the hardest working athlete he had ever coached. That was the greatest honor of my track and field career, and thanks to Coach Lindeman I have taken my passion and work ethic I had for track and field and applied it elsewhere, to my family and military career.
I guess the moral of the story is that it was never just about track and field for him. He was here to develop his athletes to excel as future officers and citizens. As a young man, I was never able to see that track and field, especially the decathlon, had strong parallels to success in life. I lacked perspective. The decathlon is ten events, and the winner is usually decided by the ones who can shake off a bad event, move on, and excel in the next. That was coaches biggest lesson not just for the decathlon, but for life. I was devastated after being injured my senior year, I cared about the decathlon above all else. Coach was ultimately able to help bring me that perspective --to move on and excel in the next endeavor-- even if that was years down the road.
Looking back, I can't thank him enough for his wisdom and mentorship, on and off the track. He will be sorely missed and never forgotten. USAFA Track and Field will never be the same without him. Thank you again Coach, and rest in peace. Citius, Altius, Fortius.

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For three years I served as Ralph's cross country/track assistant coach at Long Beach State. He was a mentor and inspiration to me. Because of his passion for track & field, my years at Long Beach State were most enjoyable and satisfying.

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Coach Lindeman blessed me with the opportunity to walk-on to the track team - but more importantly, he was a mentor to me being a better leader, stronger Christian, and ultimately a better man. We are all so thankful for him and the positive impact he had on our lives.

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I was living in Omaha in 2009 and my dad had plans to visit me. A few weeks before his trip, he was talking to Ralph and learned that Ralph was planning to be in the Omaha area around the same time. So, they coordinated their travel and we planned to attend the College World Series together. The day of the game arrived and the 3 of us met at Rosenblatt Stadium. We parked at the stadium, and I got out and walked over to Ralph's car. He was standing in front of his car's opened trunk. He was holding a visor in each hand and asked "Boyd, which visor should I wear into the game: my Arizona State hat or my Air Force hat?" At the time, I knew Ralph had graduated from Arizona State and that he had coached at Arizona State as an assistant...which would have been reason enough to choose the first hat. (As an aside, I was reading his bio yesterday and learned that he also got his master's degree from Arizona State and both his kids graduated from Arizona State.) Back to the story, don't forget the Sun Devils were playing in the stinkin' College World Series...we were about to watch them play! Before I could answer his question, he smiled and said, "trick question!" and tossed the ASU visor back in the trunk and put the AF visor on and we headed into the game:)
Ralph was the consummate Air Force Academy ambassador. And though I never played for him, he was a special coach in that he won big at a service academy and chose to stick around. I know he would take this as a high compliment when I say he was cut from the same cloth as Fisher DeBerry: someone who won big at little old Air Force and chose to stay because it was a perfect match. I don't think it's a stretch to say Ralph touched thousands of lives. I am lucky to be one of them. Here's a toast.

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Ralph was my cousin. My dad and his mom were brother and sister. Our Grandfather, Gerrit Peters, was a devote Christian. He would bring Ralph to our home every Thursday. Ralph was my best friend as we grew up in Illinois. Our Grandfather would take us to a bakery every Thursday to buy pastries. I have a copy of our Grandfathers Mathew Henry commentary and I read many of his notes. He prayed for his children, their future spouses and grandchildren and great grandchildren. We are answers to his prayers. He would give us religious tracts to pass out to the customers. We had a strong Christian heritage. We would play baseball, football, basketball. In 1960 we watched the Olympics and watched Rafer Johnson win the decathlon. And many other gold medal winners. At the age of nine, Ralph and I planned a neighborhood Olympics. We organized several events. Sprints, middle distant runs, shot put, javelin, high jump, long jump etc. I believe Ralph, my brother and I got our calling for athletics and touching youth that summer of 1960. Ralph moved with his family to Arizona and played high school football and track and coached a national champion cross country team at Glendale Junior College. You are the recipients of his passion. My brother Tim Peters was MVP and an all-conference performer at Northern Illinois University in football. I played football and track at Elmhurst College and just retired after coaching and serving inner city youth in physical education for Chicago Public Schools. Our passion for athletics fueled our careers and I am proud to be Ralph Lindeman's best friend. We prayed and worked to touch many lives. All glory and honor to our Jesus Christ who called us and empowered us to serve Him.

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On our visit to USAFA, his first words to us were so impactful: "you may be wondering why you're here - you're here because we want you here."

