New Era Begins
Beck Named 14th PSU Coach
By Matt Newbery
Teamkong.net

PITTSBURG - "It's time to roll up our sleeves and get to work."

With recruits coming for visits in the next few days, those were the final words of Tim Beck's prepared statement during the press conference Wednesday (Dec. 9) which announced him as the new head football coach at Pittsburg State University.

Beck, the assistant head football coach and offensive coordinator at Pittsburg State University, had been chosen by university president Dr. Steve Scott as acting head coach in the wake of Chuck Broyles' retirement from the position one week ago.

The "acting" part of the title is gone, as Beck is officially the 14th head coach in the football program's 102 years of existence.

The Ness City, Kan., native has been a part of the Pitt State football program for the last 25 years - starting as a transfer defensive back from Dodge City (Kan.) Community College in 1985 on the first Gorilla squad coached by Dennis Franchione.

"Tim Beck has devoted his entire adult life to Pittsburg State University," Dr. Scott said. "He has enjoyed an intimate role in the rise of the Gorillas to one of the elite college football programs nationwide.

"He's a proven winner. He is the perfect fit to assume the role."

"I never took for granted, ever, that I was automatically going to be the next football coach at Pittsburg State, " said Beck, who has bypassed opportunities to be a head coach at other schools to remain at his alma mater. "It was definitely a dream, something I tried to work hard for and tried to continue to improve my knowledge of football."

Beck made his way up the coaching ladder at PSU, starting as a student assistant in 1987 once his playing eligibility ran out. He was a graduate assistant for tight ends and wide receivers the following season before taking a full-time position in 1989 as inside linebackers coach.

Beck became defensive coordinator in 1992 before moving over to the other side of the ball as offensive coordinator in 1994.

During his run as the offensive coordinator, spanning 193 games over 16 seasons, the Gorillas averaged 38.8 points and 442.5 yards of total offense. PSU led NCAA Division II in total offense three times in the last six seasons (2004, 2005, 2006) and paced the nation in scoring during 2004 and 2006 campaigns.

The Gorillas also led the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association in total offense five of the last seven seasons.

On the heels of a 5-6 finish to the 2009 campaign, the program's worst win-loss record since 1977, both Scott and Beck realize that maintaining the status quo is not the goal.

"As you get to know the depth of Tim's commitment to this program and to winning, as you witness the strength of his character, and as you hear about the many - and I mean 'many' - new ideas he plans to bring to this role, I am confident you will share my excitement," Dr. Scott said.

"To win a conference championship and to win a national championship, we have to become dominant on defense, so that's going to be our number-one priority," Beck said. "We're going to be looking at recruiting speed and recruiting more people at the cornerback position -- because that's where it is important to have team speed on your defense."

"There are very high expectations and I realize that. I wouldn't want to be at any place where the expectations weren't high. Our coaching staff embraces and we understand the tradition at Pittsburg State - we understand how important every little thing is - and this is the perfect time to look at every aspect of everything that we do in our program."

Pitt State has not been ranked in the Top 20 of NCAA Division II for scoring defense or total defense since 2003 - the 27.8 points allowed per game and the 379.5 yards allowed on defense per game in 2009 were the highest averages for the Gorillas since joining D-II in 1989.

One of the first things on Beck's agenda is hiring a new assistant to take his position on the staff.

"I'm not sure how involved I'll be in calling plays," he said. "I'm not going to be disconnected - I'll definitely be coaching something - but I think the first thing we're going to look at is trying to hire the best possible coach we can hire, and then make some adjustments from there."

Aside from the on-field improvement, Beck want to have the positive effect on his student-athletes like he had from his high school coach - a PSU alumnus - as well as Broyles, Franchione, current Texas Christian head coach Gary Patterson, current Northern Illinois head coach Jerry Kill and longtime NFL assistant John Levra.

Patterson and Kill are, like Beck, past assistant coaches for the Gorillas.

"I understand our team will be measured by wins and losses, but we are going to talk to our players about improving everyday -- improve as a student, improve as a citizen, improve as a family member, improve as a teammate and improve as a player," Beck said.

Beck earned his bachelor's degree in physical education in 1988 and his master's in PE the following year from Pittsburg State.

He is married to the former Gena Thomas, who competed in cross country and track for the Gorillas. They are the parents of sons Derek (15) and Drew (10) and daughters Sydney (13) and Samantha (4).