Nathan Troy Calhoun (born September 26, 1966) is an American football coach and former player. He is the head football coach at the United States Air Force Academy, a position he has held since the 2007 season.
_(cropped).jpg) Calhoun in 2013 | |
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Air Force |
| Conference | MW |
| Record | 131–89 |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | September 26, 1966 McMinnville, Oregon, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1985–1988 | Air Force |
| Position(s) | Quarterback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1989–1990 | Air Force (GA) |
| 1993–1994 | Air Force (RC/JV OC) |
| 1995–1996 | Ohio (QB) |
| 1997–2000 | Ohio (OC/QB) |
| 2001–2002 | Wake Forest (OC/QB) |
| 2003–2005 | Denver Broncos (assistant) |
| 2006 | Houston Texans (OC/QB) |
| 2007–present | Air Force |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 131–89 |
| Bowls | 8–5 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 2 MW Mountain Division (2015, 2021) | |
| Awards | |
| MW Coach of the Year (2007) | |
Early life and playing career
editCalhoun was born in McMinnville, Oregon in 1966, although his family moved to Roseburg, Oregon when Calhoun was just three years old.[1] Calhoun attended Roseburg High School, where he played football under longtime Roseburg coach Thurman Bell. Along with Bell, Calhoun also counts Dayton High coach Dewey Sullivan—a Calhoun family friend—as an early influence.[2]
Calhoun joined the Air Force Academy in 1985, becoming one of just two freshmen to letter on the 1985 Falcons team that finished 12–1.
Coaching career
editAssistant coaching
editAfter graduating from the United States Air Force Academy in 1989, Calhoun served on the Air Force coaching staff under Fisher DeBerry as a graduate assistant during the 1989–90 seasons. After serving out his military commitment, he went on to serve as the Falcons' recruiting coordinator and the junior varsity offensive coordinator over the 1993–94 seasons.
In 1995, he moved to Ohio University where he served as the quarterbacks coach for two seasons, and was promoted to offensive coordinator in 1997. During his first season with Ohio, his offense had measurable success, particularly in a game against Eastern Michigan, in which the school totaled 612 yards, second most in school history. The team also captured a win against Maryland in 1997, which was Ohio's first victory over a school from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The following week, Ohio fell three points short of defeating Kansas State. In Calhoun's final year at Ohio in 2000, the offense set a school record with 418.1 yards per game and rushed for a school-best 3,553. The Bobcats also ended the season with wins over two bowl teams, Minnesota and Marshall.
Calhoun became offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach of Wake Forest University in 2001. During Calhoun's second season, the Demon Deacons led the ACC in total offense with 408.1 yards per game, with a league-best 990 plays and only 16 turnovers.
Calhoun began his NFL career with the Denver Broncos as a defensive assistant in 2003, and later moved to offense and special teams. When Broncos offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak was hired as the Texans' head coach, Kubiak brought Calhoun along and made Calhoun his offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Calhoun finished out the 2006 season with the Texans before taking over at Air Force.
Air Force
editCalhoun was hired on December 22, 2006, to be the head football coach for Air Force, replacing DeBerry who retired after 23 years as the Falcons' head coach. In his first season as head coach of the Falcons, he took the team to a 9–3 record, and a spot in the Armed Forces Bowl against Cal. On December 4, 2007, Calhoun was named Mountain West Coach of the Year for 2007.[3]
Head coaching record
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Force Falcons (Mountain West Conference) (2007–present) | |||||||||
| 2007 | Air Force | 9–4 | 6–2 | 2nd | L Armed Forces | ||||
| 2008 | Air Force | 8–5 | 5–3 | 4th | L Armed Forces | ||||
| 2009 | Air Force | 8–5 | 5–3 | 4th | W Armed Forces | ||||
| 2010 | Air Force | 9–4 | 5–3 | T–3rd | W Independence | ||||
| 2011 | Air Force | 7–6 | 3–4 | 5th | L Military | ||||
| 2012 | Air Force | 6–7 | 5–3 | 4th | L Armed Forces | ||||
| 2013 | Air Force | 2–10 | 0–8 | 6th (Mountain) | |||||
| 2014 | Air Force | 10–3 | 5–3 | 4th (Mountain) | W Famous Idaho Potato | ||||
| 2015 | Air Force | 8–6 | 6–2 | 1st (Mountain) | L Armed Forces | ||||
| 2016 | Air Force | 10–3 | 5–3 | T–4th (Mountain) | W Arizona | ||||
| 2017 | Air Force | 5–7 | 4–4 | T–4th (Mountain) | |||||
| 2018 | Air Force | 5–7 | 3–5 | 4th (Mountain) | |||||
| 2019 | Air Force | 11–2 | 7–1 | 2nd (Mountain) | W Cheez-It | 23 | 22 | ||
| 2020 | Air Force | 3–3 | 2–2 | T–5th | |||||
| 2021 | Air Force | 10–3 | 6–2 | T–1st (Mountain) | W First Responder | ||||
| 2022 | Air Force | 10–3 | 5–3 | T–2nd (Mountain) | W Armed Forces | ||||
| 2023 | Air Force | 9–4 | 5–3 | T–4th | W Armed Forces | ||||
| 2024 | Air Force | 1–7 | 0–4 | ||||||
| Air Force: | 131–89 | 77–58 | |||||||
| Total: | 131–89 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
References
edit- ^ NFL.com, Houston Texans Coaching Staff Archived December 21, 2007, at archive.today. Retrieved: January 14, 2010.
- ^ Moody, Allen (September 25, 2007). "From Dewey's couch to the Air Force sidelines". News-Register (McMinnville). Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
- ^ "2007 All-Mountain West Conference Football Teams". Mountain West Conference. December 4, 2007. Archived from the original on August 9, 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2015.