Building a tradition

Beckman helped build program at St. John’s

By Tom Hintgen (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published 02:13 p.m., November 20, 2008

The football tradition at St. John’s University at Collegeville was fueled by a kid from Wendell who joined a team coach by John Gagliardi in the fall of 1960. Three years later, in 1963, Bernie Beckman was an all-American running back who led St. John’s to its first of four national titles.

Beckman, now retired and a resident of Otter Tail Lake, joined former teammates for a 45th reunion this fall during the St. John’s Homecoming game.

“Each of us from the 1963 team has pride that we set the foundation for a winning tradition under coach Gagliardi,” said Beckman on Thursday, Nov. 13, over a cup of coffee at Betty’s Pantry in Ottertail. “We also have a lot of pride in being the first of John’s four national title teams.”

Beckman is the son of Bud and Ruth Beckman who currently reside in Fergus Falls. In Wendell Bud Beckman and his brother Lawrence (Pites) operated a service station and also ran a bulk gas and oil dealership. It’s still a family-owned business in 2008.

Beckman, a 1960 graduate of Elbow Lake High School where he was a star running back, selected St. John’s for his higher education. Family members had previously attended the college near St. Cloud.

Beckman became a starter midway through his freshman season, as an offensive running back and defensive back at 5-foot 8 and 165 pounds. He was a starter through his senior year.

“Over the years coach Gagliardi had success, doing it his own way,” Beckman said. “In those early years there were no scholarships, no compulsory weightlifting, no tackling in practice and we wore shorts or sweats,” Beckman said. “Even though there were no hard hitting skrimmages, John was a great judge of talent.”

He said that Gagliardi was a master with game preparation.

“We always worked on technique,” Beckman said, “and had a lot of play repetition. John was a football film junkie, even back in the 1960s.”

During Beckman’s senior year, St. John’s won the NAIA national title with a 33-27 win over Prairie View A&M of Texas on Dec. 14, 1963, in the Camellia Bowl at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento, Calif. Beckman ran the football and threw an option pass for a touchdown. He was named the Camellia Bowl MVP.

Beckman graduated from St. John’s in 1964 with a degree in economics and business. He was in ROTC during his college days and became Second Lt. in the U.S. Army, stationed at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas.

Beckman returned to civilian life in 1966 and obtained a Masters of Business Administration degree from St. Cloud State University. He worked in finance at General Mills from 1968 to 2002.

He and his wife, Nancy, sold their home in Minneapolis in 2006 and moved to Otter Tail Lake. Daughter Tracy lives in West. St. Paul and son Tom is in Seattle. The Beckmans have seven grandchildren.

Nancy’s sister, Sharon, is married to Dave Wilde. They live in Fergus Falls.

Looking back on his career at St. John’s, Beckman points to other good athletes who also became success stories in their adult lives.

Quarterback for the Johnnies in 1963 was Craig Muyres who is a self employed businessman in Maple Lake. All-American end Ken Roering became a professor of marketing at the University of Minnesota. Beckman’s fellow halfback, Bob Spinner, became a hospital administrator in Minneapolis. Fullback Rich Froehle is retired and living in Cold Spring.

Beckman and his teammates, while looking back on the 1963 national title team, note that the opponents for the Johnnies, Prairie View A&M, had some outstanding athletes. Among them were wide receiver Otis Taylor who later played for the Kansas City Chiefs against the Minnesota Vikings in the 1970 Super Bowl. Defensive back Ken Houston later played with the Washington Redskins.

The only sad event for St. John’s in the fall of 1963 was the national tragedy of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. But life went on, and the Johnnies won their second national title in 1965. The third and fourth national crowns were won in 1976 and 2003.

Beckman attended the national title game five years ago in the state of Virginia. The Johnnies defeated powerhouse Mount Union College of Ohio.

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