Checkpoints: Defining
athletic excellence
Donors elevate cadet-athletes
This story originally appeared in the March 2025 Checkpoints magazine.
Athletic excellence has been a cornerstone of the U.S. Air Force Academy since its inception. Intercollegiate sports foster teamwork, leadership and perseverance in each generation of cadets, equipping them on the “fields of friendly strife” for service to the nation as Air Force and Space Force officers.
The Defining Our Future comprehensive campaign priorities included enhancing the Academy’s athletic programs to ensure that all current and future cadet-athletes have the facilities, resources and opportunities necessary to compete at the highest levels.
In addition to transformational capital projects like the Kucera Legacy Center at Falcon Stadium and the renaming and future renovation of Erdle Field, the campaign spurred the development of several athletic endowments and expanded staffing in the Academy’s Human Performance Lab.
Thanks to thousands of generous campaign donors, these efforts have elevated the cadet experience and strengthened the Academy’s reputation for excellence in intercollegiate athletics.
A game-changer for Falcon Stadium
While the Academy has many iconic landmarks, Falcon Stadium is one of the installation’s most visible and public-facing destinations. For many, the stadium represents more than USAFA’s exceptional athletics; it symbolizes the Academy’s connection to the surrounding community.
For nearly 20 years, athletics staff and Academy leaders envisioned modernizing Falcon Stadium into a 21st-century facility. Making that vision a reality became a signature priority of the Defining Our Future campaign.
With the support of nearly 800 donors, the Kucera Legacy Center opened in time for the first home football game of the 2024 season. Named for lead donors Jack ’78 and Vianne Kucera, the facility has redefined the game-day experience, creating a dynamic atmosphere that celebrates the Academy’s heritage while generating new revenue streams to support its intercollegiate sports programs, and benefit the entire athletics mission element.
“This project was built to support the Air Force Academy’s constant efforts to attract and develop the best and brightest as our future leaders — the leaders our Air Force and Space Force require,” Jack Kucera said during a Sept. 6, 2024, ribbon cutting, joining hundreds of supporters. “The enhanced revenue from this versatile, multiuse facility will support all 27 USAFA intercollegiate athletic programs. The broad impact is what this project is about at its core, and it’s why Vianne and I have enthusiastically supported it.”
Falcon Stadium opened in 1962 with private support. As part of the Defining Our Future comprehensive campaign, the Association and Foundation partnered with the Air Force Academy Athletic Corporation to renovate the facility. Philanthropy provided $35 million of the $90 million needed for the project, while AFAAC secured $55 million in debt service bonds to complete it.
“Falcon Stadium is much more than a football stadium,” said Nathan Pine, director of athletics. “It is the first thing most people see when looking west from Interstate 25 toward the Academy. It’s the front porch that introduces hundreds of thousands — nationally, statewide and in the local community — to the Academy through football games, lacrosse games, and, of course, graduation, which is the culmination of the four-year cadet journey to develop as leaders of character for our Air Force and Space Force.”
When fans and visitors arrive at the state-of-the-art facility, they are now welcomed by a new entrance, a ticket services office, modernized restrooms, an enhanced variety of concessions and an Air Force team shop. Additionally, the Kucera Legacy Center honors the heritage of the Academy and the Long Blue Line throughout the facility, including a planned Class of 1966 Legacy Walk that will pay tribute to graduates from the Academy’s first 50 years.
“[The Kucera Legacy Center] also gives us the ability to host more large events for our constituencies and will have positive ripples across our entire Academy and the Cadet Wing for years to come,” said Pine.
The Kucera Legacy Center is designed for year-round use. As part of the center, the new East Club, presented by L3 Harris, features 850 premium seats and two event spaces that can host Academy and community events and generate revenue beyond game days. The modernization project also enabled key renovations to the stadium’s tunnel to accommodate concerts and other large-scale events, further enhancing its role as a premier venue.
