WINGS TO SOAR
How the ’84 Bolt Brothers Transformed Air Force Football
– Ken Hatfield
MEET THE AUTHOR
TED SUNDQUIST
Ted Sundquist is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, Class of 1984, receiving a Bachelors of Science with an emphasis in Soviet Area Studies, and graduated with Military Honors. A four year letterman on the Falcon football team, Sundquist was a member of the ’82 Hall of Fame Bowl and ’83 Independence Bowl Champions. He has a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Colorado – Colorado Springs.
As a Signals Intelligence Officer, Sundquist was stationed in Berlin, Germany during the Cold War, then later returned to the Academy as an Assistant Football Coach & Head Coach of the USAFA Prep School.
After an eight year career in the USAF, he worked for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League as a Personnel Assistant, Director of College Scouting, and General Manager, and was in the front office when the Broncos captured Back-to-Back Super Bowl Championships in ’97 & ’98.
Sundquist was on the board of National Football Scouting, Inc. and played a pivotal role on its Committee to hire a new Executive Director. He served on the Selection Committee for the annual NFL Combine, and represented the Broncos in various capacities with the NFL’s league office.
After sixteen seasons in Denver, Sundquist sat on the Board of Directors for the AFA Athletic Foundation, and later held the role of Director of Player Personnel for the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League.
He has worked in television and radio as a commentator and gameday analyst, with appearances on ESPN, CBS Sports, The Mountain West Sports Network, Mountain West Football, and KOA Radio. His own website, The Football Educator, covered topics across the game of football for two seasons.
Sundquist’s passion for the sport led to a revolutionary idea in virtual reality. Taking concepts of immersive training for USAF pilots and applying the same techniques to quarterbacks, his efforts would lead to a U.S. patent and the founding of Sports Virtual Training Systems, Inc.
He authored the book Taking Your Team To The Top, How to build and manage great teams like the pros (McGraw-Hill), looking to pass on the knowledge, skills, and motivation used to replicate the same success he’s had in and around the game of football.
A member of the United States National Bobsled Team, he participated in the ’88 Calgary Olympic Trials and raced for the U.S. National Team for four seasons.
Ted Sundquist is a native of Houston, Texas, and he and his wife Amy now reside in Parker, Colorado.
“To me, the ultimate merit of any sports program is having the individual taking something good from it and applying it in his own life to make him a better person.” – Ken Hatfield
BOOK SYNOPSIS
“It’s not the offense you run, but the players. That’s what won the game for us today” – Ken Hatfield
In Colorado Springs, 130 new members of the Air Force Academy’s Class of ’84 had just begun their collective journeys as FALCON football players.
Second-year Head Coach – Ken Hatfield was looking for a “jump start” to transform a struggling program. The Falcons were exiting their independent status within the NCAA and entering into the Western Athletic Conference as its newest member.
The change would also bring a move away from a traditional look on the field and the introduction of the triple option “wishbone” attack under the highly energetic and quotable Offensive Coordinator – Fisher DeBerry. Close to a dozen freshmen were immediately thrust into action, and I was one of those fortunate “Doolies”.
The Class of ’84 would take their lumps in that first season as FALCONS (2-9-1), but would finish four years later with much to show for the effort;
• Ranked 13th in the nation (Final AP Coach’s poll)
• Win consecutive Commander-In-Chief’s Trophies (defeat ARMY/NAVY)
• Defeat Notre Dame back to back seasons (HOME/AWAY)
• Win consecutive Bowl Games over SEC opponents (Hall of Fame & Independence)
BIOS FOR TED SUNDQUIST
SHORT
Ted Sundquist is a USAFA graduate (’84) and a four year letterman for the Falcons, co-captain his senior season (10-2 & 13th national ranking). He had a 16 year NFL Front Office Executive career with the Denver Broncos (’92 – ‘08), a back-to-back Super Bowl Champion (’97 & ‘98).
