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Don Beebe speech

Football WIU Athletic Communications

Don Beebe Returns to Macomb

Former NFL standout speaks to the Leatherneck Football team

When Charlie Fisher interviewed for the Western Illinois football job, he made it a point during the open forums – and later his press conference - to say he will connect with the alumni to make sure they feel like they are always a part of the program.
 
During his first days on the job, Fisher hit the ground running - trying to finalize his coaching staff, sign a recruiting class, and he also made time to call as many alumni as he could. One of those calls went to wide receiver Don Beebe (@DonBeebeNFL). And his response to Fisher's call?
 
"Don told me 'Coach you're the first WIU coach to contact me'," said Fisher.
 
Fisher and Beebe would keep in contact since that initial phone call, and during fall camp the first-year head coach invited Don to speak to the 2016 Leatherneck team.
 
"What an honor to have Don Beebe back to speak to our football team. His message was inspiring and will have a lasting effect on our young men. Don's journey and story of faith, perseverance, and a never give up attitude is one that all of us can learn from," said Fisher. "As they say at Western, 'Once a Leatherneck, Always a Leatherneck'. Don is a special member of our football family and a true Leatherneck."
 
Beebe first joined Western in 1983 playing for head coach Bruce Craddock, but circumstances saw him leave that fall camp. He stepped away from football for nearly three years before getting a phone call from Craddock. He returned to Macomb, and officially played just one season for the Purple & Gold (Honorable Mention All-America in 1987), but he's one of the most well-known Leathernecks to play professionally. After spending the 1988 season at Chadron State, Beebe was a 1989 third round draft pick by Buffalo and would eventually spend six years with the Bills.
 
His work ethic, attitude and competitive nature made him a fan favorite in Buffalo. The very first pass he caught as a professional athlete… a 63-yard touchdown from Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly. During his six years in Buffalo, Beebe helped the organization to an unprecedented run of four consecutive Super Bowl appearances.
 
"I think the most excited I've ever been on the (NFL) football field to be honest with you was the first time I ever went on the field. Jim (Kelly) threw me a pass and it ended up being a bomb, and the first pass to go my way was a 63-yard bomb touchdown against the Houston Oilers in the Astrodome. What a way to break into the NFL as a rookie," said Beebe.
 
The Bills lost in those four appearances, still the only NFL team to lose four straight Super Bowls. But it was during SB XXVII – number three in that stretch - that Beebe provided one of the most memorable plays on football's biggest stage.
 
Late in the game, and victory out of reach, Beebe showed his never give up attitude. As Dallas Cowboys' defensive lineman Leon Lett scooped up a fumble and raced to the endzone, Beebe showed why he turned in one of the fastest 40-yard dash times in NFL Combine history. At the 1-yard line Beebe knocked the ball out of Lett's hands out of the endzone and forcing a touchback, and kept Dallas from scoring. That play is why he received thousands of letters from football fans thanking him for his 'never give up' attitude.
 
Beebe went from Buffalo to Carolina for a season then signed with the Green Bay Packers. Joined by Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre and Packers Hall of Fame offensive lineman – and fellow Leatherneck - Frank Winters, Beebe returned to the Super Bowl and this time would not be denied.
 
"Winning the Super Bowl with the Packers in (Super Bowl) XXXI, standing on the field 10 yards behind (Brett) Favre watching the clock tick down the last 10 seconds knowing full well that after losing four in Buffalo, and I finally was going to win one, was a great moment," said Beebe. "Then being able to carry off my two children at that time. Chad my boy and my oldest Amanda my daughter, I got to carry them off the field. As a father it doesn't get any better than that."
 
When it was all said and done for Beebe, his numbers included: nine years, 116 games played, 23 touchdowns, on the winning side of the biggest postseason comeback in NFL history (Buffalo at home versus Houston in 1991), and one of a couple of players all-time to play in six Super Bowls. He may be done playing football, with many great memories, but the sport continues to be a big part of his life.
 
"I think anyone who played in the NFL a long time, the first thing they would probably tell you is the camaraderie of the guys. I miss the locker room, I miss the guys just hanging out playing backgammon or chess in our down time. I miss the meetings… that would probably be number one. Number two would be, there's nothing that can fulfill running out of a stadium when 80,000 people are screaming their full heads off. And just to feel the energy of the crowd, you can't replace that. That was very exciting," said Beebe. "I think one of the reasons why I coach today, because I want them to have even if it is just a little glimpse of those feelings in high school football. And we've been fortunate to win a couple of state championships and God bless I was able to do both back-to-back my son's junior and senior year so it was really kind of cool to win it with him too. Just to have them fulfill their dreams was neat to be a part of and that's kind of my passion today."
 
So what is it like to be associated with one of the great eras of Super Bowl history, albeit one where they came up short in four straight trips?
 
"What we had in Buffalo was unique. To lose four Super Bowls together is going to bond you for life, it just will. We had 24 guys that went to all four Super Bowls. Those 24 guys are as tight as brothers. When we get together in Buffalo, or whatever function it is, be it Jim Kelly's golf tournament or going back to the Alumni game, it's like we never missed a beat. It's like they lived across the street our whole lives," said Beebe. "That's what it really means to be a brotherhood or family. I can say that from our Pro Bowl players from Jim Kelly to Thurman Thomas to Bruce (Smith), to Andre (Reed) to James Lofton, to all the guys who were just role players. The trainers, the doctors and all the coaches we had it was a unique time period of professional sports and it was really cool to be part of it."
 
Beebe branched out from just coaching, taking on different projects and more importantly being able to spend time with family.
 
"I got into a business called House of Speed that trains athletes. I've been doing that for 18 years now. Then about 13 years ago I got into high school coaching. I was the head coach for 10 years, now I'm the offensive coordinator because my son plays football at Northern (Illinois) and my daughters play volleyball and I wanted to see them play. I felt bad if I was the head coach to step away but now my brother is the head coach and I'm the offensive coordinator so I'm allowed to come and go as I please, which is great," said Beebe. "And I'm also in public speaking. I do a lot of public speaking around the country. Right now I'll probably do about 30 this year, my goal is to do about 100 in the course of a year. I enjoy just helping people try to get it and motivate them to make right choices. That's kind of my passion now."
 
Thirty years since he last wore the Purple & Gold, what comes to his mind when Leatherneck Football is mentioned?
 
"Camaraderie, chemistry, brotherhood, 'Once a Leatherneck Always a Leatherneck'… I'm still friends with Todd Auer, Bill O'Boyle, Frank Winters, Chris Earl is my best friend, I can go on and on. I'm still in contact with the coaches I had - John Smith, Brad Smith guys like that," said Beebe. "These are the days that the guys are living right now, these 4-5 years they'll never forget. That's why I encourage them in my talk with them to enjoy this and as much as the world is screwing up in the area of not getting along together, in this room we're a fraternity, we're a family. And that's one thing the Leatherneck pride has really honed in on and I thought I saw that today with this team too."
 
And what about the new head coach who took time out to make a phone call and reconnect the Leathernecks with Beebe?
 
"I absolutely love him. If you were to give me a scale of 1-10, I'd give him a 10. The man gets it from all the right reasons. I really don't even care about the Xs and Os, whether he can win football games or not – I do believe he will because he understands the important things, and that's character building and teaching kids the right way. He truly is a guy that is going to be very successful and Western Illinois would be extremely smart to hang onto this guy for a long time."
 
 
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