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Very sad to hear the news of Ralph Lindeman's passing. Coach Lindeman's influence on me has only grown since graduation from USAFA. I did not realize or appreciate the legacy that Coach was creating. Coach Lindeman was the ultimate advocate for athletes at USAFA. He stood like a rock when needed, and yet he ensured we knew that we were expected to be cadets first, athletes second. There is not a day that goes by that I do not recall a lesson I learned from Coach in my daily, personal, and professional life. My favorite memory is the annual goal setting seminar. How I wish I could go back to being 18 and fully appreciate the lessons he was teaching us. I mainly learned through listening and observing Coach Lindeman. He was a rock. I will always remember and appreciate Coach's legacy, and his faith and encouragement for me as an athlete. A toast to Coach.

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Coach Lindeman was the best track and field head coach I have ran for. The way he went about leading the team was different than any other coach I had. He made an intense effort to get to know, and care about, every athlete in each discipline and take an interest in their event. His team meetings were always good for a few hard laughs and really brought the different event groups together to form what he called a "team of teams." He was a special coach and man who made Air Force track a very large family and an unforgettable experience. Coach, we will all miss you dearly. Thank you for being a great man, leader, and for bringing together so many athletes, managers, and coaches from different backgrounds to join the Air Force Track family.

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My fondest memory of Coach Lindeman is sitting on the infield of the outdoor track and listening to him start practice with a recap of last weekend's meet and preview of next weekend's. He was always so excited about what his athletes had done and were going to do that he would go on and on in the calm, sunny, spring afternoons while we distance runners anxiously watched the daily thunderstorm build over the front range behind him. Eventually the dark clouds and growing winds would get his attention and he'd start to wrap things up. Then, just as the first large drops of rain, hailstones, or snowflakes began pelting us he'd suddenly end with, "That's all of I've got. Sprinters, jumpers, hurdlers, and throwers to the field house! Distance runners go with Coach Stanforth--you guys are gonna get wet."

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I had the unique opportunity to work under Coach Lindeman twice in my career. He was a tremendous mentor to me and even better person. We shared many talks usually over coffee or amazing food and I always knew he wanted the best for my career and family. It's not often you meet people that only encourage and promote potential in your eventual success. Coach Lindeman embodied that, and I will always cherish the time I was able to spend with him. He will forever be missed and never forgotten.

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As a recent college graduate, I was asked by Ralph to come work the USAFA summer camp. Late in camp while at Coach and Cindy's home he looked me in the eye and said, "you should be coaching." Weeks later, Coach called and offered me a job on his staff for a whopping $3000. I was young and dumb (smart) enough to take him up on the offer and moved immediately for the chance to coach. Ralph's first message to me was that there were no secrets in his office and that I had free reign to all his files/books/records to learn from. I devoured all I could. His second message was that the department had an extra $16k to spend and it had to be done by the COB that day. That was fun shopping for equipment. RL... can you make that happen once more? From day one, Coach allowed me to coach... in my style trusting that when I failed that I'd get it right the next time. He and his staff made me welcome and valued like he did for everyone involved. The third thing Coach did was entrust me to coach his son Brian. I was honored then, and now as a parent to four boys of my own, I appreciate that gift he gave deeply. When he was unable to hire me full-time, he made it a mission to find me a job. He was able to do just that in helping place me with his great friend John McNicols at Indiana State. He knew I'd be mentored in the same way under John and now 27 years later I am still coaching and paying the gift forward that he has always done for me. We lost John a few years ago as well and I know that the two of them are in heaven now reviewing hurdle footage together. Ralph became a friend along with his mentorship and I am forever grateful for his encouragement, leadership, and love. Godspeed RL

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Coach Lindeman, RL, always had the best pre-practice talks. Not because he would say something motivational, but rather he took the time to recognize personal best marks and the significant performances of everyone on the team no matter how small the accomplishment. It really made you proud when RL would call your name and mark because you knew how much he cared. And he found a way to win while still preserving the core values of the Academy and staying true to his personal beliefs. After graduation, he always welcomed us back and took time to meet our kids and families when we visited the Academy. In a sense, he kept thousands of athletes connected to the Academy through his generosity and warmth. We will miss him beyond measure.

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I always admired Ralph for his hard work and his focus on his craft. Whenever he spoke up in the coaches' meetings, there was always something to learn. His loyalty to one program is rare today, and that allowed him to have an incredible impact here. He was obviously incredibly successful (in terms of winning), and that speaks to his ability to motivate his athletes to do more than perhaps they expected from themselves. What is most important, however, is that he lived a life that could be followed, he was an example. Thankful to have been around him here!

