DENVER -- Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry, a self-described "tough old bird," said Tuesday he plans to stay on with the Falcons despite the troubles he has brought upon himself the last two years, both on and off the field.
"I've been disappointed over some of the issues that have arisen," he said at his weekly news conference. "My expectations were always very, very high. The day they are not high, then I would feel I would be cheating our staff, the institution and our players."
But, to listen to the 67-year-old coach tell it, there's still reason to be optimistic about the future at Air Force. The Falcons (3-7) play at New Mexico on Saturday where, win or lose, they'll complete the first back-to-back losing seasons in DeBerry's 22 years at the academy.
DeBerry made things difficult on himself last month when, after a 48-10 loss to TCU, he said Air Force didn't have enough "Afro-American" players, who he singled out for being able to run well.
He was criticized for the statements. The next day, he was reprimanded by top brass at the academy and offered a public apology. That episode came about a year after he was asked to remove a banner from the locker room that displayed the "Competitor's Creed," including the lines "I am a Christian first and last ... I am a member of Team Jesus Christ."
DeBerry said none of the off-the-field problems have bothered him much.
"It's not been difficult for me at all personally," he said. "I'm a tough old bird. I can handle a lot of things."
More discomforting has been the performance on the field.
The Falcons lost three straight early in the year to fall out of the Mountain West Conference picture. They lost to Army two weeks ago to suffer only their fourth sweep at the hands of their military rivals since 1972.
Special teams, normally a strength of DeBerry's Air Force squads, have been rough -- opponents have blocked three punts -- while the defense has struggled, allowing a conference-high 458 yards a game.
The solution to much of it: Get better players. In the recently completed bye week, DeBerry worked the recruiting trail, hoping to keep prospects interested in playing at one of the most unique settings in college football. Recruiting to Air Force has never been easy -- how many 6-foot-3, 300-pound linemen can fit into a cockpit? -- and that has made DeBerry's 164-101-1 record over 22 seasons that much more impressive.
"We feel it's been a very productive time for us and feel, in spite of the season, that what we've had there is a lot of strong interest in the Academy," he said. "Even though the season hasn't gone the way we wanted it to, we are still a nationally respected program and a very competitive one."
DeBerry is under contract through 2009 and sounded no signs of wanting to step down.
"When you don't meet your expectations, that doesn't mean you go out and commit suicide," he said. "You evaluate what you're doing and look to see how you do it better and hopefully, the next year, the ball will bounce your way."
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