Air Force football coach Fisher DeBerry retires

Dec 15, 2006 - 8:42 PM COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (Ticker) -- After spending more than two decades at Air Force, Fisher DeBerry finally called it quits.

DeBerry announced his resignation as football coach at a news conference on Friday.

DeBerry, 68, guided Air Force to a 4-8 record this past season, his 23rd at the academy. He had the third-longest tenure among active coaches, trailing only Hall of Famers Joe Paterno of Penn State (41 years) and Bobby Bowden of Florida State (31 years).

"There comes a time in every man's life when you have to look at the big picture and decide what's the best thing for your family," DeBerry said in a statement. "After 27 exciting and wonderful years here at the Academy and a total of 44 years of coaching, I am announcing my retirement from active coaching."

The national coach of the year in 1985 and a three-time Western Athletic Conference coach of the year, DeBerry owns a career record of 169-109-1.

"It's been a good ride," he said. "I thank from the bottom of my heart all my players and my fellow coaches over my tenure for their commitment to excellence and high expectations."

DeBerry, who also served four years as an assistant at Air Force, dominated the matchups with other service academies. He owns a career record of 35-11 against Army and Navy, guiding Air Force to 14 Commander-in-Chief's Trophies.

"We respect the military so much and the mission of the Academy, and I have felt football is one of the most important leadership training opportunities here," he said. "We have been blessed and privileged to have had the opportunity to coach the finest young people in America and work daily with the best coaches in NCAA football."