1985 Air Force Falcons football team

1985 Air Force Falcons football
1985 Air Force Falcons football
WAC co-champion; Bluebonnet Bowl champion
Bluebonnet Bowl, W 24–16 vs. Texas
Conference	Western Athletic Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 5
AP	No. 8
Record	12–1 (7–1 WAC)
Head coach	Fisher DeBerry (2nd season);
Offensive scheme	Wishbone triple option
Home stadium	Falcon Stadium
	Seasons ← 1984 1986 →

1985 Western Athletic Conference football standings
	Conf.					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 8 Air Force +	7	–	1	–	0	12	–	1	–	0
No. 16 BYU +	7	–	1	–	0	11	–	3	–	0
Utah	5	–	3	–	0	8	–	4	–	0
Hawaii	4	–	3	–	1	4	–	6	–	2
Colorado State	4	–	4	–	0	5	–	7	–	0
San Diego State	3	–	4	–	1	5	–	6	–	1
New Mexico	2	–	6	–	0	3	–	8	–	0
Wyoming	2	–	6	–	0	3	–	8	–	0
UTEP	1	–	7	–	0	1	–	10	–	0

+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The 1985 Air Force Falcons football team represented the United States Air Force Academy as a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during the 1985 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by second-year head coach Fisher DeBerry, the Falcons compiled an overall record of 12–1 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, sharing the WAC title with BYU. After beating the Texas in the Bluebonnet Bowl, the Air Force was ranked No 8 in the final AP poll.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
August 31	UTEP		Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO		W 48–6	38,500	^[1]
September 14	at Wyoming		War Memorial Stadium Laramie, WY		W 49–7	29,134	^[2]
September 21	Rice*		Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO		W 59–17	33,868	^[3]
September 28	at New Mexico	No. 19	University Stadium Albuquerque, NM		W 49–12	27,124	^[4]
October 5	Notre Dame*	No. 17	Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO (rivalry)	ABC	W 21–15	52,153	^[5]
October 12	at Navy*	No. 13	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD		W 24–7	35,663	^[6]
October 19	at Colorado State	No. 10	Hughes Stadium Fort Collins, CO (rivalry)		W 35–19	31,127	^[7]
October 26	Utah	No. 8	Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO		W 37–15	32,269	^[8]
November 2	San Diego State	No. 7	Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO		W 31–10	36,503	^[9]
November 9	Army*	No. 5	Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO		W 45–7	51,103	^[10]
November 16	at No. 16 BYU	No. 4	Cougar Stadium Provo, UT		L 21–28	65,393	^[11]
November 23	at Hawaii	No. 13	Aloha Stadium Halawa, HI (rivalry)	Prime	W 27–20	50,000	^[12]
December 31	vs. Texas*	No. 10	Rice Stadium Houston, TX (Bluebonnet Bowl)	LSN	W 24–16	42,000	^[13]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked ( ) = First-place votes
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
AP	—	—	—	—	19	17	13	10	8	7	5	4	13	11	10	10	8
Coaches Poll	—	—	—	—	18	15	12	9	6	6	4 (2)	4 (3)	10	7	8	7	5

Game summaries

No. 15 Notre Dame

^[14]^[15]^[16]

Army

Army Cadets (7–1) at #5 Air Force Falcons (9–0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Army	0	0	0	7	7
Air Force	7	7	14	7	35

at Falcon Stadium • Colorado Springs, Colorado

Date: November 9
Game attendance: 52,103
^[17]

Game information

Army

Rob Healy
4/7, 18 Yds
Clarence Jones
7 Rush, 39 Yds, TD
Doug Black
1 Rec, 10 Yds

Air Force

Bart Weiss
4/9, 105 Yds, TD
19 Rush, 114 Yds, 2 TD
Ken Carpenter
3 Rec, 93 Yds, TD

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	ARMY	AFA
1					Air Force	Greg Pshsniak 1-yard touchdown run, Tomislav Ruby kick good	0	7
2					Air Force	Ken Carpenter 64-yard touchdown reception from Bart Weiss, Tomislav Ruby kick good	0	14
3					Air Force	Bart Weiss 54-yard touchdown run, Tomislav Ruby kick good	0	21
3					Air Force	Bart Weiss 1-yard touchdown run, Tomislav Ruby kick good	0	28
4					Air Force	22-yard field goal by Tomislav Ruby	0	31
4					Army	Clarence Jones 7-yard touchdown run, Craig Stopa kick good	7	31
4					Air Force	Chris Vellanti 57-yard touchdown run, Tomislav Ruby kick good	7	38
4					Air Force	Marc Munafo 1-yard touchdown run, Tomislav Ruby kick good	7	45
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							7	45

At BYU

#4 Air Force Falcons (10–0) at #16 BYU Cougars (8–2)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Air Force	14	7	0	0	21
BYU	0	7	14	7	28

at Cougar Stadium, Provo, Utah

Date: November 16, 1985
Game weather: Cloudy, 35 °F (2 °C)
Game attendance: 65,393
Box Score

Game information

First quarter

AFA – Randy Jones 22-yard pass from Bart Weiss (Tom Ruby kick). Air Force 7–0.
AFA – Tom Rotello 25-yard interception return (Tom Ruby kick). Air Force 14–0.

