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UConn's Beatty not your typical player
Will Beatty's off-field pursuits have grounded him as he moves toward a NFL career.
By FRANK BODANI
Daily Record/Sunday News
Updated: 04/11/2009 03:54:41 PM EDT
William Penn graduate Will Beatty is the best NFL prospect out of York County in over two decades, yet he wasn't even a standout in the YAIAA. Beatty received looks from only Division I-AA schools until the University of Connecticut came calling with his only big-school offer. Now, Beatty, seen here working out in front of coaches and scouts at UConn's pro day, is projected to be taken in the second or late first round of the NFL Draft. (Hartford Courant - John Woike)
It's one thing for this giant of a man -- the best NFL prospect to come out of York County in decades -- to make desserts and snacks for his teammates on Sundays.
Quite another to be proficient on a sewing machine.
And to own a mannequin.
A sewing mannequin.
It's all just a glimpse into the unique life of 6-foot-6, 310-pound Will Beatty, the highly-regarded offensive tackle from the University of Connecticut.
"Hey, whatever he wants to do in his free time, that's on him," teammate Keith Gray, another offensive lineman, said with a laugh. "He's not your typical football player."
So how many people really know Beatty?
It wasn't easy for classmates because while growing up he moved from one school district
Will Beatty isn't a typical football player. The 6-foot-6, 310-pound offensive lineman has pursued music, art, cooking and sewing over the years -- he once made his mother a pair of pajamas for Christmas. Plus, 'he doesn't really watch the NFL, which is kind of funny,' said teammate Keith Gray said. 'I'm almost positive he can't even name six teams.' (Hartford Courant - Bob MacDonnell)to another, from York City to West York to Central York and back to York City, where he graduated from William Penn.
It wasn't even easy for his parents. They didn't realize the extent of his artistic talent -- or that he had art schools pursuing him -- until they picked up a box of his pen-and-ink drawings and pastel works he left behind at William Penn after graduation. He just never really talked about his talents.
And it's not even easy on his teammates. They've tried for years, with little success, to get him to hang out with them more often.
"He doesn't really watch the NFL, which is kind of funny," Gray said. "Being a football player, you'd figure he'd have a favorite team. I'm almost positive he can't even name six teams."
Beatty, then, really isn't your typical big-time football player.
He's developed such a passion for cooking that he makes huge Thanksgiving spreads for teammates, complete with 20-pound turkeys, sweet potatoes, trays of macaroni and cheese and desserts such as cheesecakes and rice pudding.
He was so interested in making clothes that he bought a sewing machine and created everything from pajamas to pillow cases.
He was so intrigued by playing an instrument that he got a keyboard
William Penn graduate Will Beatty got passed over by most colleges, but UConn coach Randy Edsall,
a Susquehannock alum, saw him as a project that needed to be molded. At one point, Edsall asked
his parents to take away his car, thinking it was a distraction to football and his studies. (Submitted)and took lessons.
And through it all, this football player even seemed above getting teased.
A sewing mannequin?
"You got to understand," Gray said, "Will's a big guy. Nobody's going to say anything."
* * *
All of his football work in York and beyond is about to make him quite rich.
Consider that Beatty, who just turned 24, is likely to be picked in the six-figure, second round of the NFL Draft in two weeks or even late in the million-dollar first round, if things fall into place.
That would make him the YAIAA's second-highest draft pick ever, behind only William Penn's Chris Doleman, who was the fourth overall selection 25 years ago.
This from a guy who was not even
Will Beatty grew up helping his mother, Sylvia, and father Keith with a youth outreach program called Mission Home Ministries. He won't spend draft weekend in New York City, but rather in Arizona with his family at a 'praise weekend.' (Submitted)a superstar in his high school league.
Who received nothing better than Division I-AA looks from places like Richmond and Towson until the end, when UConn and head coach Randy Edsall came calling. The Huskies became Beatty's first and only big-school offer.
So how did this happen?
Growing up, Beatty was known mostly for his sheer size (over 6-foot and 200 pounds by the ninth grade) and for his sprawling family.
When the Beattys held a picnic or holiday gathering, it seemed as if half of York showed up. Keith Beatty, one of 18 children, went on to father four children in his first marriage and four more, including Will, in his present marriage.
