Friday's ceremony at Falcon Stadium drew one of the larger reunions in recent Air Force football memory, as officials, family, and alumni came together to permanently mark the legacy of the coach who shaped the program across more than two decades on the sideline.
The event brought out DeBerry's wife, Luann, the couple's extended family down to great-grandchildren, and a large gathering of former Falcon players, all present as the statue was revealed at the stadium's east entrance — a building where DeBerry served as head coach for 26 seasons. The bronze depicts him with arms raised in a touchdown pose, a rendering he suggested may have been somewhat flattering to his physique, though he quipped that the monument would "scare a lot of our opponents."
DeBerry, a College Football Hall of Fame inductee who compiled 169 victories at Air Force, said his first reaction when approached about the project — connected to a fundraising effort for the football program — was to decline. He recalled pushing back on organizers, saying: "No, that's not necessary. I had my time and glory. I don't want to do anything to interfere with coach Troy and his program, and the great job that they're doing." After being persuaded that his participation would benefit the program rather than distract from it, the project moved forward, culminating in an afternoon gathering that pulled together a broad cross-section of Air Force football alumni spanning the 1980s through the 2000s.
The attendee list included two former NFL players — Chad Hennings and Bryce Fisher — along with three current program assistants, Mike Thiessen, Jake Campbell, and Steed Lobotzke, as well as College Football Playoff executive director Rich Clark, each of whom had played under DeBerry. Clark suited up for DeBerry during the coach's first two seasons and later rose to the rank of lieutenant general before serving as the Academy's superintendent. He said the coach's influence extended well beyond wins and losses. "I just appreciate him as a man," Clark said. "He represents what this academy represents, because for him it was about winning football games, but it was more about developing leaders and creating people that could go out and serve our country in a variety of different ways — people that had character."
Current head coach Troy Calhoun, interim athletic director and Air Force Academy Athletic Corporation chief executive Nancy Hixson, and Mark Hille, who leads the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation, each took a turn at the podium to recognize DeBerry's contributions. Calhoun, a 1989 Air Force graduate who played quarterback under DeBerry, told the coach: "I just want to say on behalf of everyone here, all the former players, former coaches, everybody, how blessed we are that you've impacted our life."
Academy superintendent Lt. Gen. Paul Moga addressed the DeBerry family directly, and the afternoon featured repeated recognition that Luann DeBerry — the coach's wife of 61 years — was regarded as the true driving force of the family.
Ceremony host Jim Arthur, the play-by-play voice of Air Force football and men's basketball on 740 AM KVOR, produced what he called "The List" — a compilation of 189 sayings attributed to DeBerry that, according to program lore, had been quietly preserved and passed from one team roster to the next. The best-known entry was one DeBerry repeated at the ceremony himself: "If you see a turtle on a fence post, just remember one thing — he didn't get there by himself."
The 88-year-old DeBerry summed up the occasion in brief remarks to the Gazette, saying: "I'm overwhelmed. We've been blessed."
The total fundraising goal tied to the statue project has not been publicly announced, and the final amount raised for the Air Force football program remains to be seen.