Paul Beck (American football)

Paul Beck
Biographical details
Born(1905-03-13)March 13, 1905
Fairplay, Indiana, U.S.
DiedAugust 2, 1978(1978-08-02) (aged 73)
Paducah, Kentucky, U.S.
Playing career
Football
1926–1928Indiana State
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1929–1939Oblong HS (IL)
1940–1941Thornton HS (IL) (backfield)
1947–1953Evansville (line)
1954–1965Evansville
1966–1971Evansville (assistant)
Basketball
1929–1940Oblong HS (IL)
1940–1942Thornton HS (IL) (assistant)
1947–1971Evansville (assistant)
Head coaching record
Overall46–57 (college football)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
2 ICC (1955, 1964)

Paul Beck (March 13, 1905 – August 28, 1978) was an American football and basketball coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Evansville in Evansville, Indiana from 1954 to 1965.[1]

A native of Worthington, Indiana, Beck attended Indiana State Teachers College—now known as Indiana State University—where he played college football for three seasons, captaining the football team in 1928 before graduating the following year. He began his coaching career in 1929 at Oblong High School in Oblong, Illinois, mentoring the football and basketball teams for 11 years. In 1940, Beck moved on to Thornton High School in Harvey, Illinois, where he was hired as backfield coach in football, assistant coach in basketball, and head coach of the track team.[2]

Beck served in the United States Navy from 1942 to 1947, reaching the rank of lieutenant commander. He died on August 28, 1978, at Western Baptist Hospital in Paducah, Kentucky.[3]

  1. ^ Robertson, Bill (December 11, 1965). "Beck Quits At EC; Byers Promoted". The Evansville Press. Evansville, Indiana. p. 8. Retrieved June 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  2. ^ Kreker, George (May 18, 1940). "Fan's Fare". Decatur Herald. Decatur, Illinois. p. 5. Retrieved June 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  3. ^ "Paul Beck, coached football team at UE". The Evansville Press. Evansville, Indiana. August 29, 1978. p. 7. Retrieved June 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.