LAS VEGAS — Nevada coach Jeff Choate, who celebrated his 56^th birthday on Wednesday, contemplated Troy Calhoun’s reputation in the Mountain West.

“You know, he’s grandpa now,” Choate said of the longtime Air Force coach, whose experience in the conference dwarfs that of the other coaches.

Choate was joking about the grandpa part (for the record, Calhoun, 59, is not a grandfather), but the greater point was valid.

“He’s kind of become the elder statesman of the Mountain West Conference, and I enjoy having sidebars with him,” Choate said. “He’s a good guy, very thoughtful, asks a lot of good questions. He’s very interested in the rules, and how are we going to interpret this or that? I appreciate that about him.”

Calhoun is entering season No. 20 with Air Force. The closest to him in the conference in tenure at their current school is Hawaii’s Timmy Chang, who is going into year No. 5. No other coach has completed more than two years in their current role.

Calhoun has won 83 Mountain West games. The rest of the league’s nine coaches have a combined 36 MW wins.

Nationally, only Kirk Ferentz has been at his current program longer among FBS coaches. Ferentz is entering his 28th season at Iowa.

“The wisdom that he brings into those (conference coaches’) meetings is second to none,” UTEP coach Scotty Walden said. “For me as a young coach, I’m 36, that’s my goal, man. That guy’s been a head coach for 20 years at the FBS level and all the other experiences that he’s had.

“I’m hoping one day that when I’m his age, you know, that I’ve had the success that he’s had. I love the level of consistency, discipline and just the wisdom and his attitude is contagious.”

Calhoun has taken Air Force to 13 bowl games while building a 139-97 record. He’s captured the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy five times and has won 10-plus games five times during an era that has seen transformation in college football.

Most of the changes that have occurred in college football — namely NIL money, revenue sharing and the transfer portal — have not aided the Falcons while adding to options for their opponents.

“I think the (service academy) jobs have probably gotten harder,” said New Mexico coach Jason Eck, who noted that he sought out Calhoun last year in his first season with the Lobos for myriad questions. “They still play so hard. They have pride. They’re tough. They’ll battle.”

The Falcons have struggled recently. They dropped four of the past five after an 8-0 start in 2023, then followed that with 5-7 and 4-8 seasons.

This year projects to be a return to form behind quarterback Liam Szarka and a roster stocked with playing experience.

UNLV coach Dan Mullen, who has made stops at programs like Notre Dame, Utah, Mississippi State and Florida in his career and also spent several years in television, marvels at the staying power Calhoun has exhibited.

“I think it is really hard in today’s world of instant gratification,” Mullen said. “What’s new? What’s exciting? And he’s been able to evolve throughout the years to have continued success. I think is something that’s pretty special and hard to do.

“I mean, you go on the speaking circuit every year and the fans are like, ‘Yeah, I heard that joke before.’ You know what I mean? I mean, Jerry Seinfeld still barely writes new material.”

The Gazette asked every Mountain West coach on this year’s schedule about Calhoun’s reputation in the conference, and the answer was a universal sense of respect.

That was even true of Wyoming’s coach Jay Sawvel, who coaches at the program where Calhoun notably had a postgame run-in with coach Dave Christensen in 2012. As cameras rolled, Christensen launched into a tirade as the coaches exited the field.

“His reputation is always great,” Sawvel said. “I mean, like, first of all, let’s look at the obvious. The No. 1 thing is the guy represents the United States Air Force. OK?

“That’s an isolated incident (from 2012). It’s a famous isolated incident, but it’s an isolated incident, and I don’t think that there’s any (lingering bad blood).”

On Wednesday evening, Calhoun and longtime foe Ken Niumatalolo dined together at the Palms Casino Resort that served as the host of the Mountain West Media Days.

Niumatalolo and Calhoun have coached on opposite sides for the past two decades, with Niumatalolo spending 16 years at Navy and now entering his third campaign with San Jose State.

“We were just kind of cracking up, like, who would have thought? Just me and you,” Niumatalolo said.

Niumatalolo joined the chorus in recognizing Calhoun’s body of work and reputation.

“When Troy speaks, people listen,” Niumatalolo said. “He’s been around the game for so long. He’s won a ton of games. What he says carries value. Plus, he’s a great person. He’s a person of integrity, you know, person of moral values. And he’s super smart.”

Calhoun understands his experience in relation to the others in the conference, but brushed aside any significance to it.

“I hope I listen well,” he said. “I really do. Just from the standpoint that there’s so many unique insights that each guy brings. Certainly don’t want to stifle that. If you have a thought, you’re gonna offer it, but you’re one of 10. No more, no less.”