Second quarter

BYU – Mark Bellini 22-yard pass from Robbie Bosco (Gary Webster kick). Air Force 14–7.
AFA – Dwan Wilson 58-yard interception return (Tom Ruby kick). Air Force 21–7.

Third quarter

BYU – Vai Sikahema 72-yard punt return (kick failed). Air Force 21–13.
BYU – Mark Bellini 25-yard pass from Robbie Bosco (pass good). Tie 21–21.

Fourth quarter

BYU – Vai Sikahema 69-yard pass from Robbie Bosco (Gary Webster kick). BYU 28–21.

Top passers

AFA – Bart Weiss – 9/18, 101 yards, TD, INT
BYU – Robbie Bosco – 29/49, 343 yards, 3 TD, 4 INT

Top rushers

AFA – Pat Evans – 18 rushes, 65 yards
BYU – Tom Tuipulotu – 3 rushes, 15 yards

Top receivers

AFA – Randy Jones – 2 receptions, 25 yards, TD
BYU – Mark Bellini – 9 receptions, 143 yards, 2 TD

^[18]

Vs. Texas (Bluebonnet Bowl)

Roster

1985 Air Force Falcons football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
WR		Hugh Brennan
QB		Troy Calhoun	Fr
WR	`83`	Ken Carpenter	Sr
RB		Pat Evans
WR	`1`	Tyrone Jeffcoat	Jr
QB	`6`	Brian Knorr	Sr
RB		Marc Munafo
RB		Greg Pshsniak
RB		Kelly Pittman
FB	`38`	Mark Simon	Jr
RB		Chris Vellanti
QB		Bart Weiss

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
LB	`60`	Mike Chandler	Sr
NG	`52`	Dick Clark	Sr
LB		Brady Glick
DT	`85`	Chad Hennings	So
LB		Terry Maki	Jr
LB	`48`	Pat Malackowski	Jr
CB		Tom Rotello	Jr
DB		A. J. Scott
S	`29`	Scott Thomas	Sr
DB	`23`	Rod Vernon	Sr
DT	`74`	John Ziegler	Sr

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
K		Tom Ruby
P		Mark Simon

Head coach

Fisher DeBerry

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Awards and honors

Pat Malackowski, Bullard Award

Team players in the NFL

Sophomore Chad Hennings' rookie season in the NFL was in 1992 with the Dallas Cowboys.^[19]

References

^ "Air Force blitzes UTEP 48–6". Anderson Independent-Mail. September 1, 1985. Retrieved April 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Falcons dive-bomb Wyoming". The Abilene Reporter-News. September 15, 1985. Retrieved April 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Air Force flies past Rice Owls". Wichita Falls Times. September 22, 1985. Retrieved April 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Air Force overwhelms Lobos, 49–12". The Salt Lake Tribune. September 29, 1985. Retrieved April 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Air Force uses blocked field goal to keep Notre Dame in tailspin". The Grand Rapids Press. October 6, 1985. Retrieved April 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "13th-ranked Air Force sinks Navy". Wichita Falls Times. October 13, 1985. Retrieved April 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Stubborn Colorado State squad nearly grounds Air Force's Falcons". The News-Leader. October 20, 1985. Retrieved April 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "No. 8 Air Force soars over Utah 37–15". San Angelo Standard-Times. October 27, 1985. Retrieved April 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Steve Dolan (November 3, 1985). "Aztecs' passes are gone with wind in Air Force loss". The Los Angeles Times (San Diego County ed.). p. III-1. Retrieved April 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Air Force captures 13th straight win". The Salisbury Post. November 10, 1985. Retrieved April 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "BYU stuns No. 4 Air Force". Courier-Post. November 17, 1985. Retrieved April 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Air Force shares title with BYU". Reno Gazette-Journal. November 25, 1985. Retrieved April 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Air Force downs Longhorns, 24–16". The Victoria Advocate. January 1, 1986. Retrieved April 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Air Force Stops Notre Dame Again, 21-15". Los Angeles Times. October 6, 1985. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
^ "AIR FORCE BEATS NOTRE DAME". The New York Times. October 6, 1985. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
^ "NOTRE DAME KICKS ONE AWAY TO AIR FORCE". Chicago Tribune. October 6, 1985. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
^ Gainesville Sun. 1985 Nov 10. Retrieved 2019-Jan-29.
^ "BYU Beats the Air Force". The Washington Post. November 17, 1985. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
^ "Chad Hennings Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.

