National Aviation Champions Recognized at WMU Football Game
Published by Tom Thinnes on Wed, Nov 26, 2014
By: Greg Killeen
I graduated from the School of Aviation in 1998 and was on the national championship Sky Bronco Precision Flight Team that same year. Since graduating from WMU, I have continued to follow Bronco athletics closely, particularly football. For the last 10 years I have traveled at least once a year to an away Bronco football game, seeing them play teams such as Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, West Virginia, Illinois, and Virginia Tech, just to name a few. It had been 12 years since I attended a football game in my favorite place of all, Waldo Stadium!
Several weeks ago I received an email from the College of Aviation inviting all previous national championship team members to return to Kalamazoo for the homecoming football game and be recognized on the field prior to kick-off. To say I was excited was an understatement! Not only did I have an excuse to watch Bronco Football in the friendly confines of Waldo Stadium, I would be reunited with my beloved teammates, some of whom I had not seen in over a decade.
I immediately called my wife and told her we were bringing our two girls to Kalamazoo. Normally I don't make family travel plans without consulting her, but this was a game we were not going to miss! It would be a homecoming for the both of us. My wife is a K College Alumna, and we met after graduating. We even had our wedding on each other’s campus, but had not been back since.
Since graduating, our aviation career paths have scattered my 1998 teammates across the country and globe as far away as Delaware, Virginia, and Guam. Yes, Guam. I was unsure how many would be able to come back to Kalamazoo with distance and family commitments to consider. Once our teammate from Guam confirmed he was making the 30 hour trek to WMU, several more confirmed within hours. I think we all realized what a special time this would be.
We all met on Friday night at the aviation facility in Battle Creek while attending a gala commemorating the 75th anniversary of aviation at WMU and the individuals who have gone above and beyond to help build the program to what it is today. It was a wonderful night filled with laughter reminiscing about our college years. I couldn't help think, "Holy cow, we all made it!" Sixteen years ago we were all dreaming of where aviation was going to take us. Each one of us was doing what we love; flying airplanes, military jets, commercial airliners, and business jets. This night was fantastic, but in my mind just a precursor to the main event, Bronco football Saturday!
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Approximately twenty former teammates, family and friends gathered for a pregame tailgate. We did nothing but tell stories and laugh until it hurt. We eventually made our way to Waldo Stadium and through the tunnel. The excitement and energy of the Bronco fans and players gave me goose bumps. The band exited the field playing the fight song and now it was our turn. As I glanced down the line, each one of us was smiling from ear to ear while the announcer recognized our accomplishments. It was one of the proudest moments of my life being recognized alongside the other Sky Broncos for doing something we love.
The videos below are two different versions of the on field recognition. Enjoy!
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After some high fives, winks and nods, we stepped back and watched the Broncos enter the field in unison with the fight song and firing of the cannon. As we exited through the tunnel, the refs and captains of each team were at midfield for the coin toss. The ref was explaining the rules over his mic and I heard him say "the W is heads and the airplane is tails. The away team calls it". I reached in my pocket and pulled out a coin. It was the very same coin we were all given the night before at the gala commemorating 75 years of aviation at WMU. That coin will be on permanent display at my house. We all returned to our seats and enjoyed celebrating another Bronco victory by this exciting and talented team. It was a day I’ll never forget and above all, a great day to be a Bronco!
Want to learn more about Western Michigan University's Sky Broncos? Please click on the links below!
- WMU Sky Broncos webpage
- WMU Sky Broncos Facebook
- Follow the Sky Broncos on Twitter @WMU_Skybroncos
- Send them an email at RSO_Skybroncos@wmich.edu