Beatty and his second wife, Sylvia, also have raised two children who were not their own.
It all inspired Keith Beatty to help as many kids as he could, which led him to start a youth outreach program called Mission Home Ministries.
Will watched and helped out with the program that turned into a family business, learning humility and a helpful heart along the way. Football, he discovered, was important but far from everything.
"He always wasn't a football guy, but me and his dad always knew he had the potential," said Kyle Hawkins, who was raised by the Beattys and became an older brother to Will.
"When he was at Central he was a little discouraged because he thought he was a tight end or a defensive man," Hawkins said. "Coaches told him he was a natural on the offensive line, and he didn't want
Will Beatty played three years of football for Central York and coach Brad Livingston, right. 'When he was at Central he was a little discouraged because he thought he was a tight end or a defensive man,' said Kyle Hawkins, whom the Beattys raised. 'Coaches told him he was a natural on the offensive line.' (Daily Record/Sunday News - file)to hear that. I don't think he really got that into his mind until his junior year at UConn. It took a long time for him to really get to be a football guy because he wasn't really playing the position he wanted."
After transferring to William Penn to play football for family friend and coach Eric Lauer, Beatty still was bypassed by most colleges.
One high school coach, who Edsall declined to name, told him this after he signed Beatty: "Randy, what did you do? There's no way that kid will ever be a player."
But Edsall, a Susquehannock High grad who recruits his hometown league hard, viewed Beatty as an intriguing project simply in need of shaping. He knew his combination of size, speed and agility was rare.
"A lot of people want the finished product or close to the finished project," Edsall said. "A lot of times people get scared away saying, 'Who else is recruiting him? If no Division I schools are recruiting him, then we can't recruit him.'
"I didn't care who else was recruiting him."
Almost as expected, there were stumbling blocks at the beginning.
First, Beatty had to get used to his parents being 2,600 miles away after they moved to Phoenix because of his mother's ministry work.
Then, there were the strict routines of college football. Just about every day of his freshman year Beatty suffered through grueling, mandatory 6 a.m. "extra" workouts, which often included running up and down the stadium steps 13 times.
"I'm pretty sure he broke the record for 6 a.m.'s," Gray said.
Edsall also asked Beatty's parents to take away his car at college, believing it was a distraction to football and his studies.
"(Edsall) put his thumb on Will to make sure he would succeed," Hawkins said.
"I gave him a little more because of where he's from," Edsall said. "He might have got it harder than other guys because I wanted to make sure he was going to come out and be successful. I have a bond with all of my players, but I think a little more with the guys from Central Pennsylvania."
And when Beatty finally did begin to come into his own as a player at Connecticut, he broke his leg.
It only seemed to inspire him more, though. He recovered and helped lead the Huskies to their best season ever, no matter that he played a position rarely noticed by fans or media types.
Meanwhile, his off-field interests provided a buffer to football, gave him a way to recharge.
Like how his cooking blossomed into renowned status among his team. Edsall remembers Beatty complaining about the training table cafeteria food the football team eats. He preferred to make his own.
"Nothing against the chefs . . . but there wasn't enough flavor for me," Beatty said. "I'm eating food, but it's not like, 'This is really good, can I have some more?'"
Sewing was next. Intrigued from having taken a mandatory class in school years earlier, Beatty bought a machine and made hospital scrubs for a former girlfriend. He then sent homemade pajamas home to his mother as a Christmas present.
"Nothing too fancy," he said. "No runway type of outfit."
"Whatever he sees he has to know how to do it and know how to do it right," said Sylvia Beatty, his mother. "With everything in his life he's a perfectionist. Everything is in total order."
"It's a jack-of-all-trades type of thing," Will Beatty said. "I want to know how something works. It all keeps me grounded with football. I know football is what I'm meant to do, and I never get tired of it. But then I know to think outside of football.
"I'm always trying to learn something new. I don't want one thing to be my sole purpose ..."
* * *
He seems like an NFL team's dream.
He has the physical foundation and the work ethic and the no-nonsense personality and a fire to fuel him on the field. He doesn't carouse at night spots. He's a great "character guy."
He will spend the April 25-26 draft weekend, not at the center of the glitz and extravagance in New York City, but, rather, with his family in Arizona at a "praise weekend" in his honor. He will sign autographs to help raise money for a new church.
