1998 Air Force Falcons football team

1998 Air Force Falcons football
WAC champion WAC Mountain Division champion Oahu Bowl champion
WAC Championship Game, W 20–13 vs. BYU
Oahu Bowl, W 43–25 vs Washington
Conference	Western Athletic Conference
Division	Mountain Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 10
AP	No. 13
Record	12–1 (7–1 WAC)
Head coach	Fisher DeBerry (15th season)
Offensive scheme	Wishbone triple option
Co-defensive coordinators	Richard Bell (4th season) Cal McCombs (9th season)
Base defense	3–4
Captains	Blane Morgan Jemal Singleton Tim Curry Jason Sanderson
Home stadium	Falcon Stadium
Seasons ←  1997 1999  →

1998 Western Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Mountain Division
No. 13 Air Force x$		7	–	1					12	–	1
Wyoming		6	–	2					8	–	3
Colorado State		5	–	3					8	–	4
Rice		5	–	3					5	–	6
TCU		4	–	4					7	–	5
Tulsa		2	–	6					4	–	7
SMU		1	–	1					0	–	1
UNLV		0	–	8					0	–	11
Pacific Division
BYU xy		7	–	1					9	–	5
San Diego State x		7	–	1					7	–	5
Utah		5	–	3					7	–	4
Fresno State		5	–	3					5	–	6
San Jose State		3	–	5					4	–	8
UTEP		3	–	5					3	–	8
New Mexico		1	–	7					3	–	9
Hawaii		0	–	8					0	–	12
Championship: Air Force 20, BYU 13
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

The 1998 Air Force Falcons football team represented the United States Air Force Academy as a member of the Mountain Division of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by 15th-year head coach Fisher DeBerry, the Falcons compiled an overall record of 12–1 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, winning the WAC Mountain Division title. Air Force advanced to the WAC Championship Game, where the Falcons defeated BYU to secure the conference title. The team was then invited to the Oahu Bowl, defeating Washington. Air Force played home games at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colorado

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 5	Wake Forest *		Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO	ESPN2	W 42–0	47,972	[1]
September 12	at UNLV		Sam Boyd Stadium Whitney, NV		W 52–10	20,279
September 17	Colorado State		Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO (rivalry)		W 30–27	50,115
September 26	at TCU	No. 23	Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, TX		L 34–35	26,418
October 3	New Mexico		Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO		W 56–14	43,575
October 10	Navy *		Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy)		W 49–7	54,562
October 24	at Tulsa		Skelly Stadium Tulsa, OK		W 42–21	21,763
October 31	SMU		Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO		W 31–7	30,053
November 7	at Army *	No. 25	Michie Stadium West Point, NY		W 35–7	40,843
November 14	at No. 25 Wyoming	No. 23	War Memorial Stadium Laramie, WY		W 10–3	29,197
November 21	Rice	No. 20	Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO		W 22–16	47,647
December 5	vs. BYU *	No. 17	Sam Boyd Stadium Whitney, NV (WAC Championship Game)	ABC	W 20–13	32,745
December 25	vs. Washington *	No. 16	Aloha Stadium Halawa, HI (Oahu Bowl)	ESPN	W 43–25	46,451
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^{[2] [3]}

Rankings

See also: 1998 NCAA Division I-A football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	—	—	RV	23T	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	25	23	20	18	17	16	13
Coaches Poll	—	—	RV	23	RV	RV	RV	RV	23	21	20	17	14	13	13	10
BCS	Not released								—	—	—	18	16	—	—	Not released

Roster

1998 Air Force Falcons football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Ben Miller Pos. # Name Class OL Frank Mindrup Sr QB 11 Blane Morgan Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Fisher DeBerry Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

Awards and honors

Frank Mindrup

• Third-team All-American (AFF)
• Second-team All-WAC

NFL draft

Main article: 1999 NFL draft

The following Falcon was selected in the National Football League draft following the season. ^[4]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL team
7	248	Bryce Fisher	Defensive end	Buffalo Bills

References

1. "Air Force ambush humbles Wake". St. Petersburg Times. September 6, 1998. Retrieved July 27, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
2. "1998 Air Force Falcons Schedule and Results". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference . Retrieved April 28, 2025.
3. "1998 Football Schedule". United States Air Force Academy . Retrieved April 28, 2025.
4. "1999 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 23, 2023.