Looking back on my archive review of former Broncos, I noticed a disturbing trend. All were local, and all were offensive players. Today’s subject, “Chilly” Willie Beamon, was neither. Don’t know how or why he came to play here; Coach Criner found/got him, and I’ve heard rumors. And once again trying to write to the readership about players from those days inevitably leads to a reflection about how much has changed in the way the game is played and in the athletes who play it (along with everything else). I have explicated this so many times even I’m bored with it, but we need to do a mini-precis on the subject so you’ll appreciate this remarkable man.
The football I grew up with, from the defensive perspective, was centered on the DT/MLB/CB troika. This structure was dictated by the “run first”/”pass when necessary”/”possession premium” offenses then not merely dominant, but almost exclusive (‘cept us). The middle linebacker (everyone was 4-3, always) assumed, functioned as the “quarterback” of the D, not simply because of the symmetry of his location but (IMO) a very dim reflection of football’s rugby roots. He was key, pivotal, and his level of play determined game outcomes as much as the QB’s. Willie Beamon was a middle linebacker the way God meant them to be.
“Chilly” had the nickname BEFORE he stepped on the (then) green frazzled AstroTurf of Bronco stadium. And it was as deserved an nickname as an athlete has every been given; his hits were flat out cold-blooded, bone chilling/cracking, what I called “FTS” and which I’ll translate for the readership here as (ahem) “Forget the Scholarship” hits. Take Lawrence Taylor‘s power, Mike Singletary’s intensity, Dick Butkus’s explosiveness-and then add the other-worldly run-sniffing intelligence of the “Alien” (“Chilly”s contribution) and you’ve got him. I still remember leaving before half to get a ‘dog and hearing (I was in the causeway and couldn’t see the field) a thudding clanking sound-followed by the crowd noise, then Paul J: “Beamon on the stop”-but I already knew that.. Beamon didn’t “stop”; he terminated. Offenses had to give him something to think about to play us, and “it weren’t easy” as they say. They could do what I called “look-ins” then and we call slants now-you could do that, once. We played San Jose State here in 1978 and I remember Steve De Berg being their QB but the books say I’m wrong. Anyway, I don’t remember Chilly pass rushing but I do remember Spartans were not able to sustain many drives, and Willy was a big part of the resaon and our 30-15 victory. The 1976 Boise State football had been average; with Chilly’s arrival in ’77 we started the trajectory that would take us to the national IAA championship in 1980.
Chilly’s physical dimensions wouldn’t impress you now but you have to remember we’re several generations removed from the ’70s in football terms. He was big, and stronger than any O-lineman he ever faced-I’ll stand by that. I used to run into him a lot in the Student Union building, and I’ll also say this-you could put him on any prison yard in the world and no one would challenge him. He didn’t have this sullen “from the hood” “keepin’ it extra real 24/7” hat-tilted self-consciously projecting style you see now-he had the quiet, calm menace of a legitimately dangerous man. You know and respect it when you see it, and if you don’t-well, Willy wouldn’t talk ’bout it so I won’t.
He was All Big Sky in 1977, had 125 tackles in1978 and was drafted in that same year by the Jets in the 9th round. I lost track of him and have not heard anything about him.The building I used to see him in, indeed the entire campus, has changed a lot, as have I; I suppose he has too. There is a line in the movie “Hoosiers” when a female teacher tells Gene Hackman that the boys need to focus on something other than sports, that being a high school basketball star ain’t all that. He tells her “Do you know how many people would kill to just once in their life be treated like a god?” That’s overstated, but I hope in his time here Willie felt his own greatness, the fans’ appreciation of it, and that at least a part of that feeling stayed with him throughout his life. He deserved it.
Today Willie is the Head Coach of Missoula Phoenix Footabll
| Born and raised in Southern California, Willie has been an exceptional athlete all his life. From Little League to the National Football League, he has had many athletic achievements. In his childhood, he was a Little League record holder and Pop Warner standout. He was the only 4-year, 4-sport letterman in his high school, and still holds local athletic records in San Bernardino, CA. Willie attended UCLA, playing basketball for the great John Wooden. He was also a linebacker, helping the Bruins win the Rose Bowl in 1976. From there, he went on to Boise State, where he was an All American. In 1979 he was drafted by the NFL to the New York Jets. After his pro football career, Willie played USSSA Softball, and returned to So Cal where he officiated and coached baseball, softball, basketball and football for all ages. He moved to Missoula in the summer of 2007. In his 4th year as Head Coach of the Phoenix, Willie hopes to make the playoffs, win the championship, and gain the respect of the league. Willie is now retired and lives in Missoula with his wife, Launa, and son, Josh. |
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