Air Force, 1961
• 1959 Academic All-America®
• 1959 Academic All-America®
Rich Mayo was inducted into the CoSIDA Academic All-America® Hall of Fame in 1994.
Rich Mayo, a Texas native, was a standout football player and student during his four years at the Air Force Academy. During Mayo’s freshman year, he became unhappy with football when coach Buck Shaw moved him from quarterback to halfback. "I was so disenchanted after my freshman year that I wasn't going to go out for football again and was seriously thinking about leaving the Academy," Mayo recalled. After that first season Ben Martin replaced Shaw as head coach and Mayo was promised every opportunity to play quarterback. Mayo not only returned, but he led Air Force to an outstanding football season. The 1958 Falcon team went 9-0-2, Air Force's only unbeaten season in football and tied TCU 0-0 in the Cotton Bowl. After this memorable season Mayo then started at quarterback for the following two seasons. Mayo led the Falcons to a victory in the Cotton Bowl on New Years Day, 1960. In 1959 and 1960 Mayo was named Academic All-American and later was inducted into the Verizon Academic All-American Hall of Fame.
Mayo went on to fly fighter jets in the Air Force before turning to the medical profession.
Admiral Mayo served as deputy director of Tricare Management Activity, a component of the Military Health System. He also served as the Command Surgeon for United States Pacific Command as well as a member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services.