Academy non-profit fills athletics gap during shutdown

  • Published
  • By Don Branum
  • Academy Spirit staff writer
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  When the government shutdown threatened to cancel the Air Force-Navy football game in Annapolis, Md., Oct. 5, a private organization came through to keep the 41-year competition for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy intact.

The Air Force Academy Athletic Corporation, a 501(c)3 entity established in July with Dermot Coll as its chief executive officer, connected the Academy with a $230,000 donation from the United Services Automobile Association, or "USAA," that paid the Air Force Falcons' travel expenses.

"The government shutdown and the trip to Navy showed why we need AFAAC and the importance of its mission to the Academy," Coll said. "We had a conversation with USAA, who said, 'We'd like to be involved.' Within 10 minutes, they covered the entire bill to get the team to Navy."

The relationships between AFAAC officials and USAA executives made that contribution possible on such short notice, Coll said.

"We knew whom to call, and they knew whom to call to try to help out," he said.

AFAAC's efforts didn't end with the Air Force-Navy game. The home game against San Diego State was scheduled for Oct. 10. In order to host the Aztecs, the Academy had to operate Falcon Stadium without any appropriated funds. And there were 26 other intercollegiate teams to think about as well, Coll said.

"I was here on a Sunday with the superintendent and vice superintendent to figure out what we could do to get the teams back in play," he said. "It can't be just about football. We needed to find a way to make sure they could all compete."

AFAAC and Air Force Academy officials hammered out the details of an arrangement, sharing the good news Oct. 9 that all intercollegiate athletics would resume as scheduled without using appropriated funds.

"We owe it to our cadet athletes and opponents to honor our commitments," Academy officials said in a news release. "Athletics is one of the pillars of character and leadership development at the Academy."

Coll said the AFAAC will focus on increasing ticket sales for sporting events through improving the fan experience at Falcon Stadium and other venues.

"I've challenged our staff to put 40,000-plus people in the stands for the last three games of the season," he said. "That won't be much of a problem with Notre Dame and Army, but UNLV's a Thursday night game, and that may present more of a challenge. It's a lofty goal, but we need to figure out how to get more of Colorado Springs out here, and once they're out here, to give them a good experience."

The AFAAC will also look at improving the selection and quality of licensed Air Force gear available at stores in the Cadet Field House and the Visitor Center, Coll said.

"We need to make sure we're stocking the Visitor Center with gear people want and make sure that when people come out to visit, they have a good experience," he said.
Congress authorized the AFAAC in the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act, citing a need to offset increasing costs of intercollegiate athletics.

"We have an opportunity to do things more efficiently and effectively to help all 27 of our teams gain a more competitive advantage," he said.

This "margin of excellence" will help the Academy continue to produce lieutenants, Coll said, because character and leadership lessons taken from athletic fields will follow future officers onto military battlefields.

"It's a great opportunity for us to help the overall mission of the Academy, not just athletics," he said. "That's our No. 1 mission in AFAAC."