AIR FORCE ACADEMY — As Kip McCarthy’s senior year as an Air Force cadet slips by, he is passing through experiences for the last time that will remain in his memory forever.
McCarthy soon will suit up to play football for the Falcons one last time. Air Force (9-3) meets California (6-6) in the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas, on Dec. 31. While it will be the 34th game of McCarthy’s collegiate career, it will be his first bowl game.
It’s even more special for McCarthy because Texas is home. He is from Wichita Falls.
Then on Jan. 31, McCarthy will put on a special commemorative T-shirt he has worn each Jan. 31 the past two years. The inscription says “Remember the Day.”
On that day in 2005, his academy roommate, E.J. Schmeltz, collapsed and died following the completion of a physical fitness test at Cadet Field House.
“It was the first time that I lost anyone close to me who was in my age group,” McCarthy said. “It just was a shock.”
McCarthy and Schmeltz became buddies during basic cadet training as they began their freshman year at the academy. The roommates were just beginning their second semester when the tragedy occurred.
“The T-shirt has a picture of him playing a guitar,” McCarthy said. “When that day comes, I make sure I have the T-shirt on. I still have pictures from our freshman year on my computer. There’s hardly a day that goes by that I don’t see something that reminds me.”
McCarthy accompanied his friend back to New Jersey. He has faced some tough assignments on the football field, but none could compare.
“Having a close friend die and playing a football game are two different things,” McCarthy said. “His parents asked that some of us come to New Jersey. Probably the most difficult time was going there and meeting his parents. That was the hardest thing to get through. We tried our best to make everything be as good as we could. He was a great guy. It was unfortunate it happened, and hopefully with us going it helped out.”
McCarthy has experienced his ups and downs in football in his last season with the Falcons. He began the year as the team’s starting tailback, but suffered a knee injury in the season opener against South Carolina State.
“The season has been a tremendous success with the team going 9-3,” said McCarthy, who has rushed for 229 yards and a touchdown this year in eight games. “If I hadn’t played a down all year, I’d consider the season a success. After going through three losing seasons, we all worked hard in the offseason for our last year. California is a great team. They were (ranked) No. 2 in the nation at one point.”
After his knee injury, McCarthy played sparingly. Seniors Jim Ollis and Chad Hall came on to spark the AFA offense.
McCarthy soon will put on his Air Force football uniform for the last time. And on Jan. 31, he will put on his special T-shirt, but not for the last time. The football uniform is an academy thing. The T-shirt is a lifelong thing.
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
