A thousand thoughts go through a coach’s mind when he sees an important starter being helped off the field with what is pretty clearly a significant injury.

Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said when he saw center Michael Husar Jr. being helped off after hurting his knee he thought about the Husar family’s excitement for Air Force to play at Michigan this week, and his heart sank when he realized that wasn’t going to happen.

Calhoun chatted with Kathy Husar, the chairwoman of the Air Force football Parents’ Club the night before Air Force’s season opener Saturday, which was the first start of Michael Husar’s Falcons career. Kathy kept telling Calhoun how excited she and her family were for the second game of the season, basically since the moment the game was announced, and for good reason. Michael Husar Sr. was a standout for Michigan in the late 1980s. Video of Husar starting at left tackle for the Wolverines in the 1989 Rose Bowl win against USC is pretty easy to find on YouTube, or as Husar Jr. says with a laugh, on ESPN Classic.

This week wasn’t necessarily going to be a homecoming for Husar Jr., who is from Mount Carmel, Ind., but it would surely be a proud day for him and his family.

“It was the first time my wife was going to root against Michigan,” Husar Sr. said. “If you cut me open I bleed maize and blue, but you’re going to root for your son, no question.”

Then the test results confirmed the worst: two torn knee ligaments that would knock him out for the entire season. The injury would have been devastating at any point in the season, but the timing seemed especially cruel.

“I thought about it right away,” Husar Jr. said. “It’s unfortunate. But at the time I’m more concerned about Idaho State and not being able to finish the game with my buddies. But it’s frustrating.”

Husar Sr. said he figured about 30 of his old teammates were going to be at the game, and between all of the family members and friends planning to go, he estimated about 60 or 70 people were going to be there to support his son. They’re all still planning to go, and Husar Jr. is hoping to make the trip too, depending on when his surgery will be. He also didn’t know if he’d be allowed to travel with the team, or go with some fellow cadets making the trip, but he wants to make it to Ann Arbor.

The younger Husar won’t be playing this week, but Husar Sr. talked about the bigger picture. He is proud of what his son has done, going to a top institution like Air Force, and him becoming a Division I football player was nice as well. Husar Sr. said when Air Force emerged as a college option he was skeptical, but two of his good friends are lieutenant colonels in the Air Force and they educated him about the academy. He has been excited ever since.

“He’s a great kid, he’s a smart kid and he loves structure in his life, so it’s a great fit,” Husar Sr. said. “We’re so proud of everything he has accomplished.”

It has been odd for Michael Jr. to see father become an Air Force fan. Michigan alums are well known for their loyalty, but the Husars are devoted to the Falcons now. Kathy Husar leads the Parents’ Club. The family plans to still go to all the home games this year.

“It’s cool to see,” said Husar Jr., who is hopeful to get a ninth semester in the Cadet Turnback Program as he works toward going to medical school. “He told me it’s about me, not about him anymore.”

Husar Sr. gathered many tickets for Saturday’s game, but they mostly came from his Michigan connections. So he’ll be in the middle of the Wolverine fans Saturday.

“We’ll be sitting on the Michigan side but we’ll be wearing our Air Force stuff,” Husar Sr. said. “I’m sure they all will understand.”

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Offensive lineman Michael Husar is helped off the field during the first half of the game at Falcon Stadium. Air Force and Idaho State played at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Saturday, Sept. 1, 2012. (The Gazette/Jerilee Bennett) Photo by JERILEE BENNETT, THE GAZETTE

Jerilee Bennett