After former Air Force Falcons head coach Fisher DeBerry retired at the end of the 2006 season, an eventual trip to the College Football Hall of Fame seemed in the calling. That call came in 2011, when DeBerry was elected with former Michigan Wolverines coach Lloyd Carr and 14 others to the hall of fame.
In 23 seasons as the Falcons' head coach, DeBerry guided the team to a 169-109-1 in 279 games. In 1985 his Falcons were as high as No. 4 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll and finished at No. 8 following a 24-16 victory over Texas in the Bluebonnet Bowl. The DeBerry Falcons would finish the season in the AP Top 25 twice more after that season, in 1991 (No. 25, 10-3) and in 1998 (No. 13, 12-1).
In 2002, DeBerry led the team to a 6-0 start and a No. 18 ranking on the AP poll before facing a 6-0 Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish sent the Falcons to defeat, 21-14. The Falcons finished 8-5 and lost in the San Francisco Bowl. He would coach four more seasons and be the center of controversy over racial remarks he made.
Fisher is widely connected with the triple-option offense, which has been a staple at the Academy and has continued into Troy Calhoun's tenure as head coach. He won three WAC titles and three WAC Coach of the Year Awards.
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