Bucknell University Athletics
Kurt Beathard Named Bucknell Football Offensive Coordinator
1/25/2002 7:00:00 AM | Football
Jan. 25, 2002
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Kurt Beathard, a former assistant coach and standout quarterback at Towson State University and for the last four seasons the offensive coordinator at Western Carolina University, has been named offensive coordinator at Bucknell, head coach Tom Gadd announced today.
In completing his staff for the 2002 season, Gadd also announced the appointment of Jared Backus as a defensive assistant coach and special teams coordinator, and the promotion of defensive coordinator Dave Kotulski to associate head coach.
A 1986 graduate of Towson State, Beathard was a two-year starter at quarterback, leading the Tigers to the Division II NCAA Tournament Semifinals in 1985. He threw for 4,768 yards while leading Towson to a 16-6-1 record in 1984-85. Following his senior year, Beathard was named an honorable mention All-American and drafted by the Baltimore Stars of the United States Football League (USFL).
Beathard began his collegiate coaching career at Catholic University in 1988, while also serving as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Louisville. He spent the 1991 season coaching the tight ends at James Madison University before moving to Central Pennsylvania for the first time to tutor the quarterbacks at Bloomsburg University.
Beathard is a veteran of the Division I-AA coaching ranks, and has several years of Patriot League coaching experience. After a short tenure at Colgate, Beathard returned to his alma mater in August 1993 for a two-year stint as Towson's defensive coordinator, secondary coach and special teams coach. The Tigers boasted 8-2 records in both 1993 and 1994, earning a No. 24 ranking in the I-AA national poll in 1993.
After a one-year stint at the University of the Pacific, Beathard then moved on to Western Carolina, where he served as secondary and special teams coach in 1995, quarterbacks coach in 1996 and offensive coordinator from 1997 through last season, when he helped lead the Catamounts to a 7-4 record.
"I am pleased to welcome Kurt to our staff," commented Gadd. "He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our program, and I am excited to have him. Western Carolina had a very exciting offense and put a lot of points on the board. That is our next step at Bucknell. We gained a lot of yards last year, but we had difficulty converting them into points."
Beathard and his wife, Karen, have three daughters. He is the son of Bobby Beathard, the former general manager of the Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers.
Beathard takes over the offensive coordinator post from Marty Schaetzle '83, who accepted the head coaching position at Mercyhurst College earlier this month.
Backus comes to Lewisburg from the University of Maine, where he has been the Black Bears' defensive line coach and special teams coordinator since 1999. A 1993 graduate of Springfield College where he was a two-year football lettermen as an inside linebacker, Backus also oversaw Maine's video operation, and recruited successfully in New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey and Maine.
Backus' first coaching experience came as a defensive/strength and conditioning intern at King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., in 1994-95. He then completed graduate assistantships at Springfield and Rutgers before taking a position as inside linebackers coach at Lebanon Valley College. In 1998 he was the defensive secondary coach at Pace University before being hired by Maine head coach Jack Cosgrove.
At Bucknell, Backus will have an opportunity to work with one of the Patriot League's best outside linebacker units. Seniors-to-be Joe Massey and Juan Morales combined for 73 tackles and 13 sacks last season.
Backus' wife, Amanda, is Associate Director of Athletics/Senior Woman Administrator at Bucknell.
An original member of Tom Gadd's Bison coaching staff, Kotulski recently completed his seventh season as Bucknell's defensive coordinator. During that time, he has gained a reputation as one of the top defensive minds in Division I-AA football.
In 2001, Bucknell boasted the Patriot League's top-ranked defense, also listing fifth nationally in yards allowed (260.1), eighth in rushing yards allowed (89.3), 11th in points allowed (15.7), third in fumble recoveries (20) and seventh in turnovers forced (34). Bucknell did not allow a 100-yard rusher all season and allowed only eight offensive touchdowns in the last 33 quarters of the season. Five of the 12 players named to the First Team All-Patriot League defensive unit came from Bucknell.
The Bison were 6-4 in 2001.
In seven seasons under Kotulski, the Bison defense has finished lower than second in the Patriot League only once and has been in the top three in scoring defense each year. Kotulski has coached four All-Americans, including first-team selection Adam Lord this fall, and 29 All-Patriot League defensive players.
A 1974 graduate of New Mexico State University, Kotulski coached at Utah (1978-89) and St. Mary's (Calif.) (1990-94) before accompanying Gadd to Bucknell.
Bucknell sponsors 28 intercollegiate sports, 14 each for men and women, at the Division I level (1-AA in football). It is a charter member of the Patriot League and has won the league's all-sports championship in eight of the 11 years it has been contested. Bucknell continually ranks among the top institutions in student-athlete graduation rate in Division I every year, and ranks third in Division I in producing Verizon Academic All-Americans.
