John Beck pitched a fit as an 8-year-old in his first season of tackle football when he couldn’t get the No. 14 worn by his idol, Brigham Young’s Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Ty Detmer.
A decade later, Beck was a little miffed when the Cougars’ coaches asked him to walk on. Half of the Pac-10 schools were pursuing the Phoenix-area phenom, but Beck was born to be a Cougar. His dad ran track at BYU, and John spent his first few years in Provo, Utah.
To secure a scholarship before leaving for his church mission, Beck enrolled in summer school and worked out with the football team. By the time he returned from Portugal in January 2003, LaVell Edwards was long retired.
Now a grown man with his first son due in April, Beck and his wife, Barbara, will name the baby Ty. And Ty Detmer’s name and 15,031 career yards soon will be the only entry ahead of Beck’s on the school’s list of all-time passers.
If Beck doesn’t add 340 yards to his 9,197 career tally Saturday at Colorado State, he should have it against Wyoming the next week.
Beck is third behind Jim McMahon (9,536) who led the 1985 Chicago Bears to a Super Bowl victory. Beck has already passed NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young (seventh 7,733) and another Super Bowl QB, Marc Wilson (eighth, 7,637).
“It would be an honor to do that,” Beck said of eclipsing McMahon. “Maybe when I’m old it might be neat to look at the records, but the chances are some kid will come up who will beat even more records. No one can change a season (record) or take that away. If (your team) has a great season, it stands forever.”
For the first time since 2001, BYU (6-2, 4-0 Mountain West) is having a great season. The Cougars haven’t won more than six games a season in Beck’s career.
“I came here to win football games,” he said. “In high school, I had two losses in my three years. I had never been around defeat or losing.”
After a 16-13 loss at Arizona on a last-second, 48-yard field goal and a double-overtime loss at Boston College when a BYU field-goal attempt hit an upright in regulation, the Cougars have had such big cushions that the outcome has been decided by halftime.
“He throws as well as Detmer,” said Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry, whose Falcons lost to BYU 33-14 on Saturday. “He’s an athlete. He scored twice on ad-lib plays when he shot it like a basketball.”
DeBerry said he was writing Beck a note to congratulate him on his effort because, “I like to recognize kids who rise to the occasion. He’s gone through difficult times.”
Those tough times include four starts as an ill-prepared freshman in 2003. In 2004, he lost to MWC bottom-feeder UNLV despite throwing 67 times.
“CSU and Bradlee Van Pelt came into our stadium for our homecoming and ruined it in 2003,” said Beck, who is 2-0 against the Rams since. “It was something like 35-0 at halftime (actually 41-13). I haven’t forgotten it.”
Despite his recent success and CSU’s struggles, Beck will assume nothing Saturday.
“The only thing I’m thinking about this week is the green and gold of Colorado State,” Beck said.
That means putting thoughts of impending fatherhood and the NFL draft on hold. He just wants a championship ring to secure his place among the BYU legends.
Natalie Meisler can be reached at 303-954-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com.
