Greatest deal in town: Air Force Falcon football Published Aug. 18, 2010 By Col. John C. Sell 21st Medical Group commander PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- It's one of the greatest deals that I can ever remember. It ranks right up there when watching television was free, having someone at the gas station fill up your tank while cleaning your windows at no extra cost; being served a hot meal while sitting in coach on an airline; purchasing a New York strip steak dinner for two bucks in Las Vegas, and yes getting your prescribed medications at the local military treatment facility without being charged a co-pay. What is this great deal? It's Air Force Academy football - without question the greatest deal and value in all of college sports throughout the country. Think I'm kidding? Check it out. Season ticket prices cost $60 a person. This isn't a typo. Not 60 bucks for a ticket for one game - $60 for a season ticket which means you get to see Division 1 teams like the Colorado State Rams, BYU Cougars, New Mexico Lobos, Utah Utes and the inter-service game with the Midshipmen of the Naval Academy. Got a family of four or are able to split four season tickets? Then the price drop to just $50 a person for the entire six home game football season. That's less than $8.50 to watch a college football game live! What is this - April Fools Day? Col. Billy "The Mayor" Walker, deputy director, Air Force Academy Athletic Department and close friend tells me you can also purchase individual tickets on-line for as low as five bucks. "Falcon football is an entertainment value second to none," Colonel Walker said. That's an understatement. Here's a sampling of season ticket prices around the area and country for comparable seat locations for Division 1 college football. Colorado State in Fort Collins $125 - $225 dollars; Colorado Boulder $235; Arizona $165; Wisconsin ($49 per game). There is no comparison when it comes to value and affordability for Air Force football. A few years ago I flew out to South Bend, Ind., with Colonel Walker to watch the Air Force Falcons play (and soundly beat) the Fighting Irish. We drove up to the campus and were greeted by the parking lot attendant with his bright orange vest, a smile on his face, and his hand out - "That will be $20 for parking, sir." Ah, what the heck, I thought, it will give me the chance to drive through the historic Notre Dame campus, take in the golden domes, hear the echoes of Knute Rockne, and nod to "Touchdown Jesus" as I drive up to my premium parking slot right next to the football stadium. Think again. We were directed to park somewhere near Indianapolis (or was it Dayton) and hiked well over a mile (one way). You would think they would have provided a taxi service from where they made us park our car. On the contrary, at Falcon Stadium, there is ample parking within the distance of a driver and a pitching wedge with easy access onto and exiting the Air Force Academy. Get there early enough and you can hear the band play as the players disembark the team bus and walk into the stadium while the cheerleaders yell. Hold on, I forgot to mention one other thing - parking is free! There is no cost to park your car. I'm not making this up - I promise. I hope someone from Notre Dame is reading this. There's more. You'll get goose bumps and your heart will swell with pride as you watch about a thousand cadets, future leaders in our Air Force, march into the stadium and onto the field in formation by their respective squadron, their cadence and movement in unison, all symmetrically in place before the first note of the national anthem. I remember watching my friend, Mike Viola visiting from Prior Lake, Minn., being mesmerized by the cadet march-on last year - his eyes filled with tears - another proud American witnessing this great Air Force Academy tradition. Next thing you know high above the stadium, the Air Force Academy Jump Team are parachuting around the sky before the last one of them, with the American Flag flying behind him, lands on the football field (some right on the 50 yard line) with thousands of fans cheering them on - how cool is that? Then, just moments before the opening kickoff, there's a military flyover by one of the many high powered jets in the Air Force arsenal while flames shoot from their afterburners and the roaring "sound of freedom" shakes the stadium as it rips straight up into the stratosphere. And that's just the pregame! All this is well and good but there is one thing I've neglected to talk about and that is the quality of the Air Force Falcon football team - pound for pound they are as good as any team playing college football. Starting his fourth year as the head football coach of the Air Force Academy, Coach Troy Calhoun and his staff have these future Air Force officers compete at a very high level, boasting a 25-14 overall record and a 16-8 Mountain West Conference record over the past three years. They thumped the favored Houston Cougars in last year's Armed Forces Bowl and beat the nationally ranked TCU Horned Frogs in a Thursday night thriller back in 2007 - arguably one of the most exciting games at Falcon Stadium. The cadets, who make up the football team, are normally out-sized in both weight and height, but Coach Calhoun has countered that with a crisp game plan, detailed execution and well-conditioned athletes who are big on both smarts and heart. How can't you come out and cheer for these guys? "The Air Force Academy football team is the Air Force's football team as well as the hometown team for the entire Colorado Springs community. You won't find a better way to spend a beautiful fall afternoon than to come out to Falcon Stadium, enjoy the sights, the sounds, and the action of Air Force Falcon football," added Colonel Walker. I couldn't agree more. Air Force opens their 2010 football season against Northwestern State on Sept. 4 - see you at Falcon Stadium.