College football national championship draws Air Force family together

  • Published
  • By Ray Bowden and John Van Winkle
  • U.S. Air Force Public Affairs
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  The Air Force Academy has a close connection with Crimson Tide starting quarterback Jake Coker, who will compete against Clemson for the college football national championship in Glendale Ariz., Jan. 11.

Coker's brother, Capt. Patrick Brown, 29, is a 2010 Air Force Academy graduate and his sister, Michelle Spires, 19, is a sophomore cadet and track and field and volleyball athlete at the Academy.

"I am so happy Jake's got a chance to play," she said. "He's finally getting the perfect opportunity to showcase his talent. I can't wait to watch the game."

Spires won't attend the Crimson Tides' 16th attempt for a national championship because she's tackling the start of a new semester and busy preparing for a track and field competition Jan. 15 in Nebraska, but said she'll be at the game in spirit.
Coker is as proud of Spires as she is of him, Spires said.

"He's proud of me - our whole family is really competitive," she said. "We keep each other updated on that part of our lives. "

Brown, an A-10 Warthog pilot assigned to Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, is deployed to the Middle East. Spires said he's the first person she goes to for professional advice.

"I am so proud of him for making a difference in the world right now," Spires said. "We always talk about the operational Air Force and obviously, he's an inspiration. I know I have a lot going on here, but I don't know what real stress is compared to him.  I can't imagine how hard it is for him to be away. This is his second deployment but right after his first, he said he'd do it again in a heartbeat."'

Spires said while she and Brown regularly talk about Coker's athletic achievements, she's just glad her deployed brother is "still in the loop."

Spires' youngest brother, Peyton Spires, 17, lives in Mobile, Alabama. He's been offered a scholarship from the Academy based on his high level of academic performance and his performance as a high school athlete on the basketball court.   

"He's warming up to the idea (of being admitted to the Academy)," she said. "He definitely appreciates everything it has to offer."

With one brother on the collegiate field of battle, another serving his country across the world and another considering a cadet career, Spires' family might seem far flung, but they're connected by their shared love of their country and competition, Spires said.

"We may be separated but we're very close," she said.

The college football national championship game is tonight, Jan. 11, pitting Alabama (13-1) against Clemson (14-0). Kickoff is 6:32 p.m. MT, from University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., and will be broadcast on ESPN and the Armed Forces Network.