MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The call came from Wren Baker in the summer and Anthony Becht immediately had a question for the WVU Director of Athletics. Baker informed Becht that he had been selected to the WVU Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2024.
“It is humbling,” Becht said on Thursday’s edition of the Citynet Statewide Sportsline. “There have been a lot of great players that have put on a West Virginia uniform. When I got here and Coach Nehlen decided to offer me a scholarship, I don’t think they had ‘HOF’ in the future. And I didn’t think that either.”
There was one problem. The induction ceremony was scheduled for September 21, the same day that Anthony’s son Rocco was in Ames, Iowa ready to lead his Iowa State Cyclones against Arkansas State. Becht asked Baker if he could receive his honor and be recognized at Milan Puskar Stadium three weeks later when the Cyclones came to Morgantown.
“Man, is it possible, not to be a diva about this whole thing, I am not being that guy. [Baker] said, ‘We were talking about how that may go down. Let me see’.
“And they were able to make that happen.”
Becht will take the field Saturday night when his son’s team is facing off against his alma mater. The next question for Becht is where to sit during the game.
“They’ve got these nice seats for me. Beautiful seats in the club but it is in the thick of West Virginia [fans]. I guess they told me Iowa State fans are in the corner. So I have all of these tickets that I got from Rocco that are up there where my friends and family will be. Then I am wearing my jersey and then putting another thing on when I get on the field. Mitigating all that has been fun.”
Becht arrived in West Virginia on Tuesday to begin the week of celebration. His wife, DeeAnn, is a native of Clarksburg and her family still resides in Harrison County. On Thursday, Becht caught up with his former coach, Don Nehlen.
Breakfast w/ the 🐐 pic.twitter.com/3vbFnFCSgh
— Anthony Becht (@Anthony_Becht) October 10, 2024
“This is a special weekend. I am totally fired up. It started out with breakfast [Thursday] morning with Coach [Don] Nehlen. Man, he is sharp as a tack. He is just ripping off stories.
“I picked my daughter [Olivia] up today and drove back. I stopped by the facility and she got to see some of the photos of dad. Now she knows that I was a legit dude here when I played. And I got to say hello to Neal [Brown] and some of the staff members I know.”
Becht has enjoyed a full football life and retirement after an 11-year NFL career has done little to slow him down. Becht was a first-round pick of the New York Jets in 2000. He would later play for the Buccaneers, Rams, Cardinals and Chiefs.
When his playing career concluded, Becht broke into broadcasting as a color commentator for ESPN. While his son Rocco became a Division I prospect at Wiregrass Ranch High School in Florida, Anthony joined the coaching staff.
In 2021, Rocco signed to play quarterback at Iowa State. A year later, he broke into the starting lineup as a redshirt freshman. Rocco became the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year after passing for 3,120 yards with 23 touchdowns. This year, the Cyclones are 5-0 and ranked 11th nationally.
“When you are watching, you are just so proud because I know how hard it is to play at this level, let alone at quarterback. I give him a lot of credit. He is a great kid and is much more advanced than I ever was. He’s just a great human being. It is fun for us.
“When I talk with him throughout the week, I don’t tell him what I saw. I ask questions. ‘Tell me about this. What is that?’ And I hear those things and I know what I hear. He’s got a good grasp of it everyday. It keeps me going. And as a coach now, all you are doing is watching film.”
Anthony will soon enter his third season as head coach of the St. Louis Battlehawks in the United Football League. The Battlehawks have posted back-to-back 7-3 seasons.
“I love building a team. I am very much, probably more than [Bob] Stoops and Wade Phillips and these other coaches, I am very involved in building the team with my GM. And I love the personnel side of it as well. I am a CEO of men so I know how to delegate. I have a great staff, super All-Star staff. All these guys should be in the NFL.”
On Saturdays in the fall, Anthony attends all of Rocco’s games and that is only the first half of his football weekend. This fall, Becht became the color commentator for New York Jets radio broadcasts.
“It is interesting. Now I have two perspectives as a coach and a player when I do the Jets games. I look at both sides now.”