Position coaching staff for Air Force football now complete

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U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFNEWS) --  Air Force head football coach Troy Calhoun completed his position coaching staff Jan. 17 with the hiring of Clay Hendrix and the retention of Ron Burton. Hendrix will coach the offensive line while Burton will remain as the defensive line coach.

Hendrix comes to Air Force after completing 19 seasons at NCAA I-AA Furman as the offensive line coach, including the last five as assistant head coach. He was also a member of the American Football Coaches Association I-AA Coaches' Executive Committee while at the school.

Since joining the staff in 1988, he played a central role in Furman's success as his offensive lines helped the Paladins post a 147-73-1 record, win six Southern Conference titles, and claim the 1988 NCAA I-AA national crown.

The success Furman has enjoyed over the last seven years, including a combined 65-24 record and three league titles, has been due in large measure to the work of Hendrix-directed fronts. In 2001 a line featuring three All-Americans paved the way for consensus All-America and 2000 Walter Payton Award winning tailback Louis Ivory to record his third-straight 1,000-yard season and finish as Furman's all-time leading rusher (5,353 yards) and scorer (318 points).

In 2004, three Paladin offensive linemen earned post-season honors, including tackle Ben Bainbridge, who became the latest Hendrix product to garner prestigious SoCon Jacobs Blocking Award honors, and a year ago two Paladins, guard Patrick Covington and center Corey Stewart, landed All-America citations; two others, guard Brian Laggis and tackle John Kivett, were named all-conference.

In terms of recognition, 23 Hendrix-coached players have earned first-team all-conference honors and 11 have been named All-America. In addition, center Steve Duggan (1990), guard Ben Hall (1999), tackle Josh Moore (2000), tackle Donnie Littlejohn (2001), and Ben Bainbridge (2004), have received the Southern Conference's Jacobs Blocking Award.

A native of Commerce, Ga., he starred as an offensive guard as a prep, helping Commerce to a 13-1 record and 1981 AA state championship.

A 1986 Furman graduate, he was a three-year starter from 1982-85 when Furman rolled up a 39-10-1 record. He also played on three league title teams and four nationally ranked squads, including the 1985 national runner-up team. Furman also recorded wins over South Carolina (1982), Georgia Tech (1983), and N.C. State (1984 and 1985) during his tenure. He was named all-state in 1985.

Following graduation, he joined Dick Sheridan's coaching staff at North Carolina State as a graduate assistant before returning to Furman in 1988.

Burton just completed his fourth year at the academy as the defensive line coach.

In his four seasons, Burton helped the defensive line become a force for the Falcon defense. Burton has coached two of the academy's finest to play the position in Monty Coleman, an honorable mention all-conference performer, and two-time academic All-American Ryan Carter. He has also been instrumental in the development of Gilberto Perez, considered to be one of the key factors in the Falcon defense last season.

Before coming to the academy, Burton was the defensive line coach at Grand Valley State and helped the school to the NCAA Division II national championship in 2002, the first in school history. GVSU was a perfect 14-0 in Burton's first season at the school. Before his stint at GVSU, Burton was the linebackers coach at Indiana for five seasons (1997-01) where he was responsible for the development of two Butkus Award nominees, Justin Smith and Jabar Robinson.

Burton was a four-year letterman at the University of North Carolina (1982-86), where he made three bowl appearances and was named team captain and best defensive lineman as a senior. His eight sacks during the 1986 season presently ties him for seventh on UNC's single-season sack list.

Burton played in the 1982 Sun Bowl, the 1983 Peach Bowl and the 1986 Aloha Bowl while he was at North Carolina. He graduated in 1987 with a degree in industrial relations.

Moving on to the next level, Burton spent four seasons playing linebacker in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys (1987-89), Phoenix Cardinals (1989) and the Los Angeles Raiders (1990). He started 15 games in 1988 at outside linebacker for the Cowboys. While playing for Los Angeles, Burton was on the team that played in the 1990 AFC Championship Game.

After spending two seasons as a graduate assistant for North Carolina, Burton took his first full-time assistant coaching position at Morehead State in 1994. He worked with the defensive backs for one season and then went to Eastern Michigan where he served two seasons as the linebackers coach.

Burton was an all-state, all-district and all-region selection as an outside linebacker at Highland Springs High School (Va.). He was also named the prep player of the year in 1982. He is a native of Highland Springs, Va.

The Air Force coaching staff is complete in terms of position coaches. The program is still in search of two assistant coaching positions that are designated as military assistants. Those positions will be filled at a later date.

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