Fisher DeBerry announces retirement as head coach at Air Force

The coach completed his 23rd season as head coach and 27th overall at the Academy

  • print
  • email
  • font +
  • font -
  • rss

Press Conference Video

Dec. 15, 2006

Fisher DeBerry announces retirement as head coach at Air Force

Press Conference Photo Gallery

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - Air Force head football coach Fisher DeBerry announced his retirement today, ending over a quarter-century at the Air Force Academy.

DeBerry just completed his 23rd season as the head football coach and 27th overall at Air Force. DeBerry has guided the Falcons to 17 winning seasons since taking over in 1984. He's guided the Academy to three conference championships. Air Force won the Western Athletic Conference title in 1985 and again in 1995. In 1998, DeBerry guided the team to its first out-right title and a championship game win over Brigham Young. His 1998 team matched the school record with a 12-1 season while earning him his third coach of the year award.

The Cheraw, S.C., native has done it all at Air Force. He is the winningest coach in school history with a 169-107-1 mark. He stands second in Mountain West Conference history in career wins with 100, trailing only close friend and former BYU coach LaVell Edwards. He has also beaten Notre Dame three times, including a 20-17 overtime thriller against the eighth-ranked Irish in South Bend in 1996.

DeBerry has dominated service academy football. In 1999, DeBerry became the winningest coach in service academy football history when AFA knocked off Washington in Seattle. He is an amazing 35-11 against Army and Navy in his career and has led the Academy to 14 of its 16 Commander-in-Chief's trophy titles.

DeBerry is a 1960 graduate of Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C., where he lettered in football and baseball. After six years of coaching and teaching in the South Carolina high school ranks, DeBerry returned to Wofford, where he stayed two years as an assistant when the school won 21 consecutive games and was ranked No. 1 nationally. It was during a nine-year stop at Appalachian State in Boone, N.C., where his work with the option offense began to blossom. Appalachian State ranked in the top 10 nationally three times (1975, `78, `79) in rushing, total offense or scoring offense under DeBerry.

Former Air Force head coach Ken Hatfield hired DeBerry in 1980 as the quarterbacks coach at Air Force. DeBerry was promoted to offensive coordinator in 1981. When Hatfield left Air Force after the 1983 season, DeBerry became the school's fifth head coach.

DeBerry and his wife, LuAnn, are active in community affairs. The coach gives motivational speeches and has worked tireless with several local and national charities. The couple started the Fisher DeBerry Foundation recently which is an organization to benefit single-parent families in Colorado Springs. DeBerry is also active with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and in 2001 authored a book "For God and Country" of which the proceeds go to the FCA.

The coach has received several regional and national awards for his work off the field. He has been honored with the State Farm Coach of Distinction Award for his efforts on and off the field in 2001. This past summer, DeBerry was selected for induction into the Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the South Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.

-- ## --

STATEMENT FROM Fisher DeBerry

There comes a time in every man's life when you have to look at the big picture and decide what's the best thing for your family. After 27 exciting and wonderful years here at the Academy and a total of 44 years of coaching, I am announcing my retirement from active coaching.

Coaching is the best job a guy could have, but it is a very demanding and time consuming job. My kids and grandkids have moved to Oklahoma. It is time for Lu Ann and me to spend some quality time together and with them. We passionately love the Academy and consider it an honor and a privilege to have had the opportunity to serve here and carry the title "Coach."

We respect the military so much and the mission of the Academy and I have felt football is one of the most important leadership training opportunities here. We have been blessed and privileged to have had the opportunity to coach the finest young people in America and work daily with the best coaches in NCAA football. Nobody in life does anything by themselves and any success we have enjoyed is the direct result of a tremendous commitment on the part of so many; the players, coaches, secretary, support staff and administration.

Therefore, this is the hardest decision I have ever made in my life. I love my players and my coaches. I will always be grateful to former Superintendent Gen. Skip Scott and former Athletic Director John Clune for their confidence and the opportunity they gave me 23 years ago to live my dream.

