Michigan football's Frank Beckmann says good-bye after tonight's bowl game

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SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. — For Michigan football fans living in the state, it’s difficult to remember a game day without Frank Beckmann.

Whether you were mowing the lawn, running errands, watching television with the sound down, or even sitting in the Big House stands, Beckmann has been the modern soundtrack of Michigan football.

At least through Saturday night’s Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, when he was scheduled to call his last game after 33 years as the play-by-play radio voice of the Wolverines. Beckmann announced his retirement before the season.

The Free Press sat down with Beckmann this week in Scottsdale as he reminisced about his three-plus decades behind the mic, holding his beloved cigar as he spoke. Below are portions of the conversation.

Beckmann on...

ENJOYING THE FINAL SEASON: “They’re all enjoyable. Even the three down years with Rich Rod were enjoyable. It’s still college football. Every year’s been fun, every year’s got its own personality and you never know what you’re going to get when you go into the season.

“The great thing about Michigan is, going into the season for 33 years, you knew you had a chance at a winning team and compete for a championship. There were a few exceptions and, for the most part, that’s true.

“This year wasn’t any exception. If the offensive line had developed more quickly than they did, they had a shot at it. ... There’s never disappointment, there’s just enjoyment.”

IT BEING THE LAST GAMES HE’LL CALL:“I never looked at it that way. I never said this is the last Michigan-Michigan State game at Spartan Stadium. I never thought about it that way because I never thought it was about me.”

THIS SEASON’S IN-GAME THANK YOUS: “I got a little embarrassed by it. For me, the focus has always been on the team, even in the broadcast. The broadcasts weren’t about me, I never tried to make them about me what I said. It’s just describing what the players were doing and that’s what it should be.

“So it was nice and a great gesture on the school’s part to do that. The halftime and third quarter salute, the highlights and crowd standing, that was pretty cool. … It seemed like the thing to do to give something back. Not many people who aren’t players get applauded by 100,000 fans.”

HIS EMOTIONS: “I was emotional. I felt the appreciation of the fans and that was the great part of it. So I threw the hat. What nobody noticed was I had my cigar in my hand. I was going to light the cigar. I was worried they would kick me out.”

FAVORITE MOMENTS: “When they were putting together the plays they wanted to run and were asking me about favorite plays, I thought about it then and it gave me an appreciation for so many great players I’ve seen and been able to cover all this time. There aren’t many announcers who can say they’ve had two Heisman Trophy winners and a national championship and be able to do all those games for Desmond Howard and Charles Woodson and all the other great players, the offensive linemen, (Steve) Hutchinson, Jake Long, (Jeff) Backus, go right up to Taylor Lewan.

“What I really like in reflecting is the surprise games. That’s what I love about college football, the unpredictability of it and how you have kids who simply rise up and give you this performance where you go, where did that come from? Tim Biakabutuka stands out (in 1995, rushing for 313 yards). Ohio State had the No. 1 rushing defense and they were supposed to be impenetrable and Biakabutuka’s just shredding them for 300 yards. How do you do that? The game in the rain at Northwestern (in 1998) and that overtime game there (this season).

“Just all these games, you start thinking about all these. Last-second wins over Notre Dame three straight years (2009-11), those are all cool.”

HOW HE’S CHANGED: “I think I’ve just gotten more controlled in how I called the game. I remember the first game I did in ’81 against Wisconsin when (Butch) Woolfolk ran 88 yards for a touchdown, how nuts I went. I used to listen to my games to see what am I doing bad, what am I doing good, what can I change. I’ll never forget listening back and going, oh my goodness, why did you just scream like that?

“It was over the top calling the play and that’s not how I want to call plays. It was just a professional thing where I felt I had to improve. So that has changed. But I prepare like I always have. I love getting ready for games.”

HIS PREPARATION: “I’ve got six Kansas State tapes, I’ve watched six of their games. You get used to how they play. I’m not as good as Jim (Brandstatter) is at doing this or coaches, obviously, but I look for little trends. What do they like to do when the quarterback’s got two backs vs. one back. Do they run more, do they give it to the tailback more?

“It gets me ready for the play, so I’m not as surprised. It’s like a player on the field who’s watched film and knows what to expect. You don’t want to be totally surprised.”

HIS WEEKLY TALK WITH THE COACH: “It’s a little different because I’m trying to get people what they’re going to see in the game. It’s different than a pure journalist’s job getting the story behind the story. If I’m out there as a reporter, I’ve got different questions. But when you’re dong the game, you want to know how this guy matches up against that defensive back rather than behind the scenes stuff that may be going on.