He can envision himself becoming established in a city for a few years as a player and then opening up his own restaurant.
Or maybe he will follow his father into outreach work with kids.
At least for now, the focus is football. He is, after all, the kind of underdog few could ever have imagined being in this position. He's been a strong finisher, who performed well during February's NFL combine and last month during a pro day workout in Connecticut.
And lightning very well could strike on draft day, and a team late in the first round could realize that Beatty is the safest choice to solidify their left tackle spot, often considered the most crucial in the NFL.
Certainly, the wait will be over by the middle of the second round.
The Philadelphia Eagles and Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers are just two of several teams that appear to have noted interest.
Beatty, as expected, downplayed his success and expected riches.
"It doesn't matter where you go (in the draft), it's what you do when you get there," he said. "Everyone's saying the draft is a big deal, but that's only the beginning. You still have to show up for camp. It's not like I got drafted, and now I've made it."
Maybe not yet, but he certainly is well on his way to places very few from this area have ever gone.
"We're the parents away from home," said Edsall, his coach. "And we're proud parents."
fbodani@ydr.com; 771-2104
BEATTY'S PROFILE
Height: 6-foot-6
Weight: 310 lbs.
Position: Offensive tackle
High school: He played football and basketball his senior season at William Penn after three years at Central. He graduated in 2004. He was an Honor Roll student and a member of the Future Leaders of America.
Honors: Beatty was a first-team All-Big East and Senior Bowl selection this year.
NFL future: Beatty is projected to be a second-round pick, but could sneak into the first round.
2009 NFL DRAFT
When: April 25-26
Where: New York City
Draft order: Detroit is on the clock for the first pick followed by St. Louis, Kansas City, Seattle and Cleveland. In the first round, Philadelphia has the 21st and 28th pick (from Carolina), Baltimore has the 26th pick and Pittsburgh the 32nd.
A few top projected picks: Wake Forest's Aaron Curry (OLB), Baylor's Jason Smith (OT), Texas Tech's Michael Crabtree (WR), Virginia's Eugene Monroe (OT) and Penn State's Aaron Maybin (DE).
Will Beatty's off-field pursuits have grounded him as he moves toward a NFL career.
By FRANK BODANI
Daily Record/Sunday News
Updated: 04/11/2009 03:54:41 PM EDT
William Penn graduate Will Beatty is the best NFL prospect out of York County in over two decades, yet he wasn't even a standout in the YAIAA. Beatty received looks from only Division I-AA schools until the University of Connecticut came calling with his only big-school offer. Now, Beatty, seen here working out in front of coaches and scouts at UConn's pro day, is projected to be taken in the second or late first round of the NFL Draft. (Hartford Courant - John Woike)
It's one thing for this giant of a man -- the best NFL prospect to come out of York County in decades -- to make desserts and snacks for his teammates on Sundays.
Quite another to be proficient on a sewing machine.
And to own a mannequin.
A sewing mannequin.
It's all just a glimpse into the unique life of 6-foot-6, 310-pound Will Beatty, the highly-regarded offensive tackle from the University of Connecticut.
"Hey, whatever he wants to do in his free time, that's on him," teammate Keith Gray, another offensive lineman, said with a laugh. "He's not your typical football player."
So how many people really know Beatty?
It wasn't easy for classmates because while growing up he moved from one school district
Will Beatty isn't a typical football player. The 6-foot-6, 310-pound offensive lineman has pursued music, art, cooking and sewing over the years -- he once made his mother a pair of pajamas for Christmas. Plus, 'he doesn't really watch the NFL, which is kind of funny,' said teammate Keith Gray said. 'I'm almost positive he can't even name six teams.' (Hartford Courant - Bob MacDonnell)to another, from York City to West York to Central York and back to York City, where he graduated from William Penn.
It wasn't even easy for his parents. They didn't realize the extent of his artistic talent -- or that he had art schools pursuing him -- until they picked up a box of his pen-and-ink drawings and pastel works he left behind at William Penn after graduation. He just never really talked about his talents.
And it's not even easy on his teammates. They've tried for years, with little success, to get him to hang out with them more often.
"He doesn't really watch the NFL, which is kind of funny," Gray said. "Being a football player, you'd figure he'd have a favorite team. I'm almost positive he can't even name six teams."
