Air Force recognized senior linebacker Zach Juckel and former player Ben Miller at its annual football awards banquet held on February 20 at the East Club Presented by L3Harris at the Kucera Legacy Center. Juckel received the Brian Bullard Award, while Miller was honored with the Carson Bird Award.
Juckel played in three games during the 2025 season due to injury but continued to be active in team activities. Over his career, he appeared in 15 games, including 12 in 2023.
The Brian Bullard Award has been given since 1984 and is voted on by team members. It honors a player who demonstrates unselfishness, effort, commitment to the team, and pride in their role regardless of starting status. The award is named after Brian Bullard, an Air Academy High School graduate who played for Air Force before passing away in 1983.
Miller graduated from Air Force in 2002 and served as a member of the coaching staff from 2007 to 2020. He is currently the senior head coach analyst at Illinois as he enters his sixth season there in 2026. Diagnosed with cancer in February 2022, Miller underwent surgery and chemotherapy; he has been cancer-free since January 2024. His recovery included overcoming significant health challenges such as a near-total blockage of his colon and cancer spreading to his liver. “His journey has been marked by significant challenges, including a near-total blockage of his colon and the spread of cancer to his liver. Despite these setbacks, he has continued to work and live, showing resilience and determination. His story serves as an inspiration to many, highlighting the importance of perseverance and the strength to overcome life’s obstacles,” according to event organizers.
The Carson Bird Award recognizes courage, selflessness, relentlessness, tenacity, and positive impact within the Air Force football community. It commemorates Carson Bird—a three-year starter who passed away from bone cancer at age 31—and encourages recipients “to continue to attack every day no matter the odds stacked against you.”
Air Force concluded its football season with a record of four wins and eight losses overall (3-5 conference), finishing eighth in the Mountain West Conference. The Falcons improved late in the season by winning three out of their last six games after starting with one win out of six contests. Notably, they defeated Colorado State University by a score of 42-21 in their final game—claiming possession of the Ram-Falcon Trophy for the eighth time over ten years.
The Falcons ranked fourth nationally both in rushing yards per game (261.4) and time of possession (33 minutes and 52 seconds). This marks their twelfth consecutive year finishing among college football’s top ten teams for rushing yardage per game—a distinction achieved thirty-eight times over thirty-nine seasons—and they also led all teams nationally with an average yards per completion figure of nearly eighteen.
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