DETROIT ? Tim Beckman has prepared for his current job his entire life.
The son of a football coach, Beckman, 44, is starting his first season as the head coach at the
University of Toledo.
He was an assistant coach at Bowling Green from 1998-2004, serving as defensive coordinator and assistant
head coach during his tenure. Since leaving Bowling Green, Beckman coached cornerbacks for two years at
Ohio State and was the defensive coordinator at Oklahoma State for two seasons. Beckman has been
coaching in college for two decades.
Now, he?s got his own program.
?It?s a great opportunity to be involved in a program with great tradition,? Beckman said during Friday?s
Mid-American Conference media day at Ford Field. ?There?s pressure in anybody?s business to make sure
it?s successful. I don?t consider it any more pressure than anywhere else.?
The Toledo position allows Beckman to return to his native state.
?It was always my ambition to be a head football coach and now I have the opportunity to do it at a fine
institution and to be home ? That?s the biggest thing. Not many people have the opportunity that I
have,? he said. ?I had an ambition to get back closer to my family. Being 13-14 hours away from home (at
Oklahoma State), was really tough for everybody. But is was great experience, a great opportunity and a
great time when we were there, but it?s just great to be back home.?
The Rockets will have a different look on both offense and defense under Beckman
But it still about the basics.
?It comes down the tackling, blocking, catching the ball, throwing the ball, those type of things, the
fundamentals we will be stressing,? Beckman said.
Beckman will be the special teams coordinator, the same role Florida head coach Urban Meyer, a former
Bowling Green head coach, fills with the Gators.
?I love it,? Beckman said. ?I went through 15 days of practice where I kind of sat back and I can?t do
that. I have to be coaching something.
?I?ll probably be in the defensive room a little bit more. But I also have some things that I think will
help our offense that might have been headaches for me as a defensive coordinator.?
POLL: Central Michigan is the pick in the MAC preseason poll to win the West and the MAC championship
game. Buffalo was the pick to win the East.
Bowling Green was picked fifth in the East.
?This is meaningless, but at the same time I would hope that our program becomes one that every year we
come here we?re up in the top three,? BG head coach Dave Clawson said about the poll.
?It?s just about raising expectations for our program. The fact that we?re picked there, our expectations
are that we?re not going to finish there.?
The complete poll is: East, 1) Buffalo, 155; 2) Temple, 144; 3) Akron, 128; 4) Ohio, 116; 5) Bowling
Green, 101; 60 Kent State, 51; 7) Miami, 33; West, 1) Central Michigan, 154, 2) Western Michigan, 126;
3) Northern Illinois, 103; 4) Toledo, 71; 5) Ball State, 58; 6) Eastern Michigan, 34; and MAC
championship game, Central Michigan, 18; Western Michigan, 4; Buffalo, 2; Temple, 2.
NEW COACHES: Clawson and Beckman are two of five new head coach in the MAC this season. The others are:
Stan Parrish at Ball State; Ron English at Eastern Michigan; and Michael Haywood at Miami.