Joey Odell and Brian Wortinger were classmates at the United States Military Academy, graduating from West Point in 1995, but they hadn’t seen each other in 24 years.
That reunion happened Saturday afternoon at halftime on the concourse at Empower Field at Mile High, while their Army Black Knights were in the process of pulling off one of the biggest upsets of the 2023 college football season, a stunning 23-3 win against rival Air Force.
“Having this game in an NFL stadium is the proper level of respect for these two teams,” Odell said. “These teams are more than just colleges, more than just young guys doing their best on an athletic field. They give their all, not just today but every day, for their country. This is the kind of place where they should play this game.”
Odell and Wortinger both live, ironically, in Colorado Springs. Wortinger is retired from active duty, but Odell just moved there a couple of months ago. He’s the chaplain for the Fourth Infantry Division, which is based out of Fort Carson.
When he made the move, Wortinger was one of the people who helped him out with some logistics, and the Army-Air Force game became a great chance to meet up again in person.
“It’s a great community,” Wortinger said. “I chose to make (Colorado Springs) my permanent home after traveling the country for 30 years. Love the people and all the adventures we get to have there.”
Army fans didn’t have high expectations for this one, with Air Force arriving in Denver with an 8-0 record. It turned out to be the Black Knights’ first win against a ranked opponent in exactly 51 years — the last one was Nov. 4, 1972 against Air Force.
“It’s fantastic to see them get to play in a professional stadium,” Wortinger said. “Most of these kids aren’t going to go pro, so this is a great chance for them to play in this amazing environment. It’s been fantastic, and thank god our quarterback is healthy.”
Added Odell: “Army-Navy has the longer history. There are the things that are painted all over both campuses and are more focused towards that. But this game matters. Army is having a tough year, and it makes these games matter even more.”
Christian Washington is a Class of 2018 graduate from West Point. He lives in Dallas, so he had the chance to see these two teams play at Globe Life Field, the new home of the Texas Rangers.
He’s set to complete his five years of service, so this trip to Denver to see Army-Air Force turned out to be a celebration on multiple levels.
“It’s super exciting,” Washington said. “To get to see the academies play in a major NFL stadium is great. I’m a little shocked. … We’re looking forward to getting after it tonight, though.”
This wasn’t the result Air Force fans were expecting, especially with dreams of an undefeated season and a trip to a New Year’s Six bowl game slipping away from the Falcons’ grasp with each turnover.
There was still plenty of appreciation for the spectacle that came with playing this game here in Denver. The announced crowd was 52,401, which is the largest attendance for an Air Force “home” game since 2002.
“I was a (Broncos) season-ticket holder for 12 years before we moved to Florida,” said Chris Quiroz, an Air Force grad in the Class of 1988. “It’s really nice. I love the venue, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many people at an Air Force game.”
He was at the game with his wife, Josie, who is also Class of ’88. Their son, Emilio, is a Cadet First Class at the academy this year, so they’ve made the trip back to Colorado for four Falcons games.
They also met up with another classmate, Mark Kuras, who lives in Phoenix.
“I’m really happy that it moved to this big venue so that we have more people, more press, more nationwide viewings,” Kuras said. “The rivalry is wonderful. And like you can see today, it doesn’t matter what the records are. It’s always going to be a great, hard-fought game.”
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