Ryan Beard (born c. 1988 or 1989)[1] is an American college football coach and former player. He is the head football coach for Missouri State University, a position he has held since 2023. He played college football at Western Kentucky and later coached them, Louisville, Northern Michigan, and Central Michigan before receiving a job at Missouri State in 2020.
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Missouri State |
| Conference | MVFC |
| Record | 11–9 |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | 1988 or 1989 (age 34–35) |
| Playing career | |
| 2007–2011 | Western Kentucky |
| Position(s) | Defensive back |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 2012–2013 | Western Kentucky (DGA) |
| 2014 | Louisville (DQC) |
| 2015 | Northern Michigan (CB) |
| 2016 | Northern Michigan (S) |
| 2016 | Western Kentucky (DB) |
| 2017–2018 | Louisville (asst.) |
| 2019 | Central Michigan (ST/S) |
| 2020–2022 | Missouri State (DC/S) |
| 2023–present | Missouri State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 11–9 |
Early life and education
editA native of Bowling Green, Kentucky,[2] Beard attended Bowling Green High School where he played football for four seasons and helped them reach the Class 3A championship twice.[3] He began playing college football for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in 2007 as a defensive back and was an all-freshman selection.[4] Beard became a starter in 2008.[5] He graduated following the 2011 season and has two degrees from Western Kentucky: a Bachelor of Science in business management and a Master of Science in recreation and sports administration.[4] He was twice named All-Sun Belt Conference in his time with the Hilltoppers and was also an all-academic selection, additionally being given the school's "Iron Man Award" as a senior after posting 51 stops.[4][6][7] His career-high in tackles came as a junior in 2010, when he recorded 71.[6]
Coaching career
editBeard began his coaching career immediately after graduating from Western Kentucky, serving as the Hilltoppers' defensive graduate assistant from 2012 to 2013.[3] He served as the defensive quality control coach for the Louisville Cardinals in 2014,[3] and after one season in that position, became an assistant at Northern Michigan, working with the cornerbacks.[8][9]
Beard was to serve as Northern Michigan secondary coach in 2016, but left for Western Kentucky in July of that year.[10] He served as their defensive backs coach for one season.[7] In 2017, he returned to Louisville, where he served as an assistant for two seasons.[4] Beard coached the special teams and safeties at Central Michigan in 2019.[4]
Beard was named defensive coordinator and safeties coach for the Missouri State Bears in 2020.[11] In his first season in the position, he helped them set the school record for single-season sacks and reach the playoffs for the first time in 30 years.[12] The next year, the Bears defense again broke the single-season sack record and they made the playoffs for the second consecutive year.[12] Following the 2022 season, where Missouri State went 5–6 and missed the playoffs, Beard was named the new head coach.[13]
Personal life
editBeard is married to Katie, the daughter of Bobby Petrino, whom Beard succeeded as Missouri State head coach in 2023.[4] As of 2022, they have four children together.[4]
Head coaching record
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri State Bears (Missouri Valley Football Conference) (2023–present) | |||||||||
| 2023 | Missouri State | 4–7 | 3–5 | 9th | |||||
| 2024 | Missouri State | 6-2 | 4–0 | ||||||
| Missouri State: | 10–9 | 7–5 | |||||||
| Total: | 10-9 | ||||||||
References
edit- ^ Wheeler, Wyatt (December 18, 2022). "Beard promotion to MSU football coach allows deserved continuity". The Springfield News-Leader. p. B1, B4 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Nations, Jeff (December 17, 2022). "BG native Beard promoted to Missouri State head coach". The Bowling Green Daily News.
- ^ a b c Stephens, Brad (August 6, 2016). "Home On The Hill". The Park City Daily News. p. B1, B5 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g Wheeler, Wyatt (December 18, 2022). "5 things to know about Missouri State football coach Ryan Beard". The Springfield News-Leader. p. B1, B4 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Baumgardner, Nick (September 10, 2008). "Hometown guys earn starting nods". The Park City Daily News. p. C1, C3 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Ryan Beard". Louisville Cardinals.
- ^ a b Floyd, Lauren (December 17, 2022). "Bowling Green native Ryan Beard promoted to Missouri State football head coach". WBKO.
- ^ Lourim, Jake (January 13, 2018). "Louisville football hires Ryan Beard, Bobby Petrino's son-in-law, as 10th assistant coach". The Courier-Journal.
- ^ Lourim, Jake (March 21, 2018). "Louisville football's Brian VanGorder is adjusting to coaching staff and spring practices". The Courier-Journal.
- ^ "Ryan Beard". LinkedIn.
- ^ Wheeler, Wyatt (January 26, 2020). "Petrino announces MSU's coaching staff". The Springfield News-Leader. p. B1, B3 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Ryan Beard". Missouri State Bears.
- ^ Wheeler, Wyatt (December 20, 2022). "A new leader". The Springfield News-Leader. p. A1, A6 – via Newspapers.com.
