The COVID-19 pandemic threatens the 2020 college football season, but it’s not stopping Fisher DeBerry, Air Force’s retired coach, from calling an audible.
The 82-year-old coach, a College Football Hall of Famer, has been forced to join the virtual world. If that’s what it takes to continue raising money through the Fisher DeBerry Foundation, a joint effort with his wife, Lu Ann, then he’s learning how to use 21st century technology. He may not understand it, but he’s pushing the right buttons.
There are two events in the next two weeks through the magic of the Internet. The 12th annual Colorado Coaches for Charities is July 28, the 11th annual South Carolina Coaches for Charity Event is Aug. 6.
COLORADO COACHES FOR CHARITY, hosted by @MJBuffsVoice, is one week away! This Virtual event is FREE.
Just RSVP here, https://t.co/J29coHsUcD, then tune in on Tuesday, July 28 at 6:30pm MT!@CoachAddazio @CoachTCalhoun @k_dorrell @87ed @CoachWristen pic.twitter.com/IozMMAETot
— Coach Fisher DeBerry (@FisherDeBerry) July 21, 2020
Both raise money to send kids from single-parent family homes to camps as well as the coaches’ preferred charities. Although the pandemic canceled camps this summer, funds are being rolled over to next year.
“Doing this virtually is definitely a new experience,” DeBerry said. “But we still have so many coaches like Dabo Swinney and players like John Elway, Peyton Manning and Chad Hennings involved.
“Last year (Carolina Panthers running back) Christian McCaffery signed 30 helmets for us we were able to sell. We feel we’ve made a difference in kids’ lives. It’s something for me and my wife to do to keep busy in our old ages.”
DeBerry, Air Force’s all-time winningest coach, is from Cherwa, South Carolina, so normally he would make a trip to his home state for the South Carolina event. The same with being in Denver – he and his wife live in Oklahoma to be near their children and grandchildren – for the Colorado event.
The events will feature messages from coaches and silent auctions.
The South Carolina coaches are Swinney, Clemson; Will Muschamp, South Carolina; Josh Conklin, Wofford (DeBerry’s alma mater); Clay Hendrix, Furman; Brent Thompson, The Cidadel; and Buddy Pugh, South Carolina State.
The Colorado coaches are Troy Calhoun, Air Force; Karl Dorrall, Colorado; Steve Addazio, Colorado State; Ed McCaffrey, Northern Colorado; John Wristen, CSU-Pueblo.
DeBerry launched the his foundation in 2002 prior to retiring. He was Air Force’s head coach for 19 years and at the academy 23 overall. He succeeded Ken Hatfield as the head coach in 1984 and compiled a career record of 169-109-1 with 12 bowl trips through 2006.
He didn’t have to search long for a cause. He grew up in a single-parent family, but his financially-strapped mother did the best she could to keep him involved in sports. DeBerry’s Foundation has funded camp tuition for 5,000 kids from single-parent families.
The website for DeBerry’s foundation, fisherdeberryfoundation.org, has a drop down window that highlights studies about single-parent homes face. One shows that 1 in 4 kids are raised without a father or mother and of those families 7 of 10 are a single mother with poor or low income.
“If we can get kids that can’t pay for tuition to a camp, they’ll have a chance to get some good coaching and assess their abilities,” DeBerry said. “Most importantly, we hope they learn integrity and develop character through sports. Hopefully as they get older they’ll five back to their schools. We all know what is going on in public education. They can have a big influence on the hearts and souls of schools.”
DeBerry influenced more than Air Force’s success in football and graduating hundreds of future officers. His triple-option offense provided the blueprint that has rejuvenated all three academy programs. Air Force, Navy and Army have all earned Top 25 rankings and bowl victories in recent seasons. Air Force was in an out or flirting with the Top 25 most years.
The Falcons also upset Top 25 teams and routinely gave others fits.
Academy football went into a decline from the late 1960s due to a shrinking talent pool from a 1-2 punch of the Vietnam quagmire and escalating pro salaries. The Falcons finished in the top 25 four times, No. 5 in 1985; No. 24, 1991; No. 25, 1997; and No. 10, 1998.
The unpredictable of the triple-option has helped level the playing field for the academies.
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Tom Shanahan, Author: Raye of Light http://tinyurl.com/knsqtqu
— Book on Michigan State’s leading role in the integration of college football. It explains Duffy Daugherty’s untold pioneering role and debunks myths that steered recognition away from him to Bear Bryant.
http://shanahan.report/a/the-case-for-duffy-and-medal-of-freedom
Don’t believe the myths at Duffy Daugherty’s expense about Bear Bryant’s motivation to play the 1970 USC-Alabama game or myths about the Charlie Thornhill-for-Joe Namath trade. Bear Bryant knew nothing about black talent in the South while he dragged his feet on segregation.
http://www.shanahan.report/a/forty-four-underground-railroad-legacy-facts
http://shanahan.report/a/myths-that-grew-out-of-1970-alabama-game-with-usc
http://shanahan.report/a/mystery-solved-in-thornhill-and-namath-myth
David Maraniss, Pulitzer Prize winner and biographer; “History writes people out of the story. It’s our job to write them back in.”
https://www.augustpublications.com/products/raye-of-light-jimmy-raye-duffy-daugherty-the-integration-of-college-football-and-the-1965-66-michigan-state-spartans
https://www.augustpublications.com/
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