Son of longtime Air Force football assistant commits to Navy

Chuck Petersen is a 1985 graduate of the Air Force Academy, a four-year letterman in football as a defensive back while there. Petersen returned to his alma mater in 1990 to begin a 17-year tenure as an assistant under legendary head coach Fisher DeBerry.

Petersen, who served as offensive coordinator his last seven years in Colorado Springs, played an important role in the most dominant era of service academy football. DeBerry compiled a 35-11 record against Army and Navy as Air Force captured the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy 14 times in his 23 seasons at the helm.

As quarterbacks coach for 10 years, Petersen was responsible for mentoring some of the finest in program history, including Blane Morgan, Mike Thiessen, Chance Harridge and Shaun Carney.

If you had asked Petersen a decade ago which service academy his son would attend, he would not have thought twice. However, time moves forward and situations change, which explains why an Air Force man is now a Navy football fan.

"I graduated from Air Force and coached there for 17 years, but I now bleed blue and gold," Petersen said after his son Cody committed to play football at the Naval Academy last week.

Petersen was one of the casualties when DeBerry was forced to resign following the 2006 season. Following a short stint at the University of North Texas, Petersen was hired as head coach at Orange Lutheran High in California. Brady Petersen developed into an outstanding defensive back at Orange Lutheran, earning second team All-Trinity League honors after recording 56 tackles and five pass breakups.

Assistant coach Steve Johns recruited Petersen, who was also offered by Army, Houston Baptist and Azusa Pacific. Chuck Petersen got to know Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo fairly well when both were assistants at their respective service academies.

"It's a true blessing that Brady is getting an opportunity to attend the Naval Academy. As a father, I'm pleased to know that I'm entrusting my son to men of character for whom I have great respect," said Chuck Petersen, who has also know Navy defensive coordinator Buddy Green for a long time.

Current Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun worked alongside Chuck Petersen as part of the coaching staff under DeBerry for three years. The elder Petersen was not upset the Falcons did not recruit his son and said it would not be difficult to switch allegiance to the Midshipmen.

"First and foremost, I'm an American and a patriot. I love all the service academies," Petersen said. "I always had tremendous respect for the young men at Annapolis and West Point. I'm just proud that Brady has decided to serve his country and that he's going to get a great education and be part of a great football program along the way."

Johns, who recruits the West Coast for Navy, initially scouted Brady Petersen while making his usual rounds last spring. Green, who coaches the defensive back, reviewed the youngster's senior film and liked what he saw.

"Brady has grown up around the game so he's an extremely intelligent player. He's not the fastest safety, but he's going to be in the right place," Chuck Petersen said. "I would describe Brady as fundamentally sound and a sure tackler, very tough and physical. He's always been an outstanding leader. People just naturally gravitate to him."

Orange Lutheran is a strong program that plays in one of California toughest conferences. The Trinity League features St. John Bosco, which went 16-0 in 2013 and was crowned national champion by both MaxPreps and USA Today.

"Navy is a great program with an awesome coaching staff. I mean, the record over the last 10 years or so speaks for itself," Brady Petersen said. "I'm just so happy and honored to get a chance to join the brotherhood at Navy. I grew up around service academy football and understand how special the experience is."

Brady Petersen will spend a year at the Naval Academy Prep School, a move his father wholeheartedly endorses. "When I was recruiting for Air Force, I always felt it was in a player's best interest to do go the prep school route and get that extra year to develop as a player and get adjusted academically," he said.