AIR FORCE ACADEMY — Air Force junior linebacker Connor Healy has an inside track to understanding why there’s something special about the Air Force-Navy football game.
This will be Healy’s first service academy game as a starter Saturday, but he has connections to both Air Force and Navy on his family tree. He witnessed many Air Force games against Navy and Army at Falcon Stadium while growing up in Castle Rock.
“There’s nothing like the atmosphere at a service academy game anywhere,” Healy said. “I have fond memories of coming to the Army and Navy games. “
James Healy, Connor’s father, explains the family tree connection. Bob Zemaitis, an 82-year-old uncle, was a Navy pilot who now lives in New England. Tom Zemaitis, 72, another uncle and a former Air Force pilot, will be at Saturday’s game.
Connor Healy was 4 when the Healys moved to Castle Rock in 1996. He already was finding football a big part of his life. His father played football at Holy Cross, and he had an older brother, Jim, who also was into the game. When younger brother Patrick came along, there almost was a steady diet of football. Patrick is a sophomore linebacker on the Air Force team.
“Football definitely is a big part of our family,” Connor said. “Growing up with two brothers made it seem as if we were always playing football in the backyard. I love football. I like to play it, and I like to watch it.”
All three brothers attended Mullen High School. James Healy noted that the success Mullen had on the football field made the trip from Castle Rock to southwest Denver for classroom work worthwhile.
“I could tell right from the beginning that (Connor Healy) was a dedicated, hardworking student-athlete who loved to play football,” said Dave Logan, his high school coach. “He lived in the weight room. He’s very smart, and that shows in the way he plays the game.”
Air Force coach Troy Calhoun shares a similar opinion of Healy with Logan.
“There’s no doubt about him as a football player,” Calhoun said. “He has great heart, he’s a great competitor, and he’s exactly what you want on your team.”
Right now, Healy’s focus is on Navy. A victory would put the Falcons in contention to win the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy that goes to the winner of the Air Force-Navy-Army round-robin schedule. Navy has beaten the Falcons the past two years on the way to winning the trophy.
“The trophy’s definitely a goal every year, and the Navy game is circled on our calendar every year,” Healy said.
Air Force’s defensive unit provided encouragement that this might be its year with a stout performance last week in a 28-14 victory over Boise State. The Falcons caused seven turnovers in the game.
Healy is second on Air Force’s defense in tackles with 26. He has a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296, imoss@denverpost.com or