Honoring a legacy, elevating the game
The renaming and upcoming renovation of the Falcon baseball field is another key capital improvement made possible during the Defining Our Future Campaign.
Thanks to a $2.5 million lead gift from the Erdle family, USAFA renamed the baseball diamond Erdle Field to honor Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Philip J. Erdle, a career Air Force officer who taught and coached at the Academy.
Family members and supporters gathered during a September 2023 ceremony to celebrate Gen. Erdle’s contributions and announce the new name, including his wife, Carolyn, and son, Col. (Ret.) Mick Erdle ’76.
“What a great day for Falcon baseball,” said Col. Erdle. “To see Dad’s name on the Falcons’ diamond provides well-deserved recognition for his efforts in Air Force athletics and fulfills a longtime dream of my own and our family.”
The Erdle family’s gift has helped begin design and development work to remodel Erdle Field with permanent concessions, modern restrooms, a press box, expanded seating, upgraded team dugouts and improved locker rooms for teams and umpires. These updates will enhance the fan experience and ensure USAFA baseball continues to thrive.
A lasting impact
In addition to facility upgrades, campaign donors reinforced the important role of USAFA athletics by giving to 58 athletic funds, supporting cadet-athletes in baseball, basketball, cross country, fencing, football, golf, lacrosse, swimming, track, volleyball and more.
These gifts were instrumental in establishing and contributing to athletic endowments that provide sustainable support for USAFA’s intercollegiate athletic programs. Endowments fortify USAFA’s athletic programs by providing a steady source of funding annually for recruiting, travel, equipment, coaching, facility upgrades and overall program excellence.
Notable endowments created during the campaign include:
- The Weichers Endowment for Boxing Excellence
- The Wayne Baughman Endowment for Men’s Wrestling
- The Men’s Lacrosse Endowment
- The Men’s Soccer Endowment
- The Mike Blassie ’70 Warrior Award for Men’s Soccer Endowment
- The Bill ’73 & Karen ’80 Fox Endowment for Athletics
- The Carole Gilchrist Bassett Award for Outstanding Women’s Tennis Endowment
- The Caine-Tonneson Endowment for Women’s Swimming
By establishing these endowments and helping them to grow, donors ensure that USAFA athletics continue to impact cadets and remain a source of excellence and pride, both on and off the field.
“My best friends, fondest memories, and most important life lessons from USAFA are drawn from my time with my teammates on the lacrosse field,” says Jack Parchman ’08. “I hope that supporting men’s lacrosse allows many others to share that experience while enabling the program to be visible in a positive way and compete at the highest levels.”
From the fields to the front lines
“Athletics provides an unmatched leadership laboratory for our cadet-athletes to develop to their fullest potential during their 47-month experience at USAFA,” says Pine. “The lessons learned on the fields of friendly strife help to forge our young men and women into exceptional officers.”
As the Defining Our Future campaign progressed, the Association and Foundation began working closely with the athletic department and the Institute for Future Conflict to enhance the connection between athletic excellence and military readiness.
That partnership led to an exciting opportunity in USAFA’s Human Performance Lab. The lab and its staff create comprehensive individualized plans to help with cadets’ physiological development and performance. These plans incorporate nutrition, physiology and psychology to ensure cadets can meet the unique demands of military operations and athletic excellence.
Thanks to generous donor support, the IFC has recruited a new human performance optimization fellow who will begin working in the lab in spring 2025.
The new fellow will be responsible for researching, applying and integrating human performance optimization in areas beyond athletics, including USAFA’s curriculum, military training and course instruction. The role will also focus on how cadets can optimize their performance to better prepare for future conflict.
Cadets will benefit from this human performance research and training, ultimately becoming better officers and warfighters as a result.
“Donor support is and will continue to be critical to athletic success on all fronts,” says Pine. “We are very thankful for the Long Blue Line and the generous investment graduates continue to make in Air Force Athletics.”