A day after his Air Force Falcons handed Notre Dame a 41-24 thumping and ran their record to 8-3, coach Troy Calhoun was facing the inevitable question.
Calhoun was asked if he would listen to another school seeking his coaching expertise.
“If someone calls my boss (athletic director Hans Mueh) that would be the only way it even could be a discussion,” Calhoun said. “I haven’t thought of any other direction. It’s meaningful for me to work at places where education is a huge part of the environment.”
The 41-year-old Calhoun lauded his current school.
“I’m proud to be affiliated with the Air Force Academy,” said Calhoun, who played football and graduated from Air Force. “I give a tremendous amount of consideration to the rewards in coaching that go beyond how many times your team is on television. It’s challenging to go to school here, it’s challenging to coach here, but it makes you proud to be part of it.”
Before returning this year to follow Fisher DeBerry as Air Force’s coach, Calhoun had stops at Ohio University, Wake Forest, the Broncos and the Houston Texans as an assistant coach with tasks ranging from quarterbacks coach to assistant head coach to offensive coordinator.
Calhoun’s focus is on Saturday’s regular-season finale against San Diego State at Falcon Stadium.
“We’ve got to finish this thing right,” Calhoun said. “This Saturday we have to bow our necks and turn the tide against a team that has handled us four of the last five years.”
Calhoun looked back at the Notre Dame game to compliment senior quarterback Shaun Carney, a four-year starter. There have been ups and downs for Carney. But after the victory over the Irish, he joins Marty Louthan, Bart Weiss and Beau Morgan as the only Air Force quarterbacks to beat Notre Dame.
“He has had great influence on our team this year as a senior leader,” Calhoun said. “He absolutely loves to wear his shirt with Air Force on the front.”
“There’s no doubt that this was special,” Carney said after Saturday’s game. “There aren’t many teams in the country that beat Notre Dame. It was special for this program in general. Being an Irish- Catholic kid from Cleveland, Ohio, it’s an amazing feeling I’ll always remember.”
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
