Grant Uyl, Steve Kelly honored at football awards banquet
2/21/2025 8:30:00 PM | Football
Air Force senior linebacker Grant Uyl and former Falcon Steve Kelly earned the top awards at the Air Force football banquet, Friday, Feb. 21, at the East Club Presented by L3Harris at the Kucera Legacy Center. Uyl earned the Brian Bullard Award. Kelly, a 1985 graduate, earned the Carson Bird Award.
Uyl recorded 41 total tackles, which ranked fifth on the team despite missing four games due to a serious knee injury. He had four tackles for loss, two sacks and two quarterback hurries. He also forced a team-high two fumbles and recovered another one. Uyl matched his career-high with seven tackles in his final game at San Diego State, including a solo stop on a fourth down-play to force a turnover on downs.
The Bullard Award, established in 1984 an voted on by the football team, is based on the criteria that typifies the late Brian Bullard – unselfishness, 110 percent effort, total team commitment and pride in his role on the team whether he's a starter or not. Bullard was a 1982 graduate of Air Academy High School in Colorado Springs. He attended the Academy the following year and played on the football team for two years. During Thanksgiving vacation in 1983, Bullard and his girlfriend, fellow cadet Dianne Willaims, died from carbon monoxide poisoning while returning from a trip to Kansas in a snowstorm.
Kelly, 61, passed away Nov. 5, 2024, after a courageous battle with cancer. Kelly was a three-year letterwinner as a defensive lineman. He was the winner of the first Brian Bullard Award in 1984. He served as a helicopter pilot in the Air Force. His career was marked by heroism and service, as he completed 324 live saving missions, receiving the 1996 American Legion Aviation Valor Award for commanding the retrieval of Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown's body in Croatia, evacuating embassy personnel from Liberia and leading the extraction efforts for wounded soldiers on the battlefields of Afghanistan. Following his military career, he transitioned to a successful civilian career as a pilot, flying for Continental Express and Delta Airlines.
The Carson Bird Award was established to honor the 2008 graduate who was a three-year starter and All-American in 2007. The award goes to an Air Force football family member that has proven themselves to be courageous, selfless, relentless and tenacious. In addition, the award goes to someone who made a difference in a positive way. The award is not just a celebration of feats conquered, but also a charge to continue to attack every day no matter the odds stacked against you. Bird passed away Nov. 26, 2016, following a battle with Chondrosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. He was 31.
Air Force completed the season with a 5-7 overall record and tied for fifth in the Mountain West with a 3-4 mark. The Falcons closed the season with a four-game winning streak with victories over Fresno State and Oregon State at home and road wins at Nevada and San Diego State. The four-game winning streak is the best since opening the 2023 season with an eight-game streak and is the best in the Mountain West and tied as the fourth best nationally.
To purchase or renew Air Force football season tickets, please visit www.aftickets.com or call 719-472-1895.
For information on premium seating, including the East Club presented by L3Harris at the Kucera Legacy Center and the Blue & Silver Club, please click HERE or call the Falcon Athletic Fund at 719-333-4545 to purchase.
Uyl recorded 41 total tackles, which ranked fifth on the team despite missing four games due to a serious knee injury. He had four tackles for loss, two sacks and two quarterback hurries. He also forced a team-high two fumbles and recovered another one. Uyl matched his career-high with seven tackles in his final game at San Diego State, including a solo stop on a fourth down-play to force a turnover on downs.
The Bullard Award, established in 1984 an voted on by the football team, is based on the criteria that typifies the late Brian Bullard – unselfishness, 110 percent effort, total team commitment and pride in his role on the team whether he's a starter or not. Bullard was a 1982 graduate of Air Academy High School in Colorado Springs. He attended the Academy the following year and played on the football team for two years. During Thanksgiving vacation in 1983, Bullard and his girlfriend, fellow cadet Dianne Willaims, died from carbon monoxide poisoning while returning from a trip to Kansas in a snowstorm.
Kelly, 61, passed away Nov. 5, 2024, after a courageous battle with cancer. Kelly was a three-year letterwinner as a defensive lineman. He was the winner of the first Brian Bullard Award in 1984. He served as a helicopter pilot in the Air Force. His career was marked by heroism and service, as he completed 324 live saving missions, receiving the 1996 American Legion Aviation Valor Award for commanding the retrieval of Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown's body in Croatia, evacuating embassy personnel from Liberia and leading the extraction efforts for wounded soldiers on the battlefields of Afghanistan. Following his military career, he transitioned to a successful civilian career as a pilot, flying for Continental Express and Delta Airlines.
The Carson Bird Award was established to honor the 2008 graduate who was a three-year starter and All-American in 2007. The award goes to an Air Force football family member that has proven themselves to be courageous, selfless, relentless and tenacious. In addition, the award goes to someone who made a difference in a positive way. The award is not just a celebration of feats conquered, but also a charge to continue to attack every day no matter the odds stacked against you. Bird passed away Nov. 26, 2016, following a battle with Chondrosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. He was 31.
Air Force completed the season with a 5-7 overall record and tied for fifth in the Mountain West with a 3-4 mark. The Falcons closed the season with a four-game winning streak with victories over Fresno State and Oregon State at home and road wins at Nevada and San Diego State. The four-game winning streak is the best since opening the 2023 season with an eight-game streak and is the best in the Mountain West and tied as the fourth best nationally.
To purchase or renew Air Force football season tickets, please visit www.aftickets.com or call 719-472-1895.
For information on premium seating, including the East Club presented by L3Harris at the Kucera Legacy Center and the Blue & Silver Club, please click HERE or call the Falcon Athletic Fund at 719-333-4545 to purchase.
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