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College Football Playoff

Rich Clark

Rich Clark

  • Title
    Executive Director

Rich Clark was named executive director of the College Football Playoff in November 2023 to replace the retiring Bill Hancock. Clark officially began his leadership role with the CFP in June 2024 after a distinguished 38-year career in the Air Force, retiring with the rank of Lieutenant General.

Clark most recently served as the Superintendent for the U.S Air Force Academy, where he directed a four-year regiment of military training, academics, athletic and character development programs leading to a Bachelor of Science degree and a commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S Air Force and U.S. Space Force.

Prior to his assignment at the helm of the Air Force Academy, Clark served as the U.S Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence & Nuclear Integration at the Pentagon and was selected as a White House Fellow to serve as a key advisor to the Secretary of Labor.

Clark served three combat tours and received numerous awards and decorations during his career, including the Distinguished Service Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Clark attended the U.S Air Force Academy, where he was a four-year letter winner as a defensive lineman for the football team. In 1985, the Falcons finished his senior season with a 12-1 overall record, a Bluebonnet Bowl win over Texas, and a final ranking of No. 8 in the AP Poll and No. 5 in the Coaches Poll.

He and his wife, Amy, have a son, Milo, and a daughter, Zoë.

EDUCATION

  • 1986: Bachelor of Science, Management, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado
  • 1991: Distinguished Graduate, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama
  • 1994: Master of Arts, Human Resource Development, Webster University, St. Louis
  • 1996: Distinguished Graduate, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, Ellsworth AFB, S.D.
  • 1998: Distinguished Graduate, Master of Strategic Studies, Naval Command and Staff College, Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island
  • 1999: Master of Airpower Studies, School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
  • 2005: Distinguished Graduate, Master of National Security Studies, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
  • 2006: National Security Managers Course, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York
  • 2010: U.S.-Russia Security Program, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
  • 2014: Joint Flag Officer Warfighting Course, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
  • 2015: Joint Force Air Component Commander Course, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
  • 2017: Pinnacle Course, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.

 

ASSIGNMENTS

  1. May 1986 - February 1987: Junior Varsity Football Coach and Candidate Counselor, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado
  2. February 1987 - February 1988: Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas
  3. February 1988 - November 1991: EC-135 Pilot, 2nd Airborne Command and Control Squadron, Offutt AFB, Nebraska
  4. November 1991 - November 1994: B-1 Pilot, 28th Bomb Squadron, McConnell AFB, Kansas
  5. November 1994 - July 1997: B-1 Instructor Pilot, B-1 Flight Training Unit, 28th Bomb Squadron, Dyess AFB, Texas
  6. July 1997 - June 1998: Student, Naval Command and Staff College, Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island
  7. June 1998 - June 1999: Student, School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
  8. June 1999 - August 2000: Action Officer, Air Force Office of Legislative Liaison, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virgina
  9. August 2000 - August 2001: Fellow, President's Commission on White House Fellowships, Washington, D.C.
  10. August 2001 - May 2002: Assistant Director of Operations, 77th Bomb Squadron, Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota
  11. May 2002 - May 2004: Commander, 34th Bomb Squadron, Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota
  12. May 2004 - June 2005: Student, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
  13. June 2005 - January 2006: Vice Commander, 12th Flying Training Wing, Randolph AFB, Texas
  14. January 2006 - March 2008: Commander, 12th FTW, Randolph AFB, Texas
  15. April 2008 - April 2009: Director, Joint Interagency Task Force-Iraq, Multi-National Force-Iraq, Baghdad
  16. May 2009 - July 2010: Vice Commander, Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic), Barksdale AFB, Louisiana
  17. July 2010 - August 2012: Commandant of Cadets, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado
  18. August 2012 - August 2014: Senior U.S. Defense Official; Chief, Office of Military Cooperation; and Defense Attaché, Cairo, U.S. Central Command, Cairo
  19. August 2014 - April 2015: Vice Commander, Air Force Global Strike Command, Barksdale AFB, Louisiana
  20. April 2015 - October 2016: Commander, Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic), Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, and Joint Functional Component Commander for Global Strike, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Nebraska
  21. October 2016 - October 2018: Commander, Third Air Force, Ramstein Air Base, Germany
  22. October 2018 - August 2020: Deputy Chief of Staff, Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia
  23. September 2020 - May 2024: Superintendent, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado

SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS

  1. April 2008 - April 2009 - Director, Joint Interagency Task Force-Iraq, Multi-National Force-Iraq, Baghdad as a colonel
  2. August 2012 - August 2014 - Senior U.S. Defense Official; Chief, Office of Military Cooperation; and Defense Attaché, Cairo, U.S. Central Command, Cairo, as a brigadier general
  3. April 2015 - -October 2016 - Joint Functional Component Commander for Global Strike, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, as a major general

 

FLIGHT INFORMATION

  • Rating: command pilot
  • Flight hours: more than 4,200, 400 combat hours
  • Aircraft flown: B-1, EC-135, KC-135, T-1, T-38, T-6 and C-21

 

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

  • Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
  • Defense Superior Service Medal
  • Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
  • Distinguished Flying Cross
  • Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster
  • Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
  • Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters
  • Aerial Achievement Medal
  • Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
  • Combat Action Medal
  • Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal

 

OTHER HONORS

  • Honorary Doctorate, University of Maryland Global Campus