“I’ve had that with all the coaches where we sat down and talk for awhile, I’ve got my charts out and we talk about guys. The good thing is they always trust me with information, they know I’m not going to say anything. It helps. It’s another layer.”

HIS PARTNER JIM BRANDSTATTER: “It’s like we live with each other. Literally, a lot of times, we both feel like we can finish each other’s sentences. Not that long (getting there). We’re both very similar. We’ve got the attitude, you walk in the booth, you check your ego at the door and it’s about the game, not about us. We try to make it about two guys watching football and having a beer and talking about a game.”

FAN INTERACTION: “It’s pretty cool, the number of people who said they turned down the sound on the TV and listened on the radio, bring their headsets to the stands and listen in the stands, that they think that much of your broadcast. I don’t know what the number is, it’s probably not a great number, but it’s cool they’re that committed and enjoy it that much that they go out of their way to do that.

“The people at home are always saying, can’t you do something about the delay or people will go, for the longest time, ‘it’s amazing, we turn on the radio and watch the TV and you’re calling the play before it’s happening, you’re a second or two ahead. I say, yeah, I know those plays.”

MEMORABLE ROAD TRIP: “The one where we were at the Rose Bowl to play UCLA, not the Rose Bowl game, and it was like 110 degrees on the field (in 1989). Bo was still coaching. We were flying out with the team afterwards, I have to do the postgame on the radio and Steve Courtney and I — Steve was doing sidelines — we had to after the game wrap up all our stuff and go down and meet the bus.

“We go down and the bus is gone. The whole team was gone and we’re flying out with the team. We don’t have a car and the team is flying out of Hollywood. We’re like what do we do? We got a hold of the police and they put us in a paddy wagon and the team had a police escort. They took us in a paddy wagon and caught up to the team.

“The buses pulled over and we come out of the Arroyo Seco in a paddy wagon. We get out and the buses are stopped now and we’re like, oh this is not a good thing. The front bus door opens and we walk on the bus and there’s Bo in the first seat. And he just looks at us and shakes his head. Didn’t say a word. We just said sorry.”

COLLEGE FOOTBALL EVOLUTION: With Rich Rod that was a big deal because that offense was totally different, it was almost like we had to go to a clinic with (director of external operations manager) Dusty (Rutledge) and with Rich to find out how are you calling plays and calling them in. When the quarterback’s motioning to the ground, what does that mean? To learn all of that different stuff was pretty cool. A lot faster... The other thing that’s changed is how many different guys play now. You didn’t have as many nickel and dime defenses and nickel linebackers and pass rush specialists on the defensive line. That’s been a change in the last 10-15 years. You’ve got to learn more numbers. It’s not so hard for Michigan, because you learn those guys, but for the opponents, that’s where watching on TV helps, because you see where they bring guys in and they line up, I remember what he looks like. ... The one thing doing the games that I’ve tried to do well is identify the players when they get the ball. I don’t want say, he’s to the 40, he’s to the 50, he’s still on his feet and then at the end of the play say who it was. That ticks me off. You’re going to get in a trap like that once in awhile, that’s what I’ve always tried to do.

WHAT HE’LL MISS THE MOST: I don’t know yet. I can’t foresee that because I don’t know what I’m going to be doing. I may watch less football, I may be doing some games. I don’t know. I won’t go out for the coach’s interview on Thursday and I won’t be leaving Friday right after work and drive to Penn State.

UNUSUAL MOMENTS: The thing I’ve learned about college football and I guess it’s true about sports is anything can happen at any time. Like (Darrell) Thompson at Minnesota, running 98 yards for a touchdown. It’s moments like that, anything can happen on any play, don’t just assume the third down and 15 is going to be a pass or they’re going to stop them on third and 20. Just let the play happen. Call what happens. Don’t think you know what’s going to happen. Let it unfold and just describe what you see and get as much detail as you can.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL VS. OTHER SPORTS: The work that goes into the preparation is the same. The thing about baseball is there’s a game everyday. In baseball, you look at matchups, pitcher-hitter matchups or if a guy’s in a slump. That kind of preparation. In football you’ve got a week between games. Pro football for me was a little more predictable in that you don’t have as many players and you don’t have someone that’s not on your depth chart suddenly showing up in the game. You’ve only got 45 players or whatever in pro football. That doesn’t change much. ... It’s preparation, it’s engrossing yourself in it. That’s your life, that’s what you do.