It's been a good ride and I thank from the bottom of my heart all my players and my fellow coaches over my tenure for their commitment to excellence and high expectations. I especially want to thank the best secretary in NCAA football for 25 years of loyal and faithful service to the football program.

In conclusion, I want to thank my loving wife of 41 years, Lu Ann, for her understanding loving support and commitment and for putting up with late suppers. Thank you, Baby, for your love and support. Also, thank my two children, Joe and Michelle, for their support during this ride. Without their love, I wouldn't be standing here today. No question, Lu Ann has been the Head Coach and we have been a good team.

Finally, I want to thank my Master Coach for leading us to Colorado 26 years ago. I pray we have made a difference in the lives of the ones who have been entrusted to us and I hope we have honored Him in all we have tried to do. We love Colorado and especially Colorado Springs and the wonderful friends we have made. I hope Lu Ann and I can continue to be of service to others in this community.

As I have always said to others departing the program, `Once a Falcon, Always a Falcon." My heart and prayers will always be with the Fighting Falcons. Thanks to all for the privilege and opportunity to have been able to serve the finest educational institution in the country and the finest kids in the world. Thanks to this community and Denver, some of the greatest football fans in the nation, for your support over the years. When I came to the Academy, a good crowd was between 15, 000 and 18,000. Today we have averaged well over 40,000 during my career here.

To you, the press, I have enjoyed working with you and proud to call you friends. Thanks for the positive things you write about our athletes and the total athletic program here at the Academy.

Lu Ann and I are so humbled, honored and thankful for the opportunity and are excited now to see what God's plan is for our future. Thank you and have a great day.

STATEMENT FROM DR. HANS MUEH, USAFA ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

"Thank you all for coming. It has been a difficult week for everyone involved because of the announcement that coach is going to make. Before I bring Fisher up, I want to say a few words about what he has meant to the Academy. Fisher DeBerry has made countless contributions over the 25 years that he has been here...both on and off the field. He has been a solid role model for all of our core values - integrity, service and excellence - in all he has done for us. His legacy is certainly in tact."

Question and Answer Session with Dr. Mueh

Q: Was there any pressure put on Fisher to make any changes? Is that what made him come to this decision? A: We had our normal, end-of-season discussion. We met a couple of times, talked about it and bounced ideas back and forth. Ultimately, Fisher just decided that it was time. Coming from the military, you always know when its time to put your papers in to retire. And I think that in Fisher's case, he just decided that it was time.

Q: Would he have been able to return keeping the same staff as he had this year? A: Possibly...although I left that decision (to him). We talked and when he came back and said that he was going to leave...any discussion about future plans ceased. At that point, it was sort of moot.

Q: What about the remainder of his contract? Does it just end now or is there some role that he could fill in the future to fulfill his contract? A: Fisher will always have a role at the Academy. I would never deny him that. He will always be, like he said, a Falcon. Once a Falcon, always a Falcon. In terms of any specific work that he would do for us...that hasn't been defined yet. Let me defer (salary questions) until later. This is Fisher's moment and I don't need to get into those details.

Q: What about his assistants? What is their status? A: I think Fisher called all of them last night to let them know the situation. I would assume after we identify a new head coach...that many of Fisher's staff will be strongly considered for roles in the next staff. But at this point, I can't comment on specifics.

Q: After the TCU game you said that you really didn't have a short list ready for coaching candidates. Do you have one now? A: Yes, my short list now is every coach in the NCAA. It's an interesting question. In my experience, when my basketball coach left on short notice, my experience was that I got inundated with requests because people out there in America understand what Fisher has created here at the Air Force Academy. A legacy of winning, a legacy of football prominence. I anticipate that we will get the same type of calls once this hits the street. My mind is wide open when it comes to future coaches.

Q: Do you have an ideal timetable for when you would like to have someone in mind? A: Yeah, like by tomorrow. No, really though, as soon as possible. And the only reason I say that is because we are in the recruiting season. It is vital that all of those contacts that our current assistants have made continue to be contacts and followed up and so on. The quicker that I can identify a new coach and a staff for the future, the better off this program will be. In my perfect world, I would love to have this done before the holidays, yes. Whether or not I can pull that off, I don't know.