MEDIUM
Ted Sundquist is a USAFA graduate (’84) and a four year letterman for the Falcons, co-captain his senior season (10-2 & 13th national ranking). He coached for the program in ‘84, and ‘87 – ‘92, the last two seasons as Head Coach of USAFA Prep School. From ‘85 – ‘86, he served as an Intelligence Officer (6912th ESG, Berlin, Germany), and was a member of the US National Bobsled Team, competing in the ‘88 Olympic Trials. A 16 year Front Office Executive with the NFL’s Denver Broncos (’92 – ‘08), he was a back-to-back Super Bowl Champion (’97 & ‘98). Sundquist served as the club’s GM from ‘02 – ‘08. He founded Sports Virtual Training Systems, Inc., and was awarded a US Patent for his design of a state-of-the-art, virtual training system for quarterbacks. He is the author of two books; Taking Your Team To The Top – How to manage and train great teams like the pros, and Wings to Soar – How the ‘84 Bolt Brothers Transformed Air Force Football.
LONG
Ted Sundquist is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, Class of 1984, receiving a Bachelors of Science with an emphasis in Soviet Area Studies, and graduated with Military Honors. A four year letterman on the Falcon football team, Sundquist was a member of the ’82 Hall of Fame Bowl and ’83 Independence Bowl Champions. He has a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Colorado – Colorado Springs.
As a Signals Intelligence Officer, Sundquist was stationed in Berlin, Germany during the Cold War, then later returned to the Academy as an Assistant Football Coach & Head Coach of the USAFA Prep School.
After an eight year career in the USAF, he worked for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League as a Personnel Assistant, Director of College Scouting, and General Manager, and was in the front office when the Broncos captured Back-to-Back Super Bowl Championships in ’97 & ’98.
Sundquist was on the board of National Football Scouting, Inc. and played a pivotal role on its Committee to hire a new Executive Director. He served on the Selection Committee for the annual NFL Combine, and represented the Broncos in various capacities with the NFL’s league office.
After sixteen seasons in Denver, Sundquist sat on the Board of Directors for the AFA Athletic Foundation, and later held the role of Director of Player Personnel for the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League.
He has worked in television and radio as a commentator and gameday analyst, with appearances on ESPN, CBS Sports, The Mountain West Sports Network, Mountain West Football, and KOA Radio. His own website, The Football Educator, covered topics across the game of football for two seasons.
Sundquist’s passion for the sport led to a revolutionary idea in virtual reality. Taking concepts of immersive training for USAF pilots and applying the same techniques to quarterbacks, his efforts would lead to a U.S. patent and the founding of Sports Virtual Training Systems, Inc.
He authored the book Taking Your Team To The Top, How to build and manage great teams like the pros (McGraw-Hill), looking to pass on the knowledge, skills, and motivation used to replicate the same success he’s had in and around the game of football.
A member of the United States National Bobsled Team, he participated in the ’88 Calgary Olympic Trials and raced for the U.S. National Team for four seasons.
Ted Sundquist is a native of Houston, Texas, and he and his wife Amy now reside in Parker, Colorado.
“Fifteen victories over the previous six seasons resulted in a culture that had become one of losing, if not indifference. Gazette Telegraph sports editor Ralph Routon noted that this was the best-looking group of size and speed the Academy had recruited in years, and we’d only had one player leave during BCT, perhaps the most encouraging sign to date.” – from Wings to Soar
KEYNOTE SPEAKING
David is a sought-after speaker working in community,
government, and academic settings. He speaks about
working with men as parents, domestic violence-informed
systems change, partnering with domestic violence
survivors, intervening with perpetrators as parents and
how to end mother blaming and father ignoring policy and
practices.
KEYNOTE TOPICS
“Why does she keep choosing
him over her children?” How to
stop blaming mothers, ignoring
fathers and x the way we keep
children safe from domestic
violence
The Four Pillars of “Failure to
Protect” Culture
The Myth of the Child Witness
The Myth of Parental Alienation
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
• What was your motivation to write this book?
• Can you say more about the Six Myths you write about in the book?
• What are the most important messages for practitioners working in the domestic violence sector?
• You say, “Father’s choices and behaviors matter to child, partner, and family functioning.” Pleaseexplain what you mean.
• What do you hope will be the impact of your book?
• You talk about how one of the keys to improving the response to domestic violence and children is the importance of addressing low expectations of men as parents. Can you say what this means and whyit’s so important?