HOW RUNNING A NON-SPORTS SHOW DURING THE WEEK ON WJR CHANGED HIS GAMES: Probably, a getaway to escape that. Know you’re doing games for young people who enjoy playing them. It’s probably been more of a getaway. It’s not a massive difference. Mentally it’s getting away. I don’t have to figure out what’s in a piece of legislation or what’s in a bill. It’s not like a death, it’s fun and games.

HIS MEMORIES: That’s one thing I wish I would have done, probably my only regret, that I didn’t save my credentials from every game. But I had no idea I was going to last this long…. I’ve got the ’97 season, ’98 Rose Bowl program signed by (coach) Lloyd (Carr), (Rose Bowl MVP Brian) Griese and Woodson. An autographed picture of Bo. Pictures of Brando.

HIS HUMAN MOMENTS WITH BRANDSTATTER: We don’t talk about it. We’re comfortable enough with each other that we can make fun of each other. We’re friends out of the booth, too. We played golf together, been in tournaments together. So there’s a comfort level that allows us to probably press the envelope a little more than somebody who doesn’t work with the other person for that long. He can jab me about talking too much and I can jab him about talking too much and I can make fun of him going to the buffet line and eating all the cookies. It’s just comfort. People at home are able to enjoy the game. If we’re not enjoying the game, they’re not enjoying it, so why not make it fun.

BEING DESCRIPTIVE: That came from listening to Dick Enberg. I was coming out to the Rose Bowl, I just landed and I’m driving listening to a Rams playoff game and the Rams are playing Minnesota (in 1969) and Enberg’s calling the game. There is this pass, as I recall it was to Dick Bass, down the sideline and Enberg’s calling the play and he’s... describing Bass going down the sideline and he describes Paul Krause, the Minnesota safety coming across the field and picking off the pass. And I just went, that is just so good. The fact that he knew the players, saw the play and called it as it was unfolding and didn’t wait to describe it afterwards. It was a perfect call for a broadcaster. That’s what I want to do.

I suppose you do take things from (others). A couple little things like running backs going wide and getting to the hash marks or getting to the numbers. Some times from time to time, that’s better, that’s a little more.

RADIO VS. TV: A lot (different) because you have to back off how much you talk. On TV, you’ve got to get used to letting the pictures tell the story and just throwing the names with the pictures. ... I’ve done it more. I did a lot of TV in baseball, I did seven years, you get accustomed to doing it. Radio gives you a lot more freedom, a lot more opportunity to be creative. It’s fun.

INCONSISTENCY IN THE PROGRAM: It has no effect really. The only real difference was Rich Rod, learning to know a new guy. Because everybody else you knew. I knew Mo (Gary Moeller), I knew Lloyd, I knew Brady (Hoke). You met them as assistants and developed a relationship with them. I had a great relationship with Rich. We had a great interchange and it was a good relationship. I enjoyed his company.

ONE MORE MEMORABLE TRIP: It was 1983 and I’d only been doing the games a couple years and I was doing the Lions games, too. My wife’s pregnant with our son. We go out to Washington that week and I get a letter in the mail at home. Nobody knows where I live. I open up this letter and it says “Dear A----” is how it starts. This can’t be good. So basically it’s a death threat. They didn’t like the way I called the Lions’ games, that I called Michigan games differently and all this stuff. He said I’m going to be listening Saturday and if I don’t like the way you call the game, I’m going to be waiting for you at the airport and I’m going to kill you. You’ve got to be kidding me. I go a hold of some law enforcement and they said it’s probably just a prank don’t worry about it. ... We go out to Washington and lose the game on a two-point conversion. I said this is not good. So I put it in the back of my mind so now we’re going home with a disappointing loss and I’m a little freaked out. I’m on the team plane, one of the few times I traveled with the team. I’m pacing the aisle on the plane and I’m in the front and Bo says ‘Beckmann, sit down.’ He said ‘what’s the matter?’ I told him what’s going on and he said, ‘ah, it’s just some jerk, don’t worry about it.’ I’m a little freaked out, the way the game it ended. ‘Don’t worry, I get this stuff all the time.’ It’s late, the early hours of the morning, it’s dark and that little walkway across from the terminal into the garage. I walk with Bo and Brando, they walk one way I turn the other in the garage. So I walk a little bit, looking between cars. I walk 50, 100 yards and turn around. And there’s Bo just standing there. I said, ‘Bo, it’s OK, you can go.’ He said, ‘Beckmann, walk to your car.’ He stood there until I backed my car out. The next week I thanked him and said it’s really nice you would do that. He said, ‘Nobody’s doing anything to you as long as I’m on the watch.’ You don’t know. Nowadays, I’d be even more scared. ... That’s memorable.