Former Bozeman High coach making most of his year away

published on Tuesday, January 29, 2008 12:11 AM MST

By TIM DUMAS Chronicle Sports Writer

He's taking a full load of classes. He lives in a small studio apartment. He has an internship lined up.

And he has a nickname.

"They call me the old man on campus," Tony Beardsley, Bozeman High's former (at least for now) wrestling coach said with a chuckle last week.

Beardsley, 40, is spending the winter and spring at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse attempting to cram two years of study into one to complete his sports administration masters degree.

In addition to taking 15 credits each semester, he is also busy outside of the classroom, serving as an assistant coach for the school's wrestling team, as well as working in the basketball operations department. Beardsley’s education continues this summer with an internship in the University of Michigan’s athletic department.

It will be a long year away from home, his wife and two young daughters.

Beardsley is on what is officially called a “Career Development Leave.” When he returns to Bozeman, he will continue to teach physical education and coach wrestling at Bozeman High.

“I kept putting off getting my masters,” Beardsley, a 1992 Montana State-Northern grad, said. “I just needed to go get it done. It’s pretty grueling; I’ve been out of school so long.”

Once he has his masters, he plans to earn his principal’s certificate at Montana State University, to one day become a high school or college athletic director.

“I’m trying to build my resume to look good on paper for when I get out there (on the job search),” he said.

UW-La Crosse’s wrestling team, ranked second in the nation among NCAA Division III schools, placed second at the Cliff Keen National Dual Tournament earlier this month at Northern Iowa University. The tournament was special to Beardsley for another reason: Two of his protégés were there.

Tyrel Todd, a junior at Michigan, and Sam Wendland, a coach at Western (Colo.) State College, each enjoyed some success that weekend.

Wendland, a two-time state champ and an All-American at Bozeman High, coached Western to a fifth-place finish at the National Duals. Todd, a three-time high school state champ at BHS, won the 184-pound title.

“We had a little Bozeman reunion there,” Todd, who hasn’t lost a match since November, said Sunday. “It was really a positive experience. It was good to get back to the home roots on the road.”

Beardsley, who plans to attend the NCAA national championships in St. Louis next month to watch Todd compete, said: “It was nice to see the kids you coached succeed.”

He expects to be busy when he interns at Michigan. The Big Ten school likely will play host to an NCAA softball super regional and could get a first-round baseball regional.

Beardsley also will help with U-M’s $226 million football stadium renovation that includes luxury boxes and a stadium club.

“They’re just trying to get up with the times,” Beardsley said.

Beardsley was Bozeman High’s head wrestling coach for 10 years before stepping down to serve as an assistant under new head coach Nate Laslovich last year. Beardsley has also been an assistant football coach and was head varsity softball coach last spring.

Beardsley grew up in Great Falls and attended C.M. Russell High School, where he made the finals of the state wrestling championships in the mid-1980s. He helped the University of Montana to the Big Sky Conference wrestling title in 1987. When the school dropped wrestling, he coached for a year at Frenchtown High School before attending MSU-Northern, where the Lights won national championships in 1991 and ’92.

He has two daughters, Chloee, 8, and Addee, 4, whom he has seen just twice since August.

It will be a long year away from his family, but the knowledge “the old man on campus” is gaining should at least benefit Bozeman High’s wrestling team.

“I miss Bozeman a lot,” Beardsley said. “But I love coaching college wrestling. I’ve learned a lot. I hope to bring that back next year to Bozeman’s program.”

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