“Say Cheese”: The Quirky Air Force Tradition That Just Won’t Melt Away
- Jeff Bugher
- Oct 16
- 2 min read
When the Air Force Falcons find the end zone at Falcon Stadium, something unusual sometimes follows: slices of yellow “American” cheese fly onto the field faster than a fighter jet. That’s exactly what we observed when we covered the Wyoming Air Force game in 2023.
What may seem like random dairy chaos is actually a quirky, long-standing cadet tradition, one that long-time Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun calls “a crazy tradition” that’s “kind of carried forth a little bit.”
During a conversation with PokesNews.com, Calhoun explained the origins of the practice that has both amused and puzzled visiting fans for years.
“Even back when I was in school, it used to be at the academy, like every Thursday night whenever they had spirit dinners, there were always these massive food fights at the end of dinner,” Calhoun recalled. “And so they said, hey, that stops. Anything that’s in any of these containers, any kind of food, if it’s thrown, you’re going to get demerits.”
Yet, ingenuity found a loophole.
“Well, somebody all of a sudden decided to package cheese, you could still flip and saucer across the room,” Calhoun said with a laugh. “And so that’s the one thing that… it’s kind of carried forth a little bit as a tradition, crazy tradition, I know.”
The airborne division of Kraft Singles have since made their way from the dining halls to the football field, tossed in celebration of big plays or touchdowns.
“When good things are happening,” Calhoun said when asked when cadets usually throw them.
Air Force superfan Rick Baum of Pueblo, Colorado, who has followed and mentored the Falcons for decades, said the cheese toss has taken on a life of its own among fans and cadets alike.
“The tradition of throwing cheese, typically wrapped Kraft Singles, after an Air Force football score is a bit of a quirky, somewhat rebellious custom among the cadets,” Baum explained. “There’s even a rumor that the Academy gets fined for it, which only encourages them more.”
“There’s a belief that it relates to cadets throwing cheese up to stick to the ceiling of their dining facility. It’s youthful mischief that’s become part of the game-day charm.”
We are told the Air Force Academy has occasionally discouraged or banned the practice for safety and cleanup reasons, but the tradition continues to pop up.
“It’s just one of those things that’s stuck,” Calhoun said, smiling. “When good things are happening, I guess you just throw cheese.”
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