Tim Beck enters his 10th season as Pittsburg State University’s head football coach and his 33rd year on the Gorillas’ staff. He has compiled a 76-30 (.717) record during his tenure leading his alma mater.
Beck guided Pitt State to the school’s fourth all-time national championship and a 13-1 record in his second season leading the Gorillas in 2011. He earned NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year honors from Liberty Mutual, the Don Hansen Football Committee and FieldTurf™, as well as MIAA Coach of the Year accolades that season.
Beck served for 16 years as the Gorillas’ offensive coordinator and 22 seasons as a member of the Pitt State coaching staff before becoming Pitt State’s 14th Head Football Coach on Dec. 9, 2009.
In his inaugural season, Beck guided a youthful Pitt State squad to a 6-6 overall record, including a 13-9 victory over Concordia-St. Paul in the 2010 Mineral Water Bowl at Excelsior Springs, Mo.
In year two, the Gorillas won their first eight games, including a dramatic final second 38-35 victory over No. 1 ranked Northwest Missouri State University in The Fall Classic at Arrowhead X on Oct. 1. Pitt State clinched its first MIAA title since 2004 with a 51-28 victory over Missouri Southern in the regular season finale.
The Gorillas went on to post home victories over Washburn (31-22), NW Missouri State (41-16) and Delta State (49-23) to reach the NCAA-II National Championship Game for the fifth time in school history. At Florence, Ala., Beck’s Gorillas broke open a 14-13 game with a blocked field goal return for a touchdown and a last-minute score to take a 27-14 halftime advantage against Wayne (Mich.) State. The Gorillas claimed the title with a 35-21 victory over the Warriors.
In 2012, the Gorillas won their first five games before finishing the season with a 7-3 record.
In 2013, Pitt State had to settle for a trip to the Mineral Water Bowl after a 9-2 regular season, including a loss in the regular season finale. The Gorillas responded to the adversity with a 90-28 victory over Southwest Minnesota State to give the program its 20th all-time 10-win season.
In 2014, the Gorillas clinched a share of the MIAA title during a 10-1 regular season. Pitt State’s wins included a 35-17 road victory over No. 1 ranked Northwest Missouri. The Gorillas advanced to the second round of the NCAA-II playoffs before dropping a hard-fought 24-21 overtime decision to No. 1 ranked Minnesota State – the eventual national runner-up.
In 2015, a young Pitt State team battled a rash of key injuries to frontline players and the Gorillas had to settle for an uncharacteristic 6-5 season. In 2016, the Gorillas battled key injuries once again and Pitt State posted a 7-4 season.
In 2017, the Gorillas battled back from a 2-4 start to the season to win their final six contests en route to an 8-4 overall record. Pitt State snapped two-time defending NCAA-II national champion Northwest Missouri’s 38-game winning streak and culminated the season with a 48-31 victory over Arkansas Tech in the Agent Barry Live United Bowl at Texarkana, Ark., on Dec. 2.
Last year, Pitt State posted an 8-3 record and narrowly missed earning a berth to the NCAA-II playoffs.
Beck previously served as Assistant Head Coach for two years, after being named to that role on the Pitt State staff on December 13, 2007.
During his 16 seasons as offensive coordinator, the Gorilla offense consistently ranked among the finest units in NCAA Division II.
In 2008, Beck was selected the inaugural NCAA Division II Coordinator of the Year by FootballScoop.com, following a vote of his coaching peers.
In 2004, Beck’s offensive unit established itself as the most prolific squad in the history of NCAA football. PSU shattered a 118-year-old scoring record, scoring an amazing 837 points (55.8 ppg). His squad also set the NCAA all division records for rushing (5,320 yards) and total offense (8,976 yards).
Beck’s offensive units twice led Division II in scoring (2004, 2006) and ranked in the top two nationally in total offense three times (2004, 2005, 2006). His offensive squads ranked among the national rushing leaders every season, leading Division II in 1995 (318.8 ypg) and 2004 (354.7 ypg). Beck’s “multiple choice” option attack also compiled 16,483 passing yards (216.9 ypg) and 143 aerial touchdowns during his final six seasons as offensive coordinator (2004-09).
Beck’s offense produced four MIAA Offensive MVPs in a seven-year period between 2003-09 – quarterback Neal Philpot (2003-04) and tailback Germaine Race (2005-06) as well as the first-team All-MIAA quarterback (Neal Philpot, 2003-04; Andy Majors, 2005; Mark Smith, 2007) four times in the same seven-year period of time.
Race shattered the NCAA all division scoring record (634 points) and the NCAA-II rushing record (6,985 yards) among his 22 NCAA record book entries during his decorated career (2003-06). Philpot set the MIAA career total offense record (10,168 yards) and compiled a 38-8 (.826) record as the Gorillas’ starting quarterback (2001-04).
In 2007-08, Caleb Farabi garnered first-team All-MIAA honors, marking the fifth and sixth straight years Beck produced a first-team All-MIAA running back.
Pitt State averaged a staggering 38.8 points and 442.5 yards of total offense per game during his tenure as offensive coordinator.
Prior to assuming the offensive coordinator’s role, Beck served two years as Pitt State’s defensive coordinator (1992-93). He became a full-time assistant on the Pitt State staff in 1989, after serving first as a student assistant (1987) and then as a graduate assistant (1988).
Beck worked with defensive ends, tight ends and wide receivers during his initial two seasons, before concentrating primarily on the inside linebacking corps from 1989-93. He worked with PSU’s quarterbacks from 1994-2009.
During his tenure on the PSU staff, Beck has coached 48 All-Conference players and 23 All-Americans.
Beck, a member of the American Football Coaches Association, has been a frequently-requested guest speaker at several national and regional coaching clinics as well as regional and local civic events.
Beck was a two-year football letterman at Pittsburg State, playing defensive back for the Gorillas from 1985-86. He earned All-CSIC honors both seasons and was an NAIA All-District 10 pick as a senior. Beck also was a team captain in 1986.
Beck, a Ness City, Kan., native, played football at Dodge City Community College for two years before joining the Gorilla program. He earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from PSU in 1988 and a master’s degree in physical education from PSU in the summer of 1989.
He is married to the former Gena Thomas, who competed in track & field and cross country for Pittsburg State from 1987-88.
The couple have four children: Derek, Sydney, Drew and Samantha.
