Air Force's Lamendola makes the best of a tough senior season

Ken Lamendola hasn’t been dispirited by a tough senior season.

The Air Force middle linebacker was granted a ninth semester and came back for a fifth season, but injuries have been tough to overcome. He suffered a bad ankle injury early in training camp that kept him out more than a month. Lamendola made his 2011 debut with a few snaps against Tennessee State on Sept. 24, but hurt his hamstring. That cost him seven more weeks.

So his senior season, with one regular-season game left, has consisted of a few quarters of action. That’s been tough to handle, considering he missed half of the 2009 season and all of the 2010 season with injuries. He could be down because of the injury problems, but he isn’t.

“It’s not my fairy tale ending, you could say, but to be a part of the team and practicing, I can’t ask for anything else,” Lamendola said. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

Returning for Senior Day last week against UNLV was a big deal. He played 12 snaps, according to Falcons coach Troy Calhoun, which doesn’t seem like much, but it was a special highlight. To play some this year, and to be a positive influence on the Falcons all season, he has endeared himself to his teammates and coaches.

“Would he have loved to have been out there more over the past two-and-a-half, three years? You better believe it,” Calhoun said. “But his chin should be held high.”

Lamendola admitted he came back too soon for the Northwestern State game, but he was anxious to play again. All he could do when he suffered the injury was go through rehabilitation and try to return again.

“You think you’ve hit rock bottom, and it’s frustrating, but I’ve never quit anything in my life,” Lamendola said. “I love these guys too much to do that to them.”

Lamendola turned into a mentor when he was unable to play, or even practice. He speaks with pride about how well the linebackers ahead of him – Brady Amack, Jordan Waiwaiole and Austin Niklas – have played this year, and hopes he has helped them.

“Guys like Brady, who I took under my wing when I was a sophomore, he’s having a great year and I couldn’t be more proud of him,” Lamendola said.  

Lamendola’s own career hasn’t been the same since he hurt his knee against Navy as a junior. He had knee and ankle surgeries and in the 25-and-a-half months since the injury against Navy, he has just one unassisted tackle. He had 118 tackles as a sophomore, just the sixth sophomore in academy history to reach triple digits in tackles.

No matter how the last half of his career unfolded, Lamendola has made the best of it.

“It’s not what I expected,” Lamendola said. “I had high goals for myself and I didn’t get to accomplish them. But I got a great education, made some lifelong friends and got to play football. When I was healthy, it was great. My role changed drastically when I was hurt, but I’ve learned to deal with that, and I’m trying to help guys get better.”