"Class year" refers to the individual's class year, which usually is the same as the individual's graduation year. In times of war, academy classes may graduate early, but this has never happened yet at the Air Force Academy.
Lieutenant General; first USAFA graduate to be Dean of Faculty at the Academy, 1984–86; President of National Defense University 1994–97; President of Moravian College 1997–2006
Lieutenant General; jet transport/tanker pilot; first woman USAF Academy Rhodes Scholar; first woman Cadet Wing Commander; Academic All American Basketball player (1981–82); inaugural member USAF Academy Sports Hall of Fame (2007); Air Force Aide to the
President of the United States (1992–94); Superintendent of the Air Force Academy 2013–2017
Lieutenant General; first graduate in the order of merit in the first class at the Academy; Academy's first Rhodes Scholar; first graduate to return to the Academy as Superintendent of the Air Force Academy (1991–1994)
Director of the National Security Program, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University; Superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy (1997–2000)
Pilot of
STS-51-B; commanded
STS-33 and
STS-44; Former Deputy Administrator and former acting Administrator for NASA; first
African American to command any space vehicle
Air Force Academy’s first All-American; captain of the undefeated 1958 USAFA football team that tied TCU in the Cotton Bowl; inducted into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame, Michigan, in 1977, the College Football Hall of Fame in 1985, the CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame in 1991, and the Air Force Academy Athletic Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural class in 2007
1972 Third Team and 1974 Second Team All American soccer player; holds Falcon career goals and points records; played for 1976 U.S. Olympic soccer team; played professionally in the
Major Indoor Soccer League
Former U.S. Olympian and world champion in
skeet shooting; captain of 1996 U.S. Olympic shooting team; Professor of English at United States Air Force Academy;
Boeing 747 pilot for
United Airlines
USAFA quarterback 1987-89; set the NCAA Division I career record for rushing yards by a quarterback; Western Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year; inducted into the Air Force Athletics Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2009 and the Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame in 2011
General; first graduate to be promoted to the rank of
four-starGeneral (on October 01, 1989); Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Installations and Environment (2001–2005); Acting
Secretary of the Navy (2003); pilot; Vietnam War veteran
Mayor of
San Jose, California (2007–); graduated first in his class and scored the maximum on the Physical Readiness Test; his daughter
Kim Reed-Campbell was also first in her Academy class
Commissioner, Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission, Boston, MA (1983–2000); Commissioner, Governor's Minority Business Commission (1987–1990); President and CEO, the Summit Group Companies (1981–2008), President and CEO, Association of Graduates, United States Air Force Academy (2008–), Colorado Aeronautical Board (2012-)
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 20 books;
RITA Award winner;[122] B-777 pilot, United Airlines; guest speaker (Class of 2015 Ring Dance)
General; Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force (1997–2001);
Distinguished Flying Cross recipient for aerial combat in Vietnam; father
John Dale Ryan also served as Chief of Staff (1969–1973) and was a bomber pilot in
World War II
General; Commander, Tactical Air Command; Commander, Air Combat Command; Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force; Acting Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force (1990–1991, acting); fighter pilot
Major; first
Native American (Navajo) graduate of the United States Air Force Academy;
Vietnam War Aircraft Commander, F-4C fighter pilot; shot down over North Vietnam on June 8th, 1967, listed as Missing in Action (MIA); remains returned 2001
Captain;
prisoner of war during the Vietnam War; fighter pilot; first graduate to be awarded the
Medal of Honor; the Air Force
Lance P. Sijan Award for leadership in one's career and personal life is named in his honor
Brigadier General; Vietnam War rescue pilot; recipient of the
Air Force Cross and
Jabara Award; 12 successful rescue missions including
Roger Locher, the deepest rescue inside North Vietnam
First Lieutenant;