[1] "Air Force blitzes UTEP 48–6". Anderson Independent-Mail. September 1, 1985. Retrieved April 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[2] "Falcons dive-bomb Wyoming". The Abilene Reporter-News. September 15, 1985. Retrieved April 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[3] "Air Force flies past Rice Owls". Wichita Falls Times. September 22, 1985. Retrieved April 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[4] "Air Force overwhelms Lobos, 49–12". The Salt Lake Tribune. September 29, 1985. Retrieved April 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[5] "Air Force uses blocked field goal to keep Notre Dame in tailspin". The Grand Rapids Press. October 6, 1985. Retrieved April 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[6] "13th-ranked Air Force sinks Navy". Wichita Falls Times. October 13, 1985. Retrieved April 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[7] "Stubborn Colorado State squad nearly grounds Air Force's Falcons". The News-Leader. October 20, 1985. Retrieved April 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[8] "No. 8 Air Force soars over Utah 37–15". San Angelo Standard-Times. October 27, 1985. Retrieved April 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[9] Steve Dolan (November 3, 1985). "Aztecs' passes are gone with wind in Air Force loss". The Los Angeles Times (San Diego County ed.). p. III-1. Retrieved April 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[10] "Air Force captures 13th straight win". The Salisbury Post. November 10, 1985. Retrieved April 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[11] "BYU stuns No. 4 Air Force". Courier-Post. November 17, 1985. Retrieved April 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[12] "Air Force shares title with BYU". Reno Gazette-Journal. November 25, 1985. Retrieved April 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[13] "Air Force downs Longhorns, 24–16". The Victoria Advocate. January 1, 1986. Retrieved April 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[14] "Air Force Stops Notre Dame Again, 21-15". Los Angeles Times. October 6, 1985. Retrieved January 19, 2020.

[15] "AIR FORCE BEATS NOTRE DAME". The New York Times. October 6, 1985. Retrieved January 19, 2020.

[16] "NOTRE DAME KICKS ONE AWAY TO AIR FORCE". Chicago Tribune. October 6, 1985. Retrieved January 19, 2020.

[17] Gainesville Sun. 1985 Nov 10. Retrieved 2019-Jan-29.

[18] "BYU Beats the Air Force". The Washington Post. November 17, 1985. Retrieved July 23, 2022.

[19] "Chad Hennings Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.

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Air Force Falcons football
Venues	DU Stadium (1955–1961) Falcon Stadium (1962–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Army (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy) Colorado State (Ram–Falcon Trophy) Hawaii (Kuter Trophy) Navy (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy)
Culture & lore	History The Bird "Falcon Fight Song" "The U.S. Air Force" United States Air Force Academy Band
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025

Western Athletic Conference football champions
I-A/FBS	New Mexico (1962) Arizona State (1963) Arizona, New Mexico & Utah (1964) BYU (1965) Wyoming (1966) Wyoming (1967) Wyoming (1968) Arizona State (1969) Arizona State (1970) Arizona State (1971) Arizona State (1972) Arizona & Arizona State (1973) BYU (1974) Arizona State (1975) BYU & Wyoming (1976) Arizona State & BYU (1977) BYU (1978) BYU (1979) BYU (1980) BYU (1981) BYU (1982) BYU (1983) BYU (1984) Air Force & BYU (1985) San Diego State (1986) Wyoming (1987) Wyoming (1988) BYU (1989) BYU (1990) BYU (1991) BYU, Fresno State & Hawaii (1992) BYU, Fresno State & Wyoming (1993) Colorado State (1994) Air Force, BYU, Colorado State & Utah (1995) BYU (1996) Colorado State (1997) Air Force (1998) Fresno State, Hawaii & TCU (1999) TCU & UTEP (2000) Louisiana Tech (2001) Boise State (2002) Boise State (2003) Boise State (2004) Boise State & Nevada (2005) Boise State (2006) Hawaii (2007) Boise State (2008) Boise State (2009) Boise State, Hawaii & Nevada (2010) Louisiana Tech (2011) Utah State (2012)
I-AA/FCS	Sam Houston (2021) Abilene Christian & Stephen F. Austin (2022)
National championships in bold

Speedway