Darry Beckwith: Driven By A Purpose To Guide Young Student-Athletes

“Having played football at LSU, the biggest things that I took away from being a college football player were accountability and discipline. When you are part of a team, it’s important that you hold each other accountable no matter what the task is. You also have to be selfless – it’s about the team, not about you. That’s one of the biggest things that caught my attention about the 2019 national championship team. There were no egos, no one trying to stand out more than another player and that ultimately helped them achieve so much success. One of the things I try to emphasize to the kids I work with is that if you help put your teammate in a position to succeed, everyone will have success. All you have to do is watch LSU’s 2019 team and there are examples of that all over the field.”

Darry Beckwith, a Baton Rouge native, made his mark on the football field as a hard-hitting and playmaking linebacker for the Tigers from 2005-08. During his four year career at LSU