ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — After a half-season together sharing a sideline with the Broncos, Offensive Coordinator Joe Lombardi and Special Teams Coordinator Ben Kotwica found themselves at Empower Field at Mile High on opposite sides of one of college football’s most storied rivalries.
Kotwica’s Army Black Knights ultimately upset Lombardi’s Air Force Falcons, 23-3, in the Nov. 4 regular-season matchup, and Kotwica was understandably thrilled after his alma mater’s convincing victory.
“It was really cool to see them pull out a victory, to beat a Top 25 team in the country in Air Force that was having a tremendous year,” Kotwica told DenverBroncos.com in a recent interview. “It was really neat to be in the stadium. I don’t know if Coach Lombardi feels the same way, but it was a great win for them.
“The thing about the service academy football is I would argue at that level … that when Army plays Air Force and Army plays Navy, those service academy battles, that the highest compete level is going to be on the field between those white lines. You can just feel it, and to be in the stadium to watch that victory was real cool and something that I’ll remember.”
Rivalry aside, Lombardi and Kotwica have plenty in common with their service academy degrees and experience serving as members of the U.S. military. Kotwica spent eight years in the U.S. Army and was nominated for the NFL’s Salute to Service Award in 2022. His military career includes operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Korea and Iraq, and he flew the AH-64 Apache Longbow — the world’s top attack helicopter — while commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Aviation Branch of the Army. Lombardi, meanwhile, served a four-year tour of active duty after graduating from Air Force and specialized in weapon acquisition following the end of the Cold War.
Throughout November, as the NFL honors service members with its Salute to Service campaign, both are grateful…
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