Tim Beckman story from the Findlay Courier

BGorDeath · Post by **BGorDeath** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 8:45 am

Story in today's Findlay Courier...Northwest Ohio's crappiest newspaper.

Beckman to butt heads with former boss, cohorts

By MARK HEIMAN

Staff writer

Tim Beckman was leaving Dayton and heading to Cincinnati Monday morning on a recruiting trip.

"It would be nice if (football players) just all wanted to come to Ohio State University, but we have to go out and compete against the other schools to get them," said Beckman, a University of Findlay graduate and Ohio State's cornerbacks coach.

Beckman's short recruiting trip came on an off day for the Buckeyes as they prepare to meet Florida in the BCS National Championship game in Glendale, Ariz., Jan. 8.

When Beckman, who was a defensive back on the Oilers' 1984 and '85 squads, steps onto the turf at the University of Phoenix Stadium, there will be a familiar site across the field.

Beckman was the defensive coordinator at Bowling Green State University from 1999-2004. That span included the two years that Florida coach Urban Meyer was the Falcons' head coach. In addition, four of Meyer's current offensive assistants also served at BGSU.

"It will be a lot of fun to compete against him and those assistants," Beckman said by phone. "We would compete in winter workouts and practices and the spring football games."

So it should be just like stepping onto the practice field next to Doyt Perry Stadium.

"I competed against Urban at each and every practice, but I'm not sure it'll be just like a practice at Bowling Green," Beckman said.

"He was the offensive mind behind what we did at Bowling Green and he let me run with the defense."

Beckman did run with the defense. The Falcons led the Mid-American Conference in total defense, scoring defense, rushing defense and scoring margin during the 2001 season. Three times at BGSU Beckman was nominated for the Frank Broyles Assistant Coach of the Year award.

Beckman, in his second year at Ohio State, helped the defense regroup after losing all but two starters from last year's squad.

"We knew we had some great players (coming in). But we lost nine starters and the experience and the knowledge of the game were concerns for us," Beckman said.

"The structure of the defense allows the kids to learn quickly. They've done a great job of playing hard and getting around the ball.

"I'm not surprised because we have some great players, but as fast as they picked things up and performed, we were kind of shocked."

The Buckeyes 12 straight wins this season and No.1 ranking in the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls, have been like a dream for Beckman.

"It has not happened much where a team starts and ends a season No.1. It's been a fast season, almost like a dream. It's all happened too quickly," Beckman said.

But Beckman obviously wouldn't trade any of it, except for maybe some of the pressure.

"Ohio State football is pressure packed. You are supposed to win and win every game," Beckman said. "But pressure is part of the business and you have to be aware of it and live with it."

Beckman, who is married to the former Kim Rooney, knew the life of a football coach would be like that before he started his career as a graduate assistant at Auburn in 1988. His father, Dave, coached at Iowa and was also an assistant for the Cleveland Browns and San Diego Chargers.

While lessons learned from his father's experiences gave him part of his coaching pedigree, a lot also came from his time in northwest Ohio.

"I played under Dick Strahm and a lot of what I do is what coach Strahm did," Beckman said. "To learn from a great coach like Strahm, it pushes you in the direction of where you need to go.

"Coaching under Gary Blackney, Urban Meyer, Gregg Brandon and playing under Strahm formed me into what I am today. It is the backbone of me as a coach. It's how I coach and recruit."

And that recruiting never ends. Even at Ohio State.

Here's the link for anyone who would like to visit the crappiest paper in Northwest Ohio site:

http://www.thecourier.com/templates/spo ... asp#story4

Did I mention that the Courier was a crappy paper?

hammb · Post by **hammb** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 9:08 am

"He was the offensive mind behind what we did at Bowling Green and he let me run with the defense."

This was the quote that jumped out at me immediately when I read the article. It's completely irrelevant to the article, but I thought we supposedly had the offensive mind behind that offense as our HC now...

Rightupinthere · Post by **Rightupinthere** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 11:50 am

hammb wrote:

"He was the offensive mind behind what we did at Bowling Green and he let me run with the defense."
This was the quote that jumped out at me immediately when I read the article. It's completely irrelevant to the article, but I thought we supposedly had the offensive mind behind that offense as our HC now...

I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed the neon lights surrounding that quote.

Jacobs4Heisman · Post by **Jacobs4Heisman** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 11:55 am

It became clear this season, to me anyway, that the credit Brandon has received for the "Urban" offense was overblown.

A team, no matter how young, shouldn't look the way we looked this year on offense with an "offensive guru" piloting the ship. I don't care if he's the OC or calling the plays or not. We had no offensive identity this year, and we had no idea what we were even trying to accomplish most of the time.

orangeandbrown · Post by **orangeandbrown** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 12:01 pm

hammb wrote:

"He was the offensive mind behind what we did at Bowling Green and he let me run with the defense."
This was the quote that jumped out at me immediately when I read the article. It's completely irrelevant to the article, but I thought we supposedly had the offensive mind behind that offense as our HC now...

Remember when they named Brandon, and everyone was basically discounting Urban's contribution to the offense. I remember doubting it, and there you go.

Urban's teams do worse after he leaves.

Flipper · Post by **Flipper** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 12:36 pm

Why would Beckman tell such a lie?

maquisard · Post by **maquisard** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 3:41 pm

Great, another program bashing thread at recruiting time!

orangeandbrown · Post by **orangeandbrown** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 4:50 pm

Is there ever a good time?

San Diego Falcon · Post by **San Diego Falcon** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 5:37 pm

Maybe Beckman was just trying to compliment Meyer since his team will be facing him next game. There is another quote where Beckman notes that he learned how to coach while working under several HC's, including Brandon.

BGorDeath · Post by **BGorDeath** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 6:12 pm

maquisard wrote:Great, another program bashing thread at recruiting time!

I was trying to make a Courier bashing thread, but as I can see I failed.