A-37B Dragonfly attack aircraft pilot; prior to identification of his remains, Blassie was the unknown service member from the Vietnam War laid to rest at the
Tomb of the Unknowns (1984–1998)
Captain;
EF-111 pilot who downed an Iraqi
F-1EQ in an air-to-air engagement on the first day of
Operation Desert Storm; Distinguished Flying Cross recipient for aerial combat during the
Gulf War
Colonel; although American women had been flying combat missions in traditionally "non-combat" aircraft (airlift, tankers, helicopters) for years, she became the first American woman to fly a "combat" aircraft in combat since the lifting of the 1991 prohibition of women in combat; veteran of
Operation Southern Watch and
Operation Enduring Freedom; elected to
Congress in 2014, representing
Arizona's 2nd congressional district
Captain; member of Air Force Special Tactics Unit, veteran of
Operation Enduring Freedom, called in AH-60 and B-1 airstrikes, aggressively engaged the enemy, and provided life-saving medical treatment while under heavy, accurate enemy fire; awarded the
Silver Star
Major General; Chief of Chaplains of the U.S. Air Force; pilot; recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster
General; Vice Chief of Space Operations (2020–); first USAFA graduate to make general in the Space Force; USAFA astronautics professor (1989–1992); Bachelor of Science in Astronautical Engineering
Lieutenant general; commander of Space Operations Command (2020–); first commander of a Space Force field command; Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering
Lieutenant general; Space Force director of staff (2020–); first woman and first USAFA graduate to make lieutenant general in the Space Force; Bachelor of Science in Biology
Winner of the reality game show The Amazing Race 4; model, author, and actor; ex-boyfriend of former
'N Sync member
Lance Bass; autobiography Here's What We'll Say details his time in the Academy and as a commissioned officer in the Air Force under the military's "
Don't ask, don't tell" policy
As these alumni did not graduate, their class year is listed as "x-" followed by the class year they would have graduated, if known, and they are listed alphabetically by last name.
^"Astronaut Fact Book"(PDF). National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). January 2005. Archived from
the original(PDF) on 2001-11-09. Retrieved 2009-03-07.
"Class year" refers to the individual's class year, which usually is the same as the individual's graduation year. In times of war, academy classes may graduate early, but this has never happened yet at the Air Force Academy.
Lieutenant General; first USAFA graduate to be Dean of Faculty at the Academy, 1984–86; President of National Defense University 1994–97; President of Moravian College 1997–2006
Lieutenant General; jet transport/tanker pilot; first woman USAF Academy Rhodes Scholar; first woman Cadet Wing Commander; Academic All American Basketball player (1981–82); inaugural member USAF Academy Sports Hall of Fame (2007); Air Force Aide to the
President of the United States (1992–94); Superintendent of the Air Force Academy 2013–2017
Lieutenant General; first graduate in the order of merit in the first class at the Academy; Academy's first Rhodes Scholar; first graduate to return to the Academy as Superintendent of the Air Force Academy (1991–1994)
Director of the National Security Program, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University; Superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy (1997–2000)
Pilot of
STS-51-B; commanded
STS-33 and
STS-44; Former Deputy Administrator and former acting Administrator for NASA; first
African American to command any space vehicle
Air Force Academy’s first All-American; captain of the undefeated 1958 USAFA football team that tied TCU in the Cotton Bowl; inducted into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame, Michigan, in 1977, the College Football Hall of Fame in 1985, the CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame in 1991, and the Air Force Academy Athletic Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural class in 2007
1972 Third Team and 1974 Second Team All American soccer player; holds Falcon career goals and points records; played for 1976 U.S. Olympic soccer team; played professionally in the
Major Indoor Soccer League
Former U.S. Olympian and world champion in
skeet shooting; captain of 1996 U.S. Olympic shooting team; Professor of English at United States Air Force Academy;
Boeing 747 pilot for
United Airlines
USAFA quarterback 1987-89; set the NCAA Division I career record for rushing yards by a quarterback; Western Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year; inducted into the Air Force Athletics Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2009 and the Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame in 2011
