Broncos fullback/tight end Andrew Beck received two surprises when he hosted a re-enlistment ceremony for Fort Carson active-duty military members on Jan. 22.
The first was when his father, Chris, walked into the team’s indoor practice facility.
“I had talked to him earlier in the day about his plans (at home) in Dallas,” Andrew said.
The second was when Chris informed Andrew he was the winner of this year’s Salute to Service Award, presented for the 11th time to the individual who shows “exceptional effort to honor and support members of the military community.”
“He started speaking about re-enlistment so I just thought he was there to steal my thunder,” Andrew said in a phone interview. “And then he turned and told me (of the award) and it was an unbelievable feeling to have him, my mom (Sally) and my wife (Hope) there and to just share that feeling with active-duty military members made it that much more special. It was unreal.”
On Wednesday, Beck’s honor became public and he is the first Broncos player to win the award. The NFL will donate $25,000 to the USO and the Englewood-based Freedom Service Dogs and sponsor USAA is pledging $25,000 in Beck’s name to the official aid societies representing each military branch.
Chris Beck graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1993 and is currently a Brigadier General in the Army. Andrew attended school in 11 different locations — including grades 8-9 at Fort Carson — before enrolling at Texas. When he established himself in the NFL with the Broncos in 2019, contributing his time was an easy decision.
“One of the first events I did was in my rookie year and it was a ‘Field Day’ with active-duty military and their kids and to just see how cool it was for not only them, but there were probably 10 other players there and everybody had such a blast,” Beck said. “It snowballed into what it is today and I truly enjoy the work.”
Beck credits the Broncos for connecting him with Freedom Service Dogs, which help veterans and active-duty military develop confidence and independence with the help of trained service dogs.
“I love going over there and just spending time,” Beck said. “They are an unbelievable organization that I want as many people as possible to look into helping.”
Andrew and Hope will be in Los Angeles for Thursday’s NFL Honors.
“I was instructed (to wear a tuxedo); my wife said I had to look nice and I wasn’t allowed to walk the red carpet in T-shirt and shorts,” Andrew said. “I can’t pull off a bow tie so I’m going with the regular tie. Itap going to look snazzy.”