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Coach Lindeman was a great coach and an even better man. I was a track manager from 2009 - 2013. My uncle, Walt Drenth, Former Arizona State track coach, told Coach Lindeman I was coming to USAFA and told me to go introduce myself as soon as I could. I introduced myself after BCT, and the first thing he told me was "you know you should go try to be a Hockey or Football manager, they get more free stuff". I told him, if it was all the same, I would like to work for the track team. What followed was the most enjoyable part of the Air Force Academy for me.
More than anything, the real greatness of Coach Lindeman was even if he was a man of few words at time, he loved the team and respected everyone individually. Sure, the managers were a quirky group that weren't intercollegiate athletes. But I cannot count how many times during my 4 years that Coach Lindeman made it explicitly known we were on the team. That's just a small thing, but all those small things he did like that are why he was a legend for 33 years at USAFA.

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Great Coach and motivator; always in the office and present for the team. Will truly be missed and thankful for making AF Track and Field what it is today. Always made sure the former athletes were recognized; but motivated and highlighted those currently on the team. Kept the 'Top Ten' lists as a motivational target. Supported the goal of recruiting athletes and cadets that would make great members of the Armed Forces.

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I was able to reconnect with Coach Lindeman during our reunion. As always there was much love and laughter in the room. Coach, you have inspired and mentored so many of us and we are better for it. You will be missed by all.

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"God gave you a fingerprint that no one else has so you can leave an imprint that no one else can." I borrowed this quote, but it really exemplifies the life of Coach Lindeman. He made a mark on SO many people…and I'm lucky to be one of them.
Being from Texas, I always looked forward to the Texas Relays in Austin. Coach Lindeman would always tell us…." Gentleman. Get ready to eat off menus with no pictures and stay in a hotel with no number in the name!" Rudy's Barbecue was a must. And no Super 8 hotels! He was joking, but it always made me laugh.
Coach Lindeman, as a coach, knew how to be serious when it was necessary, but would always make sure that we had fun. My experience on the track team was something I'll always cherish. Mostly due to the impact Coach Lindeman had on my life. Thanks Coach, for all you've done for generations of cadets. You'll be missed!

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There's so many memories and they all sum up to knowing him to be a man of integrity, faith, and honesty. It was truly an honor to know him and be coached by him.

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Ralph & I go way back to his days in Phoenix. He was always a kind & generous man with his time & his knowledge. He worked with us on hurdle development with USATF. We were on the 2004 Olympic team together. I'll truly miss him!

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Coach Lindeman was not only a great track and field coach, but also a wonderful mentor and a disciple of Christ. The thing that amazed me the most was his compassion for those around him. It was clear that he truly cared about leaving an impact and creating lasting relationships with everyone he interacted with. He challenged me to grow mentally, physically, and spiritually. I am incredibly grateful for the example he provided and am in such a better place because of him. I sincerely believe, like David, God would describe Coach Lindeman as a man after His own heart. 2 Timothy 4:7.

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Coach Lindeman was an icon and such an inspiration for me personally. Aside from working with the track and field team and impacting the program tremendously for more than three decades, he inspired me personally as a new head coach and had affected me personally and contributed to helping me to achieve one of my life dreams. My memory with Coach started in 2015. I was the assistant fencing coach with the USAFA team, and a professional modern pentathlete (fencing, running, swimming, shooting, showjumping). At the time, I was pursuing my Olympic dream for 15 years in the sport and the running race was my weakest event among the five sports. I went to coach Lindeman to ask for advice/help. Coach told me, "Omar, we will do what we can to help you make your dream come true." He allowed me to use the indoor facilities to train and use all resources to improve my running skills. In fact, he assigned coach Beau Houston, one of the assistant coaches, to work with me. Eight months later, I qualified for the Rio Olympic Games, and I was one of the top 20 athletes in the combined event (running and shooting).
Coach Lindeman did not work with me directly, and we never worked together daily, but he helped me when I needed help without waiting for anything in return (as he did to so many individuals). He touched my life from far, and he helped me accomplish a long-life dream. I'm grateful for him and his support and inspiration. I will miss him in our coaches' meeting. I will miss swimming next to him during lap swimming time. I will miss that wonderful, great man.
Thank you and Rest in Peace Coach Ralph Lindeman.

Memories of Air Force Head Coach Ralph Lindeman

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