(U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.) — The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is making major renovations to its indoor track after over 50 years of use. Before it was closed, Air Force Athletics’ Hall of Famer, Jim Murphy (Class of 1966), took one final lap around the oval, more than 56 years after being one of the first to step on the track.

Murphy is the current Coordinator of Officials for all Air Force home meets, and was the Academy’s first NCAA champion. He won the 5000-meter run as a sophomore at the 1964 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Oregon. That fall, he finished third at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Michigan. He holds the distinction as the Air Force’s first All-American in both sports.

In late January 1968, when the Cadet Field House Indoor Track was still under construction, Murphy and the late Mike Ryan, who later became that year’s NCAA cross country champion, were returning from a training run. They noticed lights shining inside the construction site of the indoor track. Despite it not yet being open, Murphy and Ryan entered the site. With only two lights illuminating the freshly installed track surface, they completed the inaugural lap, cementing their place in the facility’s lore.

Murphy returned with his family on March 21, 2024, to take the final lap on the historic venue that had barely changed since it was first dedicated 56 years ago. The current Air Force track and field team lined the track and created a tunnel to the finish line.

The renovations are slated to be finished in December 2025, and the Cadet Field House Indoor Track will be a state-of-the-art hydraulic-banked 200-meter upgrade from its current version. It will also feature new equipment, a new oversized practice track, and a new scoreboard. The facility will also have upgraded restrooms for competitors. The spaces for the Falcons will include a track-level training room, a larger team room with a theater for video analysis, and expanded areas for equipment and storage.