Troy Calhoun describes his upbringing in Roseburg, Oregon, as resembling an arranged marriage when it came to his allegiance to a college football team. “I didn’t really have a say in the matter,” said the Air Force football coach, explaining that his support for Oregon State was largely determined by his parents and their location. “My parents attended high school just about eight miles from the Oregon State campus. My dad has been to over 200 Oregon State football games and every single spring game. My mom currently lives just half a mile from the stadium—literally five blocks away.
“That was pretty much forced knowledge.”
Calhoun was born in McMinnville, Oregon, roughly an hour north of Oregon State’s Corvallis campus. His family relocated to Roseburg, about two hours to the south, when he was three years old.
In high school, Calhoun’s coach, Thurman Bell, was part of Oregon State’s 1964 Rose Bowl team, which marked the last time the Beavers reached the Rose Bowl. Bell coached at Roseburg from 1971 to 2015, achieving an impressive record of 332-154-1, the second-best in Oregon high school football history. Calhoun graduated from Roseburg High in 1985.
Despite his strong ties to Oregon, Calhoun chose not to attend college in his home state, instead enrolling at the Air Force Academy as part of the 1989 graduating class—a decision largely influenced by his mother, Joan, an emergency room nurse.
“My mom basically told me, ‘There’s no option here. You’re going to the Air Force Academy,’” Calhoun recalled.
His younger sister, Callie, followed a similar path, running track and graduating from Air Force in 1991, where she earned six individual NCAA titles in cross country and track and field.
While the Calhoun family has deep ties to both institutions, Air Force has never played against Oregon State—until now. That will change at 1:30 p.m. Saturday when the Falcons (2-7) host the Beavers (4-5) in their final home game of the season.
Despite his family’s strong loyalty to Oregon State, Calhoun is confident that they will fully support Air Force during this week’s matchup.
“They will,” he affirmed. “Blood runs thick.”
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