Beatty, then, really isn't your typical big-time football player.
He's developed such a passion for cooking that he makes huge Thanksgiving spreads for teammates, complete with 20-pound turkeys, sweet potatoes, trays of macaroni and cheese and desserts such as cheesecakes and rice pudding.
He was so interested in making clothes that he bought a sewing machine and created everything from pajamas to pillow cases.
He was so intrigued by playing an instrument that he got a keyboard
William Penn graduate Will Beatty got passed over by most colleges, but UConn coach Randy Edsall,
a Susquehannock alum, saw him as a project that needed to be molded. At one point, Edsall asked
his parents to take away his car, thinking it was a distraction to football and his studies. (Submitted)and took lessons.
And through it all, this football player even seemed above getting teased.
A sewing mannequin?
"You got to understand," Gray said, "Will's a big guy. Nobody's going to say anything."
* * *
All of his football work in York and beyond is about to make him quite rich.
Consider that Beatty, who just turned 24, is likely to be picked in the six-figure, second round of the NFL Draft in two weeks or even late in the million-dollar first round, if things fall into place.
That would make him the YAIAA's second-highest draft pick ever, behind only William Penn's Chris Doleman, who was the fourth overall selection 25 years ago.
This from a guy who was not even
Will Beatty grew up helping his mother, Sylvia, and father Keith with a youth outreach program called Mission Home Ministries. He won't spend draft weekend in New York City, but rather in Arizona with his family at a 'praise weekend.' (Submitted)a superstar in his high school league.
Who received nothing better than Division I-AA looks from places like Richmond and Towson until the end, when UConn and head coach Randy Edsall came calling. The Huskies became Beatty's first and only big-school offer.
So how did this happen?
Growing up, Beatty was known mostly for his sheer size (over 6-foot and 200 pounds by the ninth grade) and for his sprawling family.
When the Beattys held a picnic or holiday gathering, it seemed as if half of York showed up. Keith Beatty, one of 18 children, went on to father four children in his first marriage and four more, including Will, in his present marriage.
Beatty and his second wife, Sylvia, also have raised two children who were not their own.
It all inspired Keith Beatty to help as many kids as he could, which led him to start a youth outreach program called Mission Home Ministries.
Will watched and helped out with the program that turned into a family business, learning humility and a helpful heart along the way. Football, he discovered, was important but far from everything.
"He always wasn't a football guy, but me and his dad always knew he had the potential," said Kyle Hawkins, who was raised by the Beattys and became an older brother to Will.
"When he was at Central he was a little discouraged because he thought he was a tight end or a defensive man," Hawkins said. "Coaches told him he was a natural on the offensive line, and he didn't want
Will Beatty played three years of football for Central York and coach Brad Livingston, right. 'When he was at Central he was a little discouraged because he thought he was a tight end or a defensive man,' said Kyle Hawkins, whom the Beattys raised. 'Coaches told him he was a natural on the offensive line.' (Daily Record/Sunday News - file)to hear that. I don't think he really got that into his mind until his junior year at UConn. It took a long time for him to really get to be a football guy because he wasn't really playing the position he wanted."
After transferring to William Penn to play football for family friend and coach Eric Lauer, Beatty still was bypassed by most colleges.
One high school coach, who Edsall declined to name, told him this after he signed Beatty: "Randy, what did you do? There's no way that kid will ever be a player."
But Edsall, a Susquehannock High grad who recruits his hometown league hard, viewed Beatty as an intriguing project simply in need of shaping. He knew his combination of size, speed and agility was rare.
"A lot of people want the finished product or close to the finished project," Edsall said. "A lot of times people get scared away saying, 'Who else is recruiting him? If no Division I schools are recruiting him, then we can't recruit him.'
"I didn't care who else was recruiting him."
Almost as expected, there were stumbling blocks at the beginning.
First, Beatty had to get used to his parents being 2,600 miles away after they moved to Phoenix because of his mother's ministry work.
Then, there were the strict routines of college football. Just about every day of his freshman year Beatty suffered through grueling, mandatory 6 a.m. "extra" workouts, which often included running up and down the stadium steps 13 times.
"I'm pretty sure he broke the record for 6 a.m.'s," Gray said.
