New facility in works for Air Force

A new indoor athletic facility appears to be on the horizon for Air Force.

The recently formed USAFA Endowment Group has $1 million in hand for the construction of such a building and is expecting another $2 million "within in a month or so," Air Force athletic director Hans Mueh said Wednesday.

Mueh said the proposed facility, which will be similar to the climate-controlled, 70,000-square foot Sam Baugh Indoor Practice Facility at TCU, will cost about $8-9 million.

"My gut feeling is in the next 18 to 24 months, I think there's an excellent chance that we'll see it come to fruition," Air Force football coach Troy Calhoun said.

Calhoun has campaigned for a new indoor facility since last year. According to Calhoun, the academy's current indoor space in the Falcon Athletic Center is too small to conduct full-field football drills, inadequate for baseball and occupied almost entirely by the indoor track team for several winter months.

The facility also would help recruiting. Colorado State will break ground in July on a $13 million indoor practice facility and a $7 million, academic/strength and conditioning center. They should be completed in the fall of 2009. Colorado, meanwhile, built a practice bubble that it first used this past winter.

Calhoun not sweating

basic training

Air Force's incoming freshman class arrives at the academy today for five-plus weeks of basic training, which includes a physically and mentally grueling stretch at Jacks Valley.

But while plenty of potential cadets drop out before the first day of class, Calhoun said he does not worry about whether his recruits will make it through basic training.

"We had tremendous relationships with these kids and their parents, and I think they know that they're coming to a very challenging institution," he said.

Calhoun considers the incoming group of freshmen his first true recruiting class because last year's class was pulled together hastily after he was hired. The incoming class is smaller than those from earlier this decade as Calhoun has adopted a quality over quantity philosophy.

"Having a bunch of us (coaches) that went through the academy, I think we can educate a kid and have him pretty darn well prepared for what he's going to encounter," Calhoun said. "And because of it I think we can go after a little bit higher quality of player rather than just throwing a net out there and finding out which fish land in it. Our retention will be superb."

Recruiting analysts praised Air Force's incoming class, saying the caliber of players who committed to the academy was much improved from past years. Calhoun called it "really one quality group."

"They're kids that are bright, they're strong students, they have tremendous character and they've got some talent in that group," he said. "We've got some guys that have got a little bit of size. Now we aren't going to be bigger than anybody we're going to play against, but we're going to close the gap when it comes to size and speed."

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Contact the Writer: 636-0365 or jake.schaller@gazette.com