1982 Western Athletic Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
BYU $7–1–08–4–0
New Mexico6–1–010–1–0
Air Force4–3–08–5–0
San Diego State4–3–07–5–0
Hawaii4–4–06–5–0
Colorado State3–5–04–7–0
Utah2–4–05–6–0
Wyoming2–6–05–7–0
UTEP1–6–02–10–0
  • $ – Conference champion

The 1982 Air Force Falcons football team represented the United States Air Force Academy in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during the 1982 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Ken Hatfield, Air Force played its home games at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs and finished the regular season at 7–5 (4–3 in WAC, third), for their first winning record in nine years.

Following their upset of No. 18 Notre Dame on November 20,[2][3] Air Force was invited to play in the Hall of Fame Classic in Birmingham on December 31,[4] where they rallied to upset Vanderbilt and finished at 8–5.[1][5][6][7][8] It was the first bowl appearance for the Falcons in twelve years and their first postseason win.[5][6]

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 46:35 p.m.at Tulsa*
L 17–3529,811[9]
September 111:35 p.m.San Diego State
W 44–3223,000[10]
September 186:31 p.m.at Texas Tech*
L 30–3138,694[11]
September 251:30 p.m.at BYU
W 39–3864,253[12]
October 21:48 p.m.New Mexico
  • Falcon Stadium
  • Colorado Springs, CO
L 37–4925,576[13]
October 91:30 p.m.Navy*
W 24–2137,109[14]
October 161:30 p.m.Colorado State
  • Falcon Stadium
  • Colorado Springs, CO (rivalry)
L 11–2125,326[15]
October 237:36 p.m.at UTEP
W 35–728,678[16]
October 301:30 p.m.Wyoming
  • Falcon Stadium
  • Colorado Springs, CO
W 44–3422,740[17]
November 611:32 a.m.at Army*
W 27–940,252[18][19]
November 201:00 p.m.No. 18 Notre Dame*
  • Falcon Stadium
  • Colorado Springs, CO (rivalry)
W 30–1746,712[20]
November 2710:31 p.m.at Hawaii
L 21–4540,019[21]
December 31vs. Vanderbilt*
W 36–2875,114[5][1][6]

[22]

Roster

1982 Air Force Falcons football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
FB John Kreshner Jr
QB 11 Marty Louthan Jr
OL Dave Schrek Sr
HB Jody Simmons So
HB Ted Sundquist
 Defense
Pos.#NameClass
LB Carl Dieudonne Jr
DL Chris Funk So
S Scott Thomas Fr
 Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
P Jeff Kubiak Jr
K Sean Pavlich
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
    Legend
    • (C) Team captain
    • (S) Suspended
    • (I) Ineligible
    • Injured Injured
    • Redshirt Redshirt

    Awards and honors

    • Dave Schrek, guard, 3rd team All-American (AP), 1st team All-WAC

    References

    1. 1 2 3 Hurt, Cecil (January 1, 1983). "SEC strikes out". Tuscaloosa News. Alabama. p. 10.
    2. ↑ "Louthan, Falcons ground Irish, 30-17". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. wire services. November 21, 1982. p. 7F.
    3. ↑ "Air Force 30, Notre Dame 17". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. Associated Press. November 21, 1982. p. 2B.
    4. ↑ "Air Force gets bowl invitation". Deseret News. Salt Lake City, Utah. Associated Press. November 22, 1982. p. 2D. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
    5. 1 2 3 "Louthan flies, so do Falcons". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. staff and wire services. January 1, 1983. p. 1B.
    6. 1 2 3 "Unsung lads hit high note". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. January 1, 1983. p. 17.
    7. ↑ "Football Schedule/Results: 1982-1983". Air Force Athletics. Archived from the original on October 8, 2013. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
    8. ↑ "1982 Air Force Falcons Schedule and Results". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
    9. ↑ "Gunter keys Tulsa, 35–17". The Star-Ledger. September 5, 1982. Retrieved February 19, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
    10. ↑ Dave Distel (September 12, 1982). "Aztecs Can't Stop an Air Force Bomb -- or the Wishbone". The Los Angeles Times (San Diego County ed.). Los Angeles, California. p. III-1. Retrieved January 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
    11. ↑ "Tech rallies past Air Force, 31–30". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. September 19, 1982. Retrieved February 19, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
    12. ↑ "Air Force soars over BYU 39–38". The State. September 26, 1982. Retrieved February 19, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
    13. ↑ "Lobos win wild game with AFA". Albuquerque Journal. October 3, 1982. Retrieved February 19, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
    14. ↑ "Middies fall to Air Force". Daily Press. October 10, 1982. Retrieved February 19, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
    15. ↑ "Colorado State grounds Air Force". The Santa Fe New Mexican. October 17, 1982. Retrieved February 19, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
    16. ↑ "Falcons strafe Miners 35–7". The El Paso Times. October 24, 1982. Retrieved February 19, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
    17. ↑ "Falcons soar past Pokes". The Billings Gazette. October 31, 1982. Retrieved February 19, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
    18. ↑ "Air Force grounds Army with rushing attack, 27–9". The Journal News. November 7, 1982. Retrieved February 19, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
    19. ↑ "Summary Of Football Game Game Statistics—Home Team (Army vs. Air Force)" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
    20. ↑ "Irish butted out of bowl by Falcons". The South Bend Tribune. November 21, 1982. Retrieved February 19, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
    21. ↑ "Hawaii finds winning formula". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. November 28, 1982. Retrieved February 19, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
    22. ↑ "Schedule/Results (1982 Air Force)". NCAA Football. National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
    source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_Air_Force_Falcons_football_team