Q: Will any of the current assistants be considered seriously for head coach? A: We will interview anyone who is interested. Yes, absolutely.

Q: Would you look at someone with an Academy background specifically, or does that not matter? A: I think that helps, but I don't think that it is an absolute requirement.

AIR FORCE PLAYER QUOTES Shaun Carney, Quarterback (Senior in 2007) The meeting with coach was pretty emotional this morning. He really poured his heart out to us. We really weren't surprised, but we really didn't expect it either.

I would like to see the qualities in our new that Coach DeBerry had. When it comes to how much we learned from him as people off the field. He always taught us to a great father and great husband and a man of great character. Those are qualities that we take from him. We would always like to see a coach that brings some intensity to the table and Coach De Berry always did that. I would like to see our new coach emulate Coach DeBerry in a lot of ways.

I think he was ready to retire. He talked about how is family played an integral part of his decision and how he wanted to spend more time with his grandchildren. I really think that his decision was more about his family than about him.

Any losing season leaves a sour taste in our mouths. My class hasn't had a winning season yet and that never happened under Coach DeBerry. We want to get the new coach off the great start.

You can't point fingers at the coaches or at the players. As players we have to work harder and get better and grow as players and as people and get ready for next season.

I think we have some great athletes on the offensive side of the ball and have a lot of experience. I think we can adapt to any new coach or new system. As a quarterback, I love throw the ball, but more importantly I like to win football games and it isn't something that I've done here. In my last season, I'd like to be remembered as someone that won games and went to a bowl game.

Drew Fowler, Linebacker (Senior in 2007) It was pretty shocking. I didn't ever think that while I was here (coach DeBerry would retire). It's just one of those things.

Who ever comes in, I hope they understand the kind of people we have here and the kind of program we run here. We need to keep going from where Coach DeBerry has started us. He's obviously had great intentions for us and we need to build on that

I hope we don't look at next year as a rebuilding year. I really don't want my senior year to be thought of that way. I think we have enough tools on this team to be competitive just like we are every year. We just need to figure out a way to win close games, that's what it boils down to.

I'll miss Coach DeBerry's little comments on everyday life things. There is probably no one in this world that cares more about us than Coach DeBerry. That is something hard to find now days. Every one is so caught up in winning that sometimes they forget about their players. With Coach, it was always the team before anything.

He is a great role model. Words can't explain what it means to the players when a head football coach shows emotion like today.

Coach DeBerry and Coach (Richard) Bell are the people that brought me here and gave me a chance to play when no one else thought I could do it at the D-I level. I give them thanks for that. They opened doors for me that I could have never opened myself.

Bobby Giannini, Safety (Senior in 2007) When he announced that he was retiring, I think we all had that vibe. But support him in whatever he does, if he would have stayed or that he has retired. I don't think it was a surprise. We can always say that we played for a Hall of Fame class. His message was a very somber one this morning. He just looked sad.

It's not going to be a rebuilding year because we have so many seniors coming back. I'm not worried about that.

Having a new coach can be good or can be bad, but we'll just see how it goes. We were certainly sad to see Coach DeBerry go, but we are excited to get things going for next year.

Dr. Mueh, our AD, told us that he promised the basketball team that after their coach left that he would bring in a coach that would bring them more success than we have had before and he promised us the same thing.

Ryan Williams, Fullback (Senior in 2007) My initial reaction was that a decision he had to make. He had to think about what was best for his family and I stand by that. You can't argue with that.

It is sad to see him go. He recruited me with Coach Petersen. It will be a little different to have a different coach. I think it would nice for our new coach to have a lot of energy and pick us up.

On a potential new offense: It's our job to play and not coach so whatever the new coach throws out there for us, we have to do. This decision is not going to change anything the way I work in the off-season. We just go out and get ready to play in August.

 

 

 

AF Athletics Football

The appearance of advertisements on this site does not constitute an endorsement by the Department of Air Force or any other part of federal government of the products or services advertised.