Visiting local institutions is a hallmark of the bowl experience. For example, Holiday Bowl participants get a day at the San Diego Zoo. And Rose Bowl participants feast on prime rib at Lawry’s.
But it’s hard to imagine any experience resonating more than Air Force’s trip to Davis-Monthan on Tuesday.
The Falcons got an up-close glimpse at their future lives when they toured Tucson’s Air Force base. Their guide was Captain Keith Madsen, who played tight end under Troy Calhoun in his first three seasons as Air Force head coach.
What was it like for the Falcons to visit Davis-Monthan? Here’s how three of them summarized the experience:
Calhoun: “It’s the best. Just to have one of my guys, to see how well he’s done on active duty, to see his growth and his maturity, to see his sense of duty and responsibility. …
“It’s very, very meaningful. It puts a real light on what our job is at the Air Force Academy. You could say, ‘Well, I’m a coach, it’s only what happens on the gridiron or here on the grass when it’s time to play.’ We want to do that well. But there’s something a little bit bigger — a lot bigger — in terms of what our responsibilities are.”
Senior safety Brodie Hicks: “Seeing all the A-10s lined up in the hangars, that was pretty sick. … To know that we have support in every single state, that’s something really special. That’s what I love about the Air Force. Everyone’s got your back.”
Senior safety Weston Steelhammer: “That was a lot of fun, especially for us seniors. We’re about six months away from being (on) active duty, to do stuff like that. Some of us have pilot slots. Getting to see some aircraft that a lot of us might be living in in a few years, it’s exciting. It’s coming.”