Edsall also asked Beatty's parents to take away his car at college, believing it was a distraction to football and his studies.
"(Edsall) put his thumb on Will to make sure he would succeed," Hawkins said.
"I gave him a little more because of where he's from," Edsall said. "He might have got it harder than other guys because I wanted to make sure he was going to come out and be successful. I have a bond with all of my players, but I think a little more with the guys from Central Pennsylvania."
And when Beatty finally did begin to come into his own as a player at Connecticut, he broke his leg.
It only seemed to inspire him more, though. He recovered and helped lead the Huskies to their best season ever, no matter that he played a position rarely noticed by fans or media types.
Meanwhile, his off-field interests provided a buffer to football, gave him a way to recharge.
Like how his cooking blossomed into renowned status among his team. Edsall remembers Beatty complaining about the training table cafeteria food the football team eats. He preferred to make his own.
"Nothing against the chefs . . . but there wasn't enough flavor for me," Beatty said. "I'm eating food, but it's not like, 'This is really good, can I have some more?'"
Sewing was next. Intrigued from having taken a mandatory class in school years earlier, Beatty bought a machine and made hospital scrubs for a former girlfriend. He then sent homemade pajamas home to his mother as a Christmas present.
"Nothing too fancy," he said. "No runway type of outfit."
"Whatever he sees he has to know how to do it and know how to do it right," said Sylvia Beatty, his mother. "With everything in his life he's a perfectionist. Everything is in total order."
"It's a jack-of-all-trades type of thing," Will Beatty said. "I want to know how something works. It all keeps me grounded with football. I know football is what I'm meant to do, and I never get tired of it. But then I know to think outside of football.
"I'm always trying to learn something new. I don't want one thing to be my sole purpose ..."
* * *
He seems like an NFL team's dream.
He has the physical foundation and the work ethic and the no-nonsense personality and a fire to fuel him on the field. He doesn't carouse at night spots. He's a great "character guy."
He will spend the April 25-26 draft weekend, not at the center of the glitz and extravagance in New York City, but, rather, with his family in Arizona at a "praise weekend" in his honor. He will sign autographs to help raise money for a new church.
He can envision himself becoming established in a city for a few years as a player and then opening up his own restaurant.
Or maybe he will follow his father into outreach work with kids.
At least for now, the focus is football. He is, after all, the kind of underdog few could ever have imagined being in this position. He's been a strong finisher, who performed well during February's NFL combine and last month during a pro day workout in Connecticut.
And lightning very well could strike on draft day, and a team late in the first round could realize that Beatty is the safest choice to solidify their left tackle spot, often considered the most crucial in the NFL.
Certainly, the wait will be over by the middle of the second round.
The Philadelphia Eagles and Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers are just two of several teams that appear to have noted interest.
Beatty, as expected, downplayed his success and expected riches.
"It doesn't matter where you go (in the draft), it's what you do when you get there," he said. "Everyone's saying the draft is a big deal, but that's only the beginning. You still have to show up for camp. It's not like I got drafted, and now I've made it."
Maybe not yet, but he certainly is well on his way to places very few from this area have ever gone.
"We're the parents away from home," said Edsall, his coach. "And we're proud parents."
fbodani@ydr.com; 771-2104
BEATTY'S PROFILE
Height: 6-foot-6
Weight: 310 lbs.
Position: Offensive tackle
High school: He played football and basketball his senior season at William Penn after three years at Central. He graduated in 2004. He was an Honor Roll student and a member of the Future Leaders of America.
Honors: Beatty was a first-team All-Big East and Senior Bowl selection this year.
NFL future: Beatty is projected to be a second-round pick, but could sneak into the first round.
2009 NFL DRAFT
When: April 25-26
Where: New York City
Draft order: Detroit is on the clock for the first pick followed by St. Louis, Kansas City, Seattle and Cleveland. In the first round, Philadelphia has the 21st and 28th pick (from Carolina), Baltimore has the 26th pick and Pittsburgh the 32nd.
A few top projected picks: Wake Forest's Aaron Curry (OLB), Baylor's Jason Smith (OT), Texas Tech's Michael Crabtree (WR), Virginia's Eugene Monroe (OT) and Penn State's Aaron Maybin (DE).