General; first graduate to be promoted to the rank of
four-starGeneral (on October 01, 1989); Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Installations and Environment (2001–2005); Acting
Secretary of the Navy (2003); pilot; Vietnam War veteran
Mayor of
San Jose, California (2007–); graduated first in his class and scored the maximum on the Physical Readiness Test; his daughter
Kim Reed-Campbell was also first in her Academy class
Commissioner, Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission, Boston, MA (1983–2000); Commissioner, Governor's Minority Business Commission (1987–1990); President and CEO, the Summit Group Companies (1981–2008), President and CEO, Association of Graduates, United States Air Force Academy (2008–), Colorado Aeronautical Board (2012-)
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 20 books;
RITA Award winner;[122] B-777 pilot, United Airlines; guest speaker (Class of 2015 Ring Dance)
General; Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force (1997–2001);
Distinguished Flying Cross recipient for aerial combat in Vietnam; father
John Dale Ryan also served as Chief of Staff (1969–1973) and was a bomber pilot in
World War II
General; Commander, Tactical Air Command; Commander, Air Combat Command; Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force; Acting Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force (1990–1991, acting); fighter pilot
Major; first
Native American (Navajo) graduate of the United States Air Force Academy;
Vietnam War Aircraft Commander, F-4C fighter pilot; shot down over North Vietnam on June 8th, 1967, listed as Missing in Action (MIA); remains returned 2001
Captain;
prisoner of war during the Vietnam War; fighter pilot; first graduate to be awarded the
Medal of Honor; the Air Force
Lance P. Sijan Award for leadership in one's career and personal life is named in his honor
Brigadier General; Vietnam War rescue pilot; recipient of the
Air Force Cross and
Jabara Award; 12 successful rescue missions including
Roger Locher, the deepest rescue inside North Vietnam
First Lieutenant;
A-37B Dragonfly attack aircraft pilot; prior to identification of his remains, Blassie was the unknown service member from the Vietnam War laid to rest at the
Tomb of the Unknowns (1984–1998)
Captain;
EF-111 pilot who downed an Iraqi
F-1EQ in an air-to-air engagement on the first day of
Operation Desert Storm; Distinguished Flying Cross recipient for aerial combat during the
Gulf War
Colonel; although American women had been flying combat missions in traditionally "non-combat" aircraft (airlift, tankers, helicopters) for years, she became the first American woman to fly a "combat" aircraft in combat since the lifting of the 1991 prohibition of women in combat; veteran of
Operation Southern Watch and
Operation Enduring Freedom; elected to
Congress in 2014, representing
Arizona's 2nd congressional district
Captain; member of Air Force Special Tactics Unit, veteran of
Operation Enduring Freedom, called in AH-60 and B-1 airstrikes, aggressively engaged the enemy, and provided life-saving medical treatment while under heavy, accurate enemy fire; awarded the
Silver Star
Major General; Chief of Chaplains of the U.S. Air Force; pilot; recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster
General; Vice Chief of Space Operations (2020–); first USAFA graduate to make general in the Space Force; USAFA astronautics professor (1989–1992); Bachelor of Science in Astronautical Engineering
Lieutenant general; commander of Space Operations Command (2020–); first commander of a Space Force field command; Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering
Lieutenant general; Space Force director of staff (2020–); first woman and first USAFA graduate to make lieutenant general in the Space Force; Bachelor of Science in Biology
Winner of the reality game show The Amazing Race 4; model, author, and actor; ex-boyfriend of former
'N Sync member
Lance Bass; autobiography Here's What We'll Say details his time in the Academy and as a commissioned officer in the Air Force under the military's "
Don't ask, don't tell" policy
As these alumni did not graduate, their class year is listed as "x-" followed by the class year they would have graduated, if known, and they are listed alphabetically by last name.
^"Astronaut Fact Book"(PDF). National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). January 2005. Archived from
the original(PDF) on 2001-11-09. Retrieved 2009-03-07.