AIR FORCE ACADEMY — Someday, long after Tim Jefferson has played his last football game for the Air Force Academy, he will sit down and reflect on a remarkable run as the school’s four-year starter at quarterback.
His friends predict that when he does, Jefferson will have his earphones on and be listening to classical music. After all, that’s how he gets ready for games.
“I love to listen to classical music before games,” Jefferson said. “It calms my nerves. I listen to it before I do anything stressful. It takes me to my happy place. I’m calm, cool and collected.”
But when Jefferson reviews his remarkable collegiate career, he won’t need anything other than his inner thoughts to provide contentment. His satisfaction will come from graduating from one of the toughest academic institutions in the country, setting his sights on serving his country and completing a football career among the best in school history.
“I’ve come a long way,” Jefferson said. “A place like the Air Force Academy makes you grow up quickly. You have to be mature about everything that goes on around you. When I was a freshman, I didn’t know much about responsibility. I do now.”
On the field, Jefferson grew from an unpolished, nervous freshman asked to lead to a confident, veteran field general demanding to lead. The final chapter is still to be written, with at least eight games left, starting Saturday at Notre Dame.
Air Force coach Troy Calhoun places Jefferson at the top of the list of quarterbacks who have ever played for a service academy team.
“There have been some extremely good quarterbacks over the years that have played for the service academies, but there’s been just one who has led his team to three eight-win seasons and to three bowl games,” Calhoun said, referring to Jefferson. “He’s an incredible teammate, and his greatest strength is what he’s made of as a human being.”
Every chance Jefferson gets, he recognizes his teammates. He’s the Air Force record-holder for wins by the quarterback of record at 24, but he doesn’t recognize it as an individual award.
“The quarterback is just one player,” Jefferson said. “The quarterback doesn’t block on the offensive line, he doesn’t make tackles. I’ve had so many great teammates.”
Jefferson leads the Falcons in total offense with 703 yards, including 493 yards passing. He’s tied for the lead in scoring with 24 points. But the statistic that stands out is a passing completion percentage of 70.2 percent (33-of-47).
“He’s exceeded our expectations,” Air Force quarterbacks coach Blane Morgan said. “When he came here, he had a handle on the triple option from high school. He worked hard in the weight room and has become a polished passer, a long way from his days as a freshman when he had trouble hitting the broad side of a barn.”
Jefferson believes he’s playing the best football of his career.
“I’ve matured as a quarterback,” Jefferson said. “This is my fourth year of running Coach Calhoun’s offense. I’ve seen about every defensive scheme you can imagine. Why shouldn’t I be comfortable?”
While Jefferson has become a fixture here, he has a big following back home in Atlanta rooting for him.
“I knew he had the background in the option offense, and I knew he had a really good arm,” said Mark Miller, his high school coach at Woodward Academy in Atlanta. “As a student-athlete he is quite a young man. It did surprise me a little bit that he went to Air Force instead of a traditional college.”
Assistant coach Robert Willsey remembers Jefferson as a quiet leader.”We have a football Wall of Fame, and Tim Jefferson is right in the middle of it,” Willsey said. “I think he’s the most successful player in college that we’ve turned out.”
Tim Jefferson Sr. believes the Air Force Academy was a perfect place for his son to attend.
“As he was growing up, Tim had leadership written all over him,” the elder Jefferson said. “His teammates at Air Force are a tremendous group of young people. They all have something special about them.”
There always will be a bond between Calhoun and Jefferson. When Calhoun became Air Force’s head coach in December 2006, Jefferson was at the top of his recruiting list. Together, they’ve put together one of the best runs in school history.
“Coach’s opinion of me as an unknown high school player made me feel good,” Jefferson said. “It definitely built confidence in me.”
Jefferson had thought about attending Navy, but Calhoun changed his mind. Jefferson has experienced the normal ups and downs of cadet life. As a freshman, he wondered if he had made the biggest mistake of his life.
“In basic training, I asked myself, “What am I doing here?’ ” Jefferson said. “I learned to lean on friends who were going through the same thing.”
Now, he’s looking to finish his career on a high. Coming off a victory over Navy last week, the Falcons need only beat Army to win the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, which earns the seniors a trip to the White House. Jefferson wants to make that visit and meet President Obama.
In addition to the Notre Dame game Saturday, there’s a first encounter with powerhouse Boise State.
Sometime soon, Jefferson also will get word about his postfootball direction. He has been assigned to airfield operations and will begin training in that area once the football season is over. His priority is pilot training, but he’s awaiting an answer to a waiver over a minor eyesight issue that is blocking his path to pilot school.
Jefferson’s complete legacy is yet to be written. But he has his final thoughts.
“When we throw our hats in the air at graduation, I might be crying my heart out,” Jefferson said. “I’ve cherished my time here, and I’m pleased with the friendships I’ve made playing Falcon football.”
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
Three questions for Air Force
1. Will Air Force’s defense have a hangover from last week’s game, when it was on the field for 105 plays vs. Navy? Despite Navy having a 40:46-19:14 advantage in time of possession, the Falcons won in overtime. Similar numbers this week against Notre Dame could spell disaster.
2. Can Air Force’s secondary, led by seniors Jon Davis at safety and Anthony Wright at cornerback, hold its own against Notre Dame’s talented receiver corps? Davis and Wright each have an interception, but they’re facing an Irish receiving group of Michael Floyd (47 catches), Tyler Eifert (24 catches) and TJ Jones (20 catches) that is among the best in America.
3. Will Air Force’s rushing game, featuring halfback Asher Clark, be able to control the ball and keep Notre Dame off the field? Clark is averaging 95.5 yards a game, and the Falcons have rushed for 364.5 yards a game. But Notre Dame’s defense is the strength of its team, and its rush defense is very good, allowing just 91.2 yards a game.
Irv Moss, The Denver Post
