Troy University Athletics
Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2017
What started as one man’s “Dream” has turned into a model for other institutions who made the jump to the NCAA’s premier level of competition.
Benny Beard was the “driving force” for the plan to move Troy University Athletics from Division II to Division I. He not only provided the vision for the transition, he also devoted countless hours of work towards the move.
Persuasion was one of his greatest characteristics and his first sell was to Troy University Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr.
“I hadn’t been in Troy very long when he called me on a Saturday morning and invited me to accompany him to a football game at an in-state institution,” Dr. Hawkins said. “When we got to the stadium it was full at about 4,000 people, and we watched the game from a president’s box that wasn’t anything to write home about. On the way back as we sat in the airport, he looked at me and said, ‘Now, is that what you want you want for Troy? Is that good enough for Troy?’ What you hear is only surface level, but what you see becomes conviction, and what I saw really elevated my level of conviction.”
Dr. Hawkins appointed Beard as the founding president of the Troy University Challenge Fund which was charged with raising $1 million to help fund and support the drive to Division I athletics. Beard fueled that drive as he provided the first gift of $100,000 to reach the $1 million goal.
“He, along with Dr. Doug Hawkins, are probably two of the most persistent men I’ve known and they had one goal in life and that was to see Troy University elevated to Division I status and then have the facilities to support Division I athletics,” Dr. Hawkins said. “He believed that Troy could be a winner at the next level because it had been a winner at Division II and NAIA, and we often say the best barometer for what you can do is what you’ve done. He was passionate and he was persistent and was a great Trojan Warrior who worked his agenda and rarely did he fail.”
Beard did not fail as Troy made the move to Division I in 1993 and the Trojan football team went on to reach the Football Subdivision Playoffs in seven of 10 seasons, win five consecutive Sun Belt Championships and make six bowl appearances. The success wasn’t limited to just football as Troy’s basketball, baseball, softball, golf and tennis teams have all advanced to play in multiple NCAA postseason events and countless student-athletes have gone on to earn All-America honors.
“His love of Troy University and his belief that athletics was the front door of the University is what drove him,” Dr. Hawkins said. “It was all driven by his belief that we could be better than we were. He has always proven that people don’t get excited about little ideas, they get excited by big ideas.”
Additionally, Beard was the founding president of the Troy University Action Club that served as a conduit between the City of Troy and Troy University to promote relations between the Troy Athletics Department and local citizens. A Troy University graduate, Beard was named Troy Alumni of the Year in 1989 and has enjoyed an extremely successful business career, including terms as the director of the Alabama Oilmen’s Association and Southtrust Bank.
“Benny was passionate about what he was doing,” Dr. Hawkins said. “He didn’t do it to draw attention to himself, and very few people have stepped up on the altar of service like he did. He has proven that is about service based on a love for his University.”
Beard’s “The Dream” has become one of the most successful transitions in NCAA history.
