President presents trophy to academy team

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. A.J. Bosker
  • Air Force Print News
WASHINGTON --  President Bush presented the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy to senior cadets of the Air Force Academy football team during a May 16 ceremony in the White House.

The trophy is presented annually to the service academy football team that bests its academy rivals in collegiate football. The Air Force Academy Fighting Falcons have gone undefeated against Army and Navy since 1996.

“I’m proud to welcome back to the White House the Air Force Academy Falcons who have now won the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy for the sixth consecutive year and the 16th time overall,” Bush said.

“The football rivalry amongst our military academies is one of the greatest traditions in our nation,” the president told the cadets. “And the qualities that you learn on the football field will serve our nation in good stead after you graduate.”

Head football coach Fisher DeBerry agreed.

“These gentlemen possess great character and leadership qualities,” DeBerry said. “I’m just honored that the president would take the time to present his trophy to such an outstanding group of young men.”

Although proud to welcome the team as football stars and champions, Bush said he was even more proud to be able to reassure fellow Americans that people of high caliber, quality and skill will serve in the nation’s defense during such a dangerous time, allowing him to predict that the “United States of America will win the war on terror.”

“The skills you have learned on the football field and at the Air Force Academy are going to be necessary skills to protect the American people from the true threats of the 21st century,” Bush said.