Troy Calhoun is 20 days away from coaching his first game at Air Force, but he’s already proven that he can remain calm and collected in a tough situation.
The Falcons haven’t missed a beat in preseason practice despite losing a key member of the new coaching staff, Tim Horton, just before fall drills started. Horton, whom Calhoun hired as offensive coordinator when he put his staff together earlier this year, resigned to become running backs coach at Arkansas.
Horton, an Air Force assistant from 1999-2005, was hired back after a year on the Kansas State coaching staff. His departure in July could have led to disruption for a first-year head collegiate coach.
“Nothing is flawless and you always have to have a plan,” Calhoun said. “We won’t miss a beat.”
Calhoun’s new plan calls for quarterbacks coach Blaine Morgan and offensive line coach Clay Hendrix to become co-offensive coordinators, running backs coach Jemal Singleton to become running game coordinator and former Air Force quarterback Mike Thiessen to move from the Prep School coaching staff to the Air Force varsity staff.
“Transition is part of college coaching, but calendar-wise, it rarely happens this time of the year,” Calhoun said.
There were extenuating circumstances behind Horton’s decision. Arkansas is Horton’s alma mater, he has family members in Fayetteville and there was an emergency on the Arkansas coaching staff. Danny Nutt, brother of Arkansas head coach Houston Nutt, had to step down from the coaching staff because of illness.
“I was really uneasy about contacting Air Force, the timing being what it was,” Houston Nutt said. “Tim Horton was our first choice, but we had two other candidates. If we had not gotten the coach we wanted, we probably would have adjusted responsibilities within our staff.”
Horton explained that initially he thought that he couldn’t leave the Air Force staff, especially because of the timing.
“It was awful thinking about it,” he said. “It was a chance for me to go home, but I didn’t want to put Troy Calhoun in a bad situation.”
On the surface, Horton took a demotion from offensive coordinator to running backs coach. But Horton’s salary of $165,000 with Arkansas was a pay raise over what he was making at Air Force.
“For coaches who really want to work here and the coaches you truly want to work here, it tends to be a good marriage,” Calhoun said. “I want coaches here with both feet, both eyes and every bit of them is right here.”
Athletic director Hans Mueh, who also had to hire a new basketball coach when Jeff Bzdelik departed for Colorado, said he doesn’t consider coaching moves as “bailing out.”
“Assistant coaches are probably in the riskiest business they could have chosen,” Mueh said. “There’s not much job security whatsoever.”
Staff writer Irv Moss can be reached at 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