• Can you say more about the importance of the phrase “domestic violence perpetration is parentingchoice?
• What did you learn about yourself as you wrote this book?
• You talk about mother-blaming and father-ignoring in your book; can you explain those concepts tothose unfamiliar?
• For practitioners listening, what is the best advice you can give them to start implementing in their practice for helping someone in crisi today?
• How do you partner with domestic violence survivors?
• What do you say to anyone who says that the book ignores women’s use of violence or violence insame-sex relationships?
What was your motivation to write this book?
In the age of digital media and cable television, with 24/7 coverage of not only college football but all the major collegiate and professional sports, the legacy of accomplishments of the USAFA Class of ‘84, their individual contributions and team success, I believe is being lost with time. My goal was to focus on the transformation of the program (languishing in the shadows of Viet Nam) over the four seasons of our class and its direct relation to the ultimate greater achievements of Air Force Football the four decades since. I was able to tell this story because of the significant contributions of a scrapbook my mother made me over those four seasons. Newspaper articles and pictures captured the raw emotions of the moment. Sportswriters conveyed the inevitable ups and downs of turning around a culture that had become mired in mediocrity and defeat. So much of sports today are covered and critiqued by numerous prognosticators, pundits, and even fans, who have little to no idea of what efforts and sacrifices are made by players, coaches, and staff to prepare and compete fat the major college levels.
Can you say more about the Ten Games you write about in the book?
Coach Ken Hatfield once asked me what I thought were the ten most influential games over that time frame. I believe that every game (win or lose) had an influence on the ultimate transformation. But each of the three games in the first two seasons laid a significant foundation for the historic seven wins in the final two campaigns. There were other battles that certainly deserved mention in the lead up to any one of the ten. Each played pivotal roles in building the momentum of these ten triumphs on the field.
What are the most important messages for readers to take away from Wings to Soar?
They really roll back to the points of my first book, Taking Your Team To The Top. When you stay focused on your goals, unify within the lockerroom, listen to your coaches and team leadership, demand the utmost from yourself and other teammates, success is the enevitable outcome you’ll create, regardless of the final score.
Why is now the right time for this book?
The book came out during the 40th anniversary of our graduation from the Academy. There’s a lot of subsequent history in the Falcon Football Program linking to those years between 1980 and 1983. The Air Force Academy, though younger in years than Army and Navy, has established itself as the premier service academy football program over the past forty-plus seasons. The numbers speak for themselves. I feel Air Force gets lost from the national spotlight when Army and Navy play every year, regardless of their records. When the Falcons have a down year, our fanbase and at times, even the Academy administration begin to question whether or not the program is being properly prepared, and headed in the right direction. Football has played a major role in attracting young athletes towards a career of service in the United States Air Force. Sports in general shine a very bright light on the collegiate institutions they represent. The Air Force Academy is no exception and I want to make sure that folks remember that.
What do you hope will be the impact of your book?
I hope the book brings back the many legacy achievements of the Class of ‘84, and sheds light on the historic number of “firsts” that were made, and that we as a class played a major contribution to; two Commander-in-Chief’s trophies, two wins over Notre Dame, two Bowl victories over SEC opponents. I truly feel the accomplishments, when weighed against the results prior to our class arriving in 1980, are worthy of greater recognition, both from within the Academy and the Athletic Department, and to the outside football world. History plays a major role in reminding you where you’ve been, and hopefully helping you to get where you’re headed.
How did your career prepare you to write this book?
I was a part of the Class of ‘84, and experienced all of those pivotal four seasons. I had my own ups and downs on and off the field, that later contributed to my career in both college and professional football. I came back to coach at Air Force for six seasons, and later built a 16-year career with the NFL’s Denver Broncos, winning two Super Bowl Championships and serving as the Director of College Scouting and General Manager. I also spent four years on the U.S. National Bobsled Team and competed in the 1988 Olympic Trials. All those opportunities created experiences that opened my eyes to why the years of 1980-1983 as a Falcon football player were so very special to me.
What did you learn about yourself as you wrote this book?
