Coach's dedication to job doesn't get in way of family

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Dec 31, 2006 | by JAKE SCHALLER THE GAZETTE

HOUSTON - New Air Force football coach Troy Calhoun served as the Falcons' recruiting coordinator from 1993 to 1994. But he made his best recruiting pitch in 1998 when he was an assistant coach at Ohio University.

Not to a potential recruit. To his future wife, Amanda.

Troy and Amanda Calhoun met in 1998 on a blind date that was set up by a mutual friend.

"When our group in town found Amanda, it was something we all were excited about," said Brian Knorr, Air Force's Falcon backs coach the past two seasons who, like Calhoun, was an Air Force graduate serving as an assistant coach at Ohio at the time. "Most of the staff was married so the wives all wanted to help Troy out."

Around that time, however, Amanda, a teacher with a master's degree, was accepted to pursue her doctorate at Vanderbilt University.

But since there clearly was chemistry with Troy, she put those plans on hold.

"So he likes to say that he outrecruited Vanderbilt," Amanda Calhoun said.

It's fitting that Calhoun ranks securing his wife as his best recruiting moment. During an interview last week, Calhoun listed his family, which includes 5-year-old son Tyler and 2 1/2-year-old daughter Amelia, as the top priority in his life.

Calhoun also credited his parents and siblings as having a strong influence on his development and vowed to make all those associated with Air Force football -- assistants, families and players -- part of a larger extended family. It's a notion he first experienced while working for former Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry, who so often touted "The Falcon Family."

"You work and play for DeBerry and you work for (Wake Forest coach) Jim Grobe and you work for (Denver Broncos coach) Mike Shanahan and (Houston Texans coach) Gary Kubiak -- those are great family guys," Calhoun said. "They make sure you have some time to be with your family and yet at the same time you realize you're pretty fortunate as a coach for that to be the case, and it makes you work that much harder.... That's just something in terms of camaraderie and staff chemistry that I think is extremely important."

Calhoun, who took his son to Thursday's Texas Bowl at Reliant Stadium, said preparing for the Texans' last two games of the season while starting to lay groundwork at Air Force has made spending time with his immediate family difficult. It's also absorbed what little free time Calhoun could devote to reading -- he prefers non-fiction books, especially ones about World War II -- and staying in shape by running.

Moving to Colorado Springs from the Houston area, where Calhoun has served as the Texans offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach this year, will further disrupt his immediate family. It will be the Calhouns' second move in as many years and fourth since they met in Athens, Ohio. And, because Amanda is from Houston, it means this time she will be leaving some family behind.

But while acknowledging it would be hard to leave her parents, Amanda said she and her husband already have friends from the academy who live in Colorado Springs and more in Denver who work with the Broncos. And because, she said, she knows how much the academy means to Troy, this move didn't take another legendary recruiting pitch.

"It's one of the things that's just part of the job," she said of moving. "It's also a fun thing.

"We left Ohio and went to North Carolina (for Calhoun's job at Wake Forest), and we had a son. Then we moved from North Carolina to Denver. That's where we had a daughter. Every move brought something new to our family. It's just something we've embraced and just done."

THOUGHTS ON AIR FORCE COACH TROY CALHOUN

"When he walks out of here on Sunday, it's going to be a tremendous challenge but something he'll enjoy. Troy's a hell of a coach, no problem there, and he's an even better person. He'll be fine."

GARY KUBIAK

Houston Texans head coach, on Calhoun going to Air Force

"He's a first-class person, number one. From a character standpoint, a work ethic, integrity, he has all the things that any parent would look for to send their son off to be coached by. So he's definitely the right material for the job."

MIKE SHERMAN

Texans assistant head coach/offense, on Calhoun's head coaching qualifications

"He really doesn't get too high or too low. As far as just going to be a head coach, I think that's probably great for him because there are so many swings, emotional swings that he could possibly go through, especially during a football game. He might raise his voice every once in a while, but he's definitely just trying to get a point across. But I haven't seen him lose his control."

DAVID CARR

Texans QB, on Calhoun's demeanor"Everyone describes him as very, very focused and very calm. He doesn't get rattled in the course of a game or anything. And at home he's the same way. He lets down his guard a little at home, and he's got a sense of humor around us that a lot of people don't see."

AMANDA CALHOUN

Calhoun's wife

"I've always thought you have to be yourself. Now, does that mean you always have to yell and scream? No, but if that's necessary, you do it. But I think the key is you have to teach. You have to motivate. Whatever that avenue has to be in order to get a guy to play better, I think you do."