Superintendent speaks with Denver alumni, boosters

  • Published
  • By David Edwards
  • Academy Spirit staff writer
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  A few dozen die-hard Falcons fans in Denver were treated to the Gould standard of guest speakers Sept. 9.

Lt. Gen. Mike Gould, the Air Force Academy superintendent, spoke to members of the Denver Quarterback Club, which comprises Academy alumni and boosters who live in the Denver metro area, at a group luncheon in Parker, Colo.

Flanked by tables decked out in Air Force helmets, the general regaled his audience with a story from his days serving in the administration of President George H.W. Bush. He said he "carried the football" -- in other words, the president's satchel -- when the U.S. was fighting the Gulf War against Iraq.

After the ice-breaker anecdote, the former Falcon defensive back turned his attention to cadets who carry a real football, as well as sporting equipment of other kinds. He also spoke with admiration of the institution he runs.

"It's a remarkable place, and I don't need to sell that to you," General Gould said. "But it never ceases to amaze me what our cadets are able to do. When you look at Falcon athletics, it's a snapshot of those values: integrity, service and excellence."

And then the general showed some actual snapshots. His remarks were followed by a slide show of several Academy athletes in lesser-publicized sports who nevertheless epitomized the values he highlighted.

General Gould told the story of fencer Peter French, who exhibited integrity during an epee competition overseas. Cadet French accidentally dropped his sword, which caromed off the ground and connected with his opponent. The judge awarded a point, but Cadet French told the judge what had happened and acknowledged that the point had been awarded in error.

General Gould also showed a slide of a "toy trick," the Academy's variation on the hockey hat trick, in which toys for needy children are thrown on the ice instead of hats.

He wrapped up the presentation with slides showing a cadet boxer who donated bone marrow just a couple of weeks before a championship bout, as well as an image of a female cadet who last year was awarded a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship to study at England's Oxford University.

Further touting Falcon academic achievement, General Gould told the crowd that the Academy ranks second in the nation in Academic Progress Rate behind Rutgers. APR refers to numbers the NCAA uses to track schools' success at graduating student-athletes.

In his remarks about the football team and the game against BYU, the general had high praise for Falcon head coach Troy Calhoun, who was the Quarterback Club's previous guest speaker.

"Coach Calhoun in my opinion is the best in the country," the general said. "We'll never be able to pay him what he would be worth."

General Gould also elaborated on the Academy's impact for him personally. He graduated from the Air Force Academy, as did his two sons. At the luncheon, with his wife and father seated next to him, he said that becoming the boss of his alma mater has expanded his family enormously.

Said the general: "We honestly feel like we've inherited 4,400 new kids."