I learned and affirmed that what means the most, that what college sports is meant to teach and engrain, is the importance of sacrifice and commitment to the cause of the team. You represent your institution and teammates, coaches, staff… the entire program and its followers, every time you walk out on to the field to practice or play, and every time you expound upon the thoughts you have to media about those experiences. That’s what I took away from college football and used later in life. Are we teaching those same important concepts today?
WHY THIS BOOK? WHY NOW?
In an age of college football that has integrated NIL, the transfer portal, and a college football playoff bracket as big as the NFL’s, I think it’s important to understand, at the very least within the Air Force Academy’s program, where we came from and what it took to get us to where we are today. What are our own priorities in an environment that has created somewhat of a professional minor league system that feeds into the pros? What can we provide to a young man looking to play major college football and then still reap the benefits of that opportunity alongside a top tier education?
According to U.S. News and World Report, in 2025, the Air Force Academy was ranked #2 in Top Public Schools and #8 in National Liberal Arts Colleges. The Academy was also ranked #7 for Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs, #7 for Civil Engineering, #9 for Electrical Engineering, and #10 for Mechanical Engineering. Pretty good football program too.
Ranking the Top 131 FBS Programs of the Last 40 Years: 50. Air Force. “On average, Air Force has a 10-win season once every 4 years. That is some outstanding consistency at reaching high highs, and Air Force easily takes the spot as the top service academy. Not just the top service academy, but the 4th best Group of 5 team! So they’re not just good for a service academy, they’re a good college football program period. You can consider them the Iowa of the Group of 5, as they’ve only had 2 coaches in the last 40 years (Fisher DeBerry and Troy Calhoun).” from Reddit/CFB
“A recruiting philosophy was built on what the Academy had to offer that others couldn’t match: a quality education, the opportunity to fly, to play good Division 1 football and always play Notre Dame/Army/Navy, a chance to go to a bowl game as part of the WAC, no cost to your parents as cadets, and a guaranteed job when you graduate (starter or ninth string). Hatfield’s favorite? ‘It’s a chance to do something good for your country. You’re not doing it just for yourself, you’re doing it for America.’ A major emphasis in everything we did, putting the team above self. Doing things for others and not yourself.” from Wings to Soar
The 10 wins achieved in 1983, were the most by any service academy since Navy’s 10-1-1 record in 1905.
By the end of 1983, the Falcons’ Associated Press (AP) rank of 13th was second only to 1958’s 6th overall national rank at 9-0-2.
At that time, the 1983 team defeated 10 opponents by an average of 17.1 points per game, second only to 1970’s 21 points per game.
After the dramatic, last-second victory over Navy in 1980, Air Force holds a 29-16 record against the Midshipmen, 32-13 over Army.
The Academy has won 19 Commander-in-Chief’s trophies since President Reagan presented our second at the 1984 graduation ceremonies. By contrast Navy has captured 12, Army 8.
The 1982 victory over Notre Dame came just 2 weeks after the Fighting Irish had defeated #1 Pitt on the road, 31-16.
1 https://www.acms.au/
2 Children’s Commissioner for England, “PreBudget Brieng 2018” accessed 20 February 2023,
https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/report/pre-budget-brieng-autumn-2018/
OTHER PUBLICATIONS
TAKING YOUR TEAM TO THE TOP
How to build and manage great teams like the pros
DANA PERINO, White House Press Secretary for President George W. Bush
TOM OSBORNE, Head Coach of the University of Nebraska football team and U.S. Congressman
HARVEY SCHILLER, Commissioner of the SEC and Secretary General of the U.S. Olympic Committee
ED ROSKI, one of the Forbes 200 richest people in America
JEFF PASH, Executive VP and General Counsel of the NFL
CHAD HENNINGS, three-time Super Bowl Champion and defensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys
You can have the best business strategy available. But without the best and brightest people collaborating in a healthy way to execute that strategy, it’s only worth the paper it’s printed on.
Taking Your Team to the Top offers the fundamentals you need to unlock individuals’ abilities and talents while adding to team synergy to accomplish any business objective, in any business–large or small.
