Beck's career only a reflection of his goals

"The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don't define them, or ever seriously consider them as achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them." — Denis Waitley

It was Halloween, 17 years ago, when 8-year old John Beck told his parents what he wanted as a costume while carrying a treat sack around his Mesa, Ariz., neighborhood. It was obvious. While BYU sophomore quarterback Ty Detmer was preparing to lead the Cougars past Oregon 45-41 later that week in 1989, Beck wanted to be Jim McMahon, an established, legendary All-American college passer.

Beck decked himself out in McMahon's No. 9 jersey and placed a sweatband around his head. He wore turf shoes and carried a football with his candy bag. Someday, you see, he envisioned himself as the starting quarterback at BYU, like McMahon, his ball-flinging action hero.

Today, John Beck is 332 yards from passing McMahon's BYU mark of 9,536 career passing yards. Whether Beck gets it this weekend at Colorado State or the week after in Provo against Wyoming, he'll become the No. 2 BYU passer behind Detmer.

"Man is a goal-seeking animal. His life only has meaning if he is reaching out and striving for his goals." — Aristotle

Five years ago this November, fresh off a mission to Lisbon, Portugal, John Beck walked into BYU's football offices and started asking questions and requesting game tapes. He tried to get an audience with head coach Gary Crowton for as many days and nights as possible, just to pick his brain.

He sought out and to this day, converses with former Indianapolis head coach, Rod Dowhower, who earned a Super Bowl ring as offensive coordinator with the Redskins (1993) and spent time as the Philadelphia Eagles' and Denver Broncos' offensive coordinator, coaching John Elway at Stanford. Beck read every football book he could get his hands on.

Back then, some Cougar players saw Beck as a guy just trying to kiss up, like some kind of teacher's pet. But he was driven and obsessed. It was simply a thirsty football mind searching for a deep sip, a gym rat hungry to let no opportunity slip.

Eight months later, starting against Stanford, it would be the start of a college football career unlike any other at BYU, a career that began with other freshmen starters like Dan Coats and Eddie Keele; it included coaching changes, a ton of criticism, injuries, coordinator changes, scheme changes, the school's toughest schedules on record, and three seasons sans a winning record.