FORMER ELMHURST FOOTBALL COACH TOM BECK TO BE INDUCTED INTO COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME

ELMHURST, Ill. July 6, 2004 -- Tom Beck, the most successful football coach in Elmhurst Bluejay history, will be enshrined in the National College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Indiana, on Saturday, August 14. Beck will be inducted in a class that includes football greats Barry Sanders, Joe Theismann, Coach Hayden Fry and others.

Beck's special gift was an ability to transform slumping football teams into winners.

"He had the golden touch when it came to building something out of nothing," recalled John Quigley, former associate public relations director at Elmhurst College, and member of the Class of 1977.

Mired in a drought of just two winning seasons in 23 years before Beck arrived, the Bluejays quickly turned the program around under his leadership. After losing seven games during his first season at the helm, Beck's Bluejays captured the school's first College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Championship just two years later in 1978. Beck led Elmhurst to another conference crown in 1980 and eventually compiled a 50-22 (.694) record in his eight seasons at Elmhurst (1976-83).His Elmhurst football squads were offensive powerhouses, setting records for yardage and scoring which still stand, 20 years later.

Beck's overall college coaching mark was 137-52-1 (.724), and included stops at Illinois Benedictine College and Grand Valley State University (Mich.). He later had several stints in pro football scouting and coaching including the Chicago Blitz of the USFL.

The enshrinement festivities begin Friday, August 13, and continue through Saturday, August 14. The Hall of Fame induction ceremony and dinner begin at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday in the Convention Hall, Century Center, South Bend. Tickets to see Coach Beck and his fellow inductees may be obtained by calling the College Football Hall of Fame at 800-440-FAME. Additional details can also be found by visiting the Hall of Fame's website at www.collegefootball.org.