Everything Shane Beamer said at Bear Bryant Awards Press Conference

South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer is a finalist for the Paul “Bear” Bryant National Coach of the Year honor. On Wednesday, just hours before the awards ceremony in Houston, Texas, Beamer took some time to answer questions from the media.

Here’s everything Beamer had to say.

Opening statement

“Humbled and honored to be here in Houston, to be a part of such an amazing event. My dad won this award back in after the 1999 season. to be here as his son and to be a finalist is very humbling. Surrounded by so many amazing coaches for such a great event and great cause.”

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Do you have any good Michael Vick stories from from back in the day?

“I don’t know if there’s anything that no one’s not heard, but he was just one of those guys that I don’t think anyone, myself included, really realized how good he was until you got into a game. Because in practice, as you know, quarterbacks are somewhat protected in practice, and they’re not really getting hit and and it’s very sterile, if you will, compared to a real game. I’ll never forget his first game, because he redshirted in 1998. So the first game of the ’99 season, just seeing him out there, I think we played James Madison, and it was just like, ‘Oh my God.’ I mean, he’s he’s different. So that would be one.

“And then I was laughing with someone the other day. My dad could tell this story better. When Mike was coming out of high school, his high school coach was very adamant, as was Mike, that he needed to be redshirted. And in today’s time, nobody wants to be a redshirt. And now they all want to play as freshmen. So they agreed, ‘Okay, we’ll take him, but we will redshirt him no matter what happens in the 1998 season.’ And in 1998 we got down to our third team quarterback, our starting quarterback missed some games with injuries. Our backup quarterback missed some games with injuries. We went and played Boston College in 1998 on a Thursday night, and we had to move our starting free safety, who had been a high school quarterback, to the quarterback. His name is Nick Sorensen. He was the defensive coordinator for the 49ers last season, and Nick was our quarterback that night against Boston College. And meanwhile, Mike Vick is standing next to me on the sideline, carrying a clipboard in that game because we had promised his coach we were going to redshirt him. And we only lost three games that season. We were pretty good, but obviously that set up what 1999 became.”

Having your dad win this award and just being here nominated for it, what does that mean to you to be a part of that legacy with the Bear Bryant Award?

“Can’t put into words. I came here when I was his son. I mean, that was after my senior year of college, so I came here with him when he won it after the 1999 season. And, I mean, I got into this profession thinking, if I could be half the coach, you know, my dad was, it would be a pretty successful career. And to be here in my fourth season as a head coach is is extremely humbling and really awesome. And then just the names that are associated with the award, starting with Coach Bryant, but you know, Sylvester Croom, I know, won the lifetime achievement award a few years ago, and he gave me my first full time job in the SEC and has had as much of an impact on my career and me as a person as anyone other than maybe my dad. So to be just associated with amazing people and coaches like that, it’s pretty surreal.”

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You’ve had the opportunity to work under really some of the biggest names in college football history. What are some lessons you learned along the way that you’ve taken with you into this position?

“Great question. I have. Just the coaches I’ve been with and the assistant coaches that I’ve been around. I always wanted to be a head coach. I tried to take something from everyone that I was around, but also you got to be your own person and have your own style. But I go back to when I was at Georgia Tech and and work for George O’Leary and the great assistant coaches that were on that staff. That was a great experience for me, because I had been around my dad and his program my entire career. So to be exposed to something different was really beneficial, as well being a part of a campus. It’s in downtown Atlanta, where you recruit nationally.

“And then going to the University of Tennessee and working for Philip Fulmer, learned about the importance of recruiting and being in a state that, at the time, didn’t have a ton of high school players each and every year. So you had to go all over the country and and recruit. And then going to Mississippi State, that was my first full time job. Working for Sylvester Croom and taking over a program at the time that was on probation because of some NCAA issues and having to rebuild it, if you will, and seeing how he did that and always put the players first every decision that he made. And then Steve Spurrier gave me an opportunity at South Carolina after that, and that was a great experience for me, just being able to see how teams really, truly take on the personality of their coach.

“And Coach Spurrier, we all know what he’s like as a person and as a coach, and the bravado and swag, if you will, that he has. Our players became that and fed off that, as well. And then my dad gave me an opportunity at Virginia Tech and getting to work for him. I’d be his son and I played for him, and now getting the opportunity to coach for him and see why he was successful. And then Kirby smart, I was the part of his very first staff at Georgia. Seeing him implement his program on day one coming in the door really helped me when I took over the job, the program at South Carolina. And then, most recently, I was at Oklahoma with Lincoln Riley and and just being exposed to his offensive mind and and being a part of a program that has such great tradition as Oklahoma really helped me, as well.”

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As you have progressed into your career as a football coach, you’ve seen the daily grind. You’ve seen how tough it is to make it through a season healthy. What are some things you were doing, and not just for yourself, but for your staff, to make sure that everybody’s taking care of themselves?

“I remember being on the sidelines with (my dad) during a game. We’re playing East Carolina, I believe, in 1989 and I remember him calling the team doctor over during the game. I couldn’t hear what he was saying, but I saw him kind of point to his chest and say something. And then maybe the next morning or the two mornings later, I remember waking up and my mom telling me that, you know, dad’s in the hospital, and telling me what’s going on. I think I was 12 at the time. That’s something you don’t like to hear about your dad. He came out of it and whatnot. So that’s a strong memory from my childhood that’s helped me now to make sure that I’m taking care of myself physically.

“And for me, that’s trying to eat right and and take care of my body. I exercise every morning. I try and stay active. So every morning throughout the year, I’m in the weight room doing something at 6 a.m. four or five days a week. And if I’m not in there at six, I’m doing something active later in the day, without a doubt. Running, walking, biking, whatever it may be, just to try and take care of myself and realizing that the profession that I’m in. It’s very stressful, and if you don’t take care of yourself, you’re not going to be at your very best. And then just making sure that myself and our coaches are getting regular checkups. And I learned that from Steve Spurrier when I worked for him in South Carolina. He made his coaches before every season go get a physical and and be able to make sure that they’re in as good a condition as they can be to start every season, and that’s something that I’ve tried to continue to do at South Carolina, as well.”

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