U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.- Houston Texans offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Troy Calhoun has agreed to become the head football coach at the Air Force Academy, according to Director of Athletics Dr. Hans Mueh. Calhoun, a 1989 Academy graduate, is the sixth head coach in school history and first graduate to hold the position. He replaces Fisher DeBerry, who retired last week after 23 seasons as head coach.
Calhoun is completing his first season with the Texans as offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach. Texans head coach Gary Kubiak brought Calhoun along with him from the Denver Broncos where he served as the assistant to the head coach in 2005.
Calhoun has become a well-rounded NFL coach, working as a defensive assistant, special teams assistant and offensive assistant with the Denver Broncos prior to this season. He began his NFL coaching career by serving as the defensive assistant under defensive coordinator Larry Coyer in 2003. He was a part of the NFL's fourth-ranked defense. The Broncos defense ranked seventh against the run and sixth against the pass. Denver's defense yielded a mere 17.6 points per game as they made the playoffs for the first time since 2000.
Denver utilized Calhoun's offensive prowess moving him to offensive assistant/special teams. On the offensive side of the ball, the Broncos ranked fifth in the NFL averaging 395.8 yards per game. Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer set a team record for passing with 4,089 yards and tying a team record with 27 touchdown passes. Coupled with an outstanding passing attack, the Broncos finished fourth in the NFL in rushing. The offense's ability to combine the run and the pass led to Denver ranking second in the NFL in time of possession with 32:37 per game.
The Broncos special teams connected on 29 field goals, second best in the NFL. Their special teams averaged 21.2 yards per kickoff return and 9.3 yards per punt return.
Calhoun worked closely with Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan last past season. He helped the Broncos win the AFC West title for the 10 th time in their history. Denver reached the AFC Championship game for the first time in seven seasons. Their 13-3 record was the best since Denver finished the regular season with a 14-2 in 1998 on their way to the Super Bowl XXXIII. The offense finished fifth in the NFL averaging 360.4 yards per game. The Broncos defense was stout against the run, finished second in the NFL with 85.2 yards per game. Denver finished with an undefeated record at home for the fifth time in team history.
During his time in Denver, Calhoun made the playoffs every season, averaging 11 wins per season. The Broncos offense finished third in the NFL with 385.4 yards per game from 2004-05.
Prior to the NFL, Calhoun was an offensive coordinator for six seasons on the collegiate level. He began his coaching career at Air Force where he worked as a graduate assistant from 1989-90. He started at quarterback for the Air Force Academy in 1986 and was a four-year letterwinner. He was one of only two freshmen to letter for the 1985 team that finished fifth in the final polls with a 12-1 record.
Calhoun served his country from 1989-95 as an Active Duty Officer in the Air Force. He was the Falcons' recruiting coordinator and the junior varsity offensive coordinator in 1993-94.
He moved to Ohio University in 1995 where he served as the quarterbacks coach for two seasons. Calhoun guided the play of quarterback Kareem Wilson. In 1996 Wilson was named the Mid-American Conference Player of the Year. Wilson set a pair of Ohio records with 282 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns against Bowling Green. Wilson set an Ohio record with 14 rushing touchdowns in 1996.
Calhoun was promoted to offensive coordinator in 1997. During his first season at the helm, the offense totaled 612 yards against Eastern Michigan, second most in school history. The Bobcats defeated Maryland in 1997 marking the school's first win against a team from the ACC in nine games. The following week, Ohio fell three points short of defeating Kansas State.
During his last season in Ohio, the Bobcats won two games against bowl teams, Minnesota and Marshall. Calhoun's offense set a school record with 418.1 yards per game and rushed for a school best 3,553 rushing yards.
Calhoun moved to Wake Forest in 2001. The Demon Deacons were one of only seven teams to score to score more than 30 points in each of the final four games. During his second season, Wake led the ACC in total offense with 408.1 yards per game. His offense had a league best 990 plays. The offense was efficient with the ball with only 16 turnovers, least in the ACC.
A native of McMinnville, Ore., Calhoun and his wife, Amanda, have two children, Amelia and Tyler.
**CALHOUN'S COACHING LEDGER
2006:** Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks, Houston Texans
2005: Assistant to Head Coach, Denver Broncos
2004: Offensive Assistant/Special Teams, Denver Broncos
2003: Defensive Assistant, Denver Broncos
2001-02: Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks, Wake Forest
1997-00: Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks, Ohio University
1995-96: Quarterbacks, Ohio University
1993-94: Recruiting Coordinator/JV Offensive Coordinator, Air Force
1989-90: Graduate Assistant, Air Force
