In less than two months, Jim Knowlton will take his place as the 11th athletic director at the Air Force Academy. He is winding up his duties at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., before joining the Falcons.
At Rensselaer, Knowlton has governed an athletic department consisting of 23 sports, but only two — men’s and women’s ice hockey — compete at the NCAA Division I level.
As for stepping up to run an Air Force athletic department that features 27 Division I sports, Knowlton said he believes his experience at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point provides valuable insight. His experience at Army included a stint as interim athletic director.
“I intend to go in with fresh eyes,” Knowlton said. “My job in the first 90 days is to get a lay of the land. I’ve talked to a lot of people and read everything I could get my hands on about the Air Force Academy. There are going to be challenges. We have to sit down and get a sense of the challenges.”
An unofficial ranking of Air Force’s teams would have a range of football and men’s ice hockey at the top and perhaps women’s basketball at the bottom. The women’s basketball team is 2-20 overall and 1-10 in the Mountain West. In most circles, it’s considered one of the toughest coaching assignments in the NCAA because of challenging recruiting standards and the level of competition.
During his initial visit to Air Force, Knowlton listed facilities as an area he will look at. He included Falcon Stadium, where Air Force plays its football games, as a candidate for a potential face-lift.
“I’ve heard there is need for some renovation at some of our facilities,” Knowlton said. “We need to sit down and prioritize the needs according to which brings the biggest return on the investment.”
Knowlton’s move to the Front Range is somewhat of a family reunion. His two oldest sons, Jimmy and Patrick, are in business in Denver. His third oldest, Chris, played hockey for the University of Denver from 2009-12 and now plays for the Colorado Eagles, a minor-league hockey team based in Loveland.
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296, imoss@denverpost.com or