BOOK BLURBS & QUOTES, Media Kit/Book Quotes
“These seniors are a group of special individuals. They believe in each other, the Academy administration, and God.”– Ken Hatfield
“To me, the ultimate merit of any sports program is having the individual taking something good from it and applying it in his own life to make him a better person.”– Ken Hatfield
“If you can’t get fired up to play this one, you can’t get fired up to play football at the Air Force Academy.”– Ken Hatfield
“I don’t pay much attention to preseason predictions. Basically, I don’t think they’re worth the paper they’re written on …”– Ken Hatfield
“It’s not the offense you run, but the players.That’s what won the game for us today”– Ken Hatfield
Fifteen victories over the previous six seasons resulted in a culture that had become one of losing, if not indifference. Gazette Telegraph sports editor Ralph Routon noted that this was the best-looking group of size and speed the Academy had recruited in years, and we’d only had one player leave during BCT, perhaps the most encouraging sign to date.
The confidence building was not only in the players but also in the staff and its understanding of the growth this program was beginning to see. Hatfield also bragged about his freshmen: QB Marty Louthan, TE Jimmy Adams, and OG Scott Wachenheim … all playing major roles in the win.
Bob Collins of the Rocky Mountain News: “The trouble in Falconland has stemmed from inability to keep good football players in the Academy—there are at least five former Falcons starting for major schools around the country right now. Saturday, I saw another batch of good freshman players such as quarterback Marty Louthan, running backs Ted Sundquist and Charlie Heath, defensive ends Bob Avila and Leon Scott, tight end Jimmy Adams, guard Scott Wachenheim, and kicker Sean Pavlich. It was a good recruiting year for the Air Force, making one hope that the detrimental effect of the Vietnam War is being overcome. ..
Many now understood the importance of leading from the front, regardless of class rank or depth chart position. Coach stressed the importance of putting it on your shoulders to perform and to put the team first above everything else.
Coach DeBerry moved into the offensive coordinator position with the departure of Coach Backhus to Notre Dame. DeBerry’s enthusiasm and energy were contagious, something now immediately apparent to the entire team.He had a way of pushing everyone’s button sto compete at the highest levels of intensity.Coach spoke about “paying our dues” and“suffering through growing pains” to reach the goals that we all wanted to achieve as an offense and as a football team.
Dave Schreck said, “I think that was kind of almost the rebirth of the wishbone. I mean, we’d been running it for a little while, but that was where…I think that was one of the first times where you started hearing the ‘Marty the Magician’ because he was so deft of hand,and he was such a smooth runner. He was fast, but it was deceptive and he didn’t look, really look, like he was running fast, but if you saw him, you’d say, ‘How is he doing that?’”
“I remember flying over there, and we stopped along the way and picked up the San Diego State band that actually got on the plane with us to fly to Tokyo,”Coach Hatfield said. “And while we were on there, several of them asked, ‘Where’s your football team?’ They thought both bands were on the same plane going over.They said, ‘Is that your team?’ I said,‘Yeah, that’s our team going over.’ And then I thought, ‘Okay, that’s good.’”
A recruiting philosophy was built on what the Academy had to offer that others couldn’t match: a quality education, the opportunity to fly, to play good Division 1 football and always play Notre Dame/Army/Navy, a chance to go to a bowl game as part of the WAC, no cost to your parents as cadets, and a guaranteed job when you graduate (starter or ninth string). Hatfield’s favorite? “It’s a chance to do something good for your country. You’re not doing it just for yourself, you’re doing it for America.” A major emphasis in everything we did, putting the team above self. Doing things for others and not yourself.
Coach Hatfield sensed a certain swagger in our ‘82 team that he hadn’t seen in the past. “Our players are confident that if they do the things they’ve been coached, then they believe they will win. Before, they just hoped they would win. There’s a big difference between hope and belief.
BOOK INFORMATION
Title: Wings to Soar – How the ‘84 Bolt Brother Transformed Air Force Football
Publish Date: 2024
Hardcover ISBN: 979-8-218-45610-8
Paperback ISBN: 979-8-218-57924-1
Available for purchase: WingsToSoar.com and Amazon
Consultant: Michelle Hill, Winning Proof
Editor: Wendie Pecharsky, WJP Editing
Publisher: Thunder and Lightning Publishing
Cover Design and Layout: Kelly Nielsen, Studio 92, LLC
Website: WingsToSoar.com