Academy officials name 2007 Distinguished Graduates Published Oct. 30, 2007 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFPN) -- A four-time NBA championship winning coach and a former president of National Defense University were named the recipients of the Academy's 2007 Distinguished Graduate Award. The U.S. Air Force Academy and the Academy's Association of Graduates announced Oct. 30 that Gregg Popovich and retired Lt. Gen. Ervin J. Rokke earned this prestigious honor for their singular and distinctive contributions to society and the nation. Mr. Popovich, currently the executive vice president of basketball operations and head coach of the NBA champion San Antonio Spurs, is a 1970 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He played basketball all four years at the Academy and served nine years on active duty using his degree in Soviet Studies while serving tours in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. He returned to the Academy to serve as assistant coach of the basketball team for six years before moving on to be a successful coach in the NBA. He has led the Spurs to four NBA championships (1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007) in his 11 seasons as the team's head coach. Heading into the 2007-2008 season, Mr. Popovich has a career winning percentage of .676, which ranks third in NBA history, behind only Phil Jackson and Billy Cunningham. General Rokke graduated from the Academy in 1962. His professional career involved multiple assignments in the intelligence community, both in the U.S. and overseas, and five tours at the Academy. His USAFA tours started in 1970 as an instructor in the Department of Political Science. In later tours, General Rokke progressed to associate professor, to chairman of instruction, to assistant dean of faculty, to permanent professor and head of the political science department, and finally as the dean of faculty from 1983 to 1986. His last active duty position was president, National Defense University in Washington, D.C., before retiring July 1, 1997. Dr. Rokke currently serves as the chair for character and leadership at the Academy. The Distinguished Graduate Award began in 2001 and is presented by the superintendent of the Academy and the chairman of the AOG to USAFA graduates whose lifetime of achievement is of such significance as to set them apart from their contemporaries. The purpose of the award is to: * Recognize outstanding performance by graduates who have demonstrated a lifetime of service to the nation * Promote the Air Force Academy and its graduates * Promote and increase awareness of graduate heritage among alumni and cadets In addition to honoring these two distinguished graduates, Academy officials also will honor retired Lt. Gen. Robert Beckel, Class of 1959, and retired Maj. Gen. Edward Mechenbier, Class of 1964, who were the Distinguished Graduates for 2006, but had their ceremony cancelled last year due to a snowstorm. The distinguished graduates will be honored as a part of the Academy's Founders Day dinner on April 4, 2008. (Courtesy of U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs) Comment on this story (comments may be published on Air Force Link) View the comments/letters page