Staff Directory
- Title:
- Director of Athletics
- Email:
- Phone:
- 719-333-4008
Nathan Pine is in his eighth academic year as the director of athletics at the Air Force Academy after arriving in Colorado Springs in January of 2019. Pine came to Air Force from Holy Cross, where he led the Crusader program as the director of athletics from 2013 through 2018.
Since his arrival in 2019, Pine has ushered in a period of success unseen before at the Air Force Academy. In terms of comprehensive competitive excellence, Air Force has consistently been the top service academy in the Learfield Director’s Cup, the top program in the Mountain West Conference four times and a consistent top 70 program nationally across all 350 Division I institutions. In 2024-25, individual and team highlights included a repeat individual national championship in men’s gymnastics, a conference title in lacrosse, nine players of the year honors, five coach of the year awards and 34 athletes earning All-America honors.
Air Force has also experienced record-breaking fundraising numbers each year since 2019, including new highs in both total number of donors and total dollars raised. This began with a full rebuild of the fundraising program into the Falcon Athletic Fund in the summer of 2019. Formerly known as the Falcon Pride Club, the Falcon Athletic Fund increased engagement, established published giving levels and donor benefits, professionalizing the development operation top to bottom. The Falcon Athletic Fund is responsible for generating private resources to provide margin of excellence support and a first-class athletic experience for more than 1,000 cadet-athletes across 27 intercollegiate sports.
Pine has also focused on working to grow the Air Force brand and increase national exposure for the Academy using the athletics platform. 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. During his tenure, the Falcons have also extended their partnership with Nike to remain the exclusive apparel provider and grow brand awareness, while Air Force has also added industry leader Paciolan to the team for ticket solutions and its donor ecosystem along with Learfield Amplify for outbound ticket sales. The Falcons have also reached a multiyear agreement with Altitude Sports and Entertainment as a third-tier television rights holder to bring Falcon sporting events and coaches shows to more than 13 million homes in the greater Colorado region starting in 2022.
Pine has also overseen several important coaching hires and key extensions during his tenure. In 2020, Air Force announced the return of Joe Scott to the Academy to lead the men’s basketball program. He also ensured continuity within the football program after the 2023 season by signing head coach Troy Calhoun to a multi-year extension through 2029. Other head coach additions have included Macey Donathan in volleyball, Katarzyna Dabrowa in men’s and women’s fencing, Josh Loeser in men’s gymnastics, Jennifer Green in women’s gymnastics, Ryan Cole in men’s and women’s track and field, Laura Busby in women’s soccer, Taylor Hollander in women’s tennis and oversaw the transition in women’s basketball from Chris Gobrecht to long-time assistant Stacy McIntyre.
Facility improvements continue to be a constant area of focus and investment at Air Force and a number have been completed in the last four years. Athletics opened the long-awaited $90 million East Club Presented by L3Harris at the Kucera Legacy Center at Falcon Stadium on the east side for the 2024 season which includes a new primary stadium entrance, premium seating options in the east club, updated event space, improved fan amenities for all seating on the east side and a celebration of the heritage of Falcon Stadium. The Cadet Field House has also seen extensive improvements in Clune Arena and the Cadet Ice Arena to include new video boards and ribbons, LED venue lighting and new restroom and concourse renovations. In addition, the hockey and indoor track areas received extensive branding projects and there will be a full track and field renovation in 2023. The baseball stadium has received new turf, outfield fence padding, as well as a new pitching area. The field was renamed Erdle Field and a $15 million fundraising campaign was announced in 2024 to provide 600-plus chairback seats, permanent concessions, restrooms and a new press box. The project will also see renovations to both dugouts, along with a new home clubhouse that will feature a locker room, nutrition station and training room.
Prior to Air Force, the Holy Cross athletic department saw unprecedented success during his time as the athletic director. The Crusader Athletics Fund more than doubled in four years and raised over $2 Million during the 2017-2018 academic year. Holy Cross also received two of the largest gifts in the history of the College ($32.5 million and $20 million, respectively), directed toward athletics facility improvements. Construction on the $95 million Luth Athletic Complex began in December of 2015 and was completed in the spring of 2018. Pine also orchestrated broader regional and national exposure for the college from television and marketing efforts, along with significant branding and alumni outreach.
Pine is also active at the national level and represents Air Force on the NCAA Men’s Baseball Committee, prior to that he has served on the NCAA Division I FCS Football Committee, the NCAA Division I FCS Athletic Director’s Association Executive Committee and NCAA Rifle Committee. He currently works at the league level with the other athletic directors and the conference office to maximize the student-athlete experience and generate additional exposure and revenue for the Mountain West Conference and Air Force. In addition, he has been appointed to the LEAD1 Association Board of Directors.
Pine joined Holy Cross after serving as the deputy director of athletics at the University of Maryland. Prior to his time at Maryland, Pine spent three years at the University of California at Berkeley, four years at the United States Military Academy, and five years 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, Lola, and Scout.
