Air Force’s Bluebonnet Bowl win over Texas named 41st most memorable sports moment in Colorado history
6/2/2026 7:12:00 AM | Football
Air Force's victory over Texas in the 1985 Bluebonnet Bowl has been named the 41st most memorable moment in Colorado sports history, according to a panel with over 800 years on involvement in Centennial State sports.
Air Force has had three named in the top 150 sports moments so far. A rundown of Air Force's selections follows.
No. 41 - December 31, 1985. The Air Force Falcons completed their best season in history (12-1), with a 24-16 win over Texas in the Bluebonnet Bowl, AFA's fourth straight bowl victory. The Longhorns took a quick 7-0 lead, but Air Force zoomed ahead with two scores to take a 14-7 lead going into the second quarter and never looked back. Fullback Pat Evans was the game's MVP, as he had 18 carries for 129 yards and a touchdown. The Falcons were co-champions of the Western Athletic Conference; Texas, the Southwest Conference runner-up, finished 8-4. 2008 Colorado Sports Hall of Famer Fisher DeBerry coached the team, and 2005 inductee Chad Henning was a sophomore for the Falcons. Current AFA coach Troy Calhoun was a freshman quarterback.
Announced earlier
No. 106 - January 1, 1959. The Air Force Academy, in just its fourth year of existence and ranked No. 6, earned its first New Year's Day Bowl berth, opposite No. 10 TCU in the Cotton Bowl. On a cool, 48-degree day in Dallas, the teams battled to a scoreless tie, combined for just 458 yards of offense, and fumbled the ball 13 times, turning it over 8 times. AFA, in its first season under coach Ben Martin (a 1978 Colorado Sports Hall of Fame inductee), finished 9-0-2 and was undefeated against state schools (CU, CSU, and DU).
No. 139 - May 10, 1967. In perhaps the greatest single game in state collegiate baseball history, Air Force senior outfielder John McBroom had a career in the Falcons' 38-7 win over Colorado College. He set what still stand as NCAA records as he batted 1.000 – going 9-for-9, the most hits in a single game and the highest 1.000 average that a player did not make an out. He scored six runs and had 12 runs batted in and 19 total bases (the latter two still AFA marks). He almost hit for the cycle twice – he hit two home runs, with one triple, three doubles, and four singles. He would go on to become a flight instructor, among other accomplishments, and retire as a Major General.
Air Force has had three named in the top 150 sports moments so far. A rundown of Air Force's selections follows.
No. 41 - December 31, 1985. The Air Force Falcons completed their best season in history (12-1), with a 24-16 win over Texas in the Bluebonnet Bowl, AFA's fourth straight bowl victory. The Longhorns took a quick 7-0 lead, but Air Force zoomed ahead with two scores to take a 14-7 lead going into the second quarter and never looked back. Fullback Pat Evans was the game's MVP, as he had 18 carries for 129 yards and a touchdown. The Falcons were co-champions of the Western Athletic Conference; Texas, the Southwest Conference runner-up, finished 8-4. 2008 Colorado Sports Hall of Famer Fisher DeBerry coached the team, and 2005 inductee Chad Henning was a sophomore for the Falcons. Current AFA coach Troy Calhoun was a freshman quarterback.
Announced earlier
No. 106 - January 1, 1959. The Air Force Academy, in just its fourth year of existence and ranked No. 6, earned its first New Year's Day Bowl berth, opposite No. 10 TCU in the Cotton Bowl. On a cool, 48-degree day in Dallas, the teams battled to a scoreless tie, combined for just 458 yards of offense, and fumbled the ball 13 times, turning it over 8 times. AFA, in its first season under coach Ben Martin (a 1978 Colorado Sports Hall of Fame inductee), finished 9-0-2 and was undefeated against state schools (CU, CSU, and DU).
No. 139 - May 10, 1967. In perhaps the greatest single game in state collegiate baseball history, Air Force senior outfielder John McBroom had a career in the Falcons' 38-7 win over Colorado College. He set what still stand as NCAA records as he batted 1.000 – going 9-for-9, the most hits in a single game and the highest 1.000 average that a player did not make an out. He scored six runs and had 12 runs batted in and 19 total bases (the latter two still AFA marks). He almost hit for the cycle twice – he hit two home runs, with one triple, three doubles, and four singles. He would go on to become a flight instructor, among other accomplishments, and retire as a Major General.
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