Air Force Falcons

Their 9-4 football season, best in a decade, stuns the Mountain West. But dominance isn’t limited to the gridiron! Watch basketball’s dynamic duo climb the standings, hockey’s tenacity challenge rivals, and more. Witness college sports’ rising stars – the Air Force Falcons! Continue reading for more Air Force Falcons Stats.

Air Force Falcons Stats

The Air Force Falcons Stats provide a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the team’s performance. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or a casual follower, our reliable data covers everything from player statistics to game results. Stay informed with the latest insights and analysis to fuel your passion for Air Force Falcons football

Team History

The Air Force Falcons men’s basketball team played its first game in the 1956-57 season, two years after the Academy opened. It participated in its first tournament, the West Coast Classic, in December 1958 but lost.

The Falcons have been in four NCAA Tournaments – in 1960, 1962, 2004, and 2006. However, on all four occasions, it wasn’t able to advance past the opening round.

The team has performed better in National Invitational Tournaments. It has only appeared in one, in 2007. However, it won three of the four games to advance to the Semifinals. There, it lost to the Clemson Tigers.

The Air Force Academy men’s basketball team has also gone to two CollegeInsider.com Tournaments. These contests, first launched in 2009, have produced mixed results for the Falcons. The team made it to the second round in 2011 and 2013, leaving a 2-2 record.

Key Stats

The Falcons are now under the leadership of head coach Joe Scott, who is in his second season. This is his second stint with the team, having served as its head coach between 2000 and 2004.

Despite some postponed games due to COVID-19, the Falcons have had a decent season so far. They are 7-4 overall; however, they have only played one Mountain West opponent. They beat Utah State on December 29, 2021, 49-47.

The Falcons are performing better, thanks, in part, to AJ Walker. He is the team’s leading scorer this year, picking up 383 points so far. He has a field goal percentage of 50.7 a game and 45.3 per game across his career.

Walker is in his senior year and will have to pass the ball to newcomer Ethan Taylor. The freshman cadet is the team’s second-place scorer, with 8.7 points on average per game.

Championships Won by the Team

On March 1, 2004, Air Force men’s basketball defeated San Diego State 61-49 at Clune Arena. This was its first Mountain West Conference title and its first conference championship in any league.

The Mountain West Conference men’s basketball tournament is held every year to determine the Mountain West Conference Men’s Basketball Champion. The winner is eligible to apply for the NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament. This award was not given in 1999-2000, the conference’s debut year.

To date, that is the only championship of any kind that the team has won. However, it has made several appearances in NCAA Tournaments, National Invitation Tournaments, and CollegeInsider.com Tournaments.

In addition to these NCAA-level events, the Air Force Academy Falcons have also participated in a number of local and regional tournaments. Its most recent win came at the BIMINI JAM in Bimini, Bahamas, in November 2018. It beat South Dakota 65-62. Overall, the Falcons have a tournament record of 52 wins and 86 losses.

Important Team Events

Since the team’s inception in 1956, the Falcons have achieved several accomplishments. Although they haven’t earned many titles, they still have a number of credits to their name.

• February 6, 1957 — Men’s basketball defeats Colorado College 104-53, reaching the 100-point mark for the first time in Academy history.
• January 13, 1968 — Falcon Basketball plays Navy for the first time, beating the Midshipmen 98-88 in Annapolis.
• March 7, 1960 — The men’s basketball team makes the Academy’s first appearance in the NCAA basketball tournament.
• November 22, 1997 — Men’s basketball sets its all-time scoring record in a 124-57 home victory over Doane College.
• March 18, 2004 — Men’s Basketball makes the Academy’s third appearance in the NCAA basketball tournament.
• March 16, 2006 — The men’s basketball team makes the Academy’s fourth appearance in the NCAA basketball tournament.
• March 27, 2007 — Men’s Basketball plays in the semi-finals of the National Invitational Tournament at Madison Square Garden, New York.
• February 11, 2012 — The Air Force basketball program takes part in a banner-unveiling ceremony during halftime at a game against Boise State. The banners honor two of the program’s all-time greats, Bob Beckel, Class of 1959, and Cliff Parsons, Class of 1969. Both players wore jersey number 34.

Top Players

The best player in Air Force history, according to ESPN, is Bob Beckel, who scored 50 points (the most ever by any Falcons player in a game) against Arizona in 1959 and scored over 45 points on three other occasions. However, his 1,526 career points, from 1956-1959, are only good enough to put him in sixth place overall.

The top scorer for the team is Raymond Dudley. He played for the Falcons from 1986-1990, racking up 2,178 points. Dudley is also the single-season leader, scoring 746 points in the 1988-1989 season.

Following him is Otis Jones, who played from 1991-1995 and accumulated 2,003 points. In third is Tim Harris, who scored 1,550 points from 1977-1981.

Although not among the top players, one additional name has to be mentioned. Gregg Popovich went to the Academy from 1966-1970 and played on the team while he was there. Later, he would return as an assistant coach from 1973-1979. Popovich is the current head coach of the NBA‘s San Antonio Spurs, a spot he has held since 1996.

Top Coaches

Out of all of the coaches to have led the Air Force Falcons, one name stands out. Bob Spear is known as the “Father Of Air Force Basketball” and coached the Falcons between 1957 and 1971. He coached the Falcons to a record of 177-175 and is the school’s winningest coach. While leading the team, it won seven consecutive seasons and made it to the NCAA Tournament’s first two appearances.

His 1962 and 1960 squads were selected for the Midwest Regional. Spear was also the coach of Cliff Parsons and Bob Beckel, two of the Air Force Academy’s five All-Americans. Spear was inducted into the Air Force Athletics Hall of Fame in the Spring of 2015.

The Bob Spear Award recognizes the outstanding player in all aspects of the Academy, including academics, athletics, and military performance. This award was established in 1991, and it is named after the former head coach.

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