American college football season
The 1979 Air Force Falcons football team represented the United States Air Force Academy in the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season , their last as an Independent . Led by first–year head coach Ken Hatfield , Air Force played home games at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colorado .
The Falcons lost their first eight games,[ 1] then won two of three to finish at 2–9,[ 2] and were outscored 127–253.
The win over Army on November 3 broke an eleven-game losing streak.[ 1]
Air Force joined the Western Athletic Conference in 1980 .
Date Opponent Site Result Attendance Source September 8 Tulsa L 7–2423,000 [ 3]
September 15 at Wisconsin L 0–3866,466 [ 4]
September 22 Illinois Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO L 19–2718,178 [ 5]
September 29 Kansas State Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO L 6–1922,200 [ 6]
October 6 at Navy L 7–2431,109 [ 7]
October 13 No. 10 Notre Dame Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO (rivalry ) L 13–3834,881 [ 8]
October 20 at Oregon L 9–1728,457 [ 9]
October 27 at Colorado State L 6–2021,104 [ 10]
November 3 Army Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy) W 28–730,334 [ 11]
November 10 at Georgia Tech L 0–2130,113 [ 12]
November 17 Vanderbilt Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO W 30–2915,619 [ 13]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
[ 14]
1979 Air Force Falcons football team roster
Players
Coaches
Offense
Defense
Pos.
#
Name
Class
S
17
Johnny Jackson
So
Special teams
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
Injured
Redshirt
^ a b "Falcons rip rival Army for first win" . Eugene Register-Guard . (Oregon). wire services. November 4, 1979. p. 11B.
^ "Air Force 30, Vanderbilt 28" . Eugene Register-Guard . (Oregon). wire services. November 18, 1979. p. 13B.
^ "Tulsa Hurricane blows Air Force Falcons away" . The Kansas City Star . September 9, 1979. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Badger attack grounds Air Force, 38–0" . The Post-Crescent . September 16, 1979. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Holmes leads Illinois by Air Force, 27–19" . The Pantagraph . September 23, 1979. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Brown leads K-State past Air Force, 19–6" . The Salina Journal . September 30, 1979. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Navy stops Air Force" . The Odessa American . October 7, 1979. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Notre Dame routs Air Force, 38–13" . The Kokomo Tribune . October 14, 1979. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Two late Oregon TDs sink Air Force, 17–9" . The Knoxville News-Sentinel . October 21, 1979. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "CSU Rams batter Air Force" . San Angelo Standard-Times . October 28, 1979. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Air Force flies past Army, 28–7" . The Fresno Bee . November 4, 1979. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Georgia Tech runs to 21–0 over Air Force" . The Selma Times-Journal . November 11, 1979. Retrieved July 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Vandy loses on EP kick with :00 left" . The Knoxville News-Sentinel . November 18, 1979. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "1979 Air Force Falcons Schedule and Results" . Sports-Reference. Retrieved November 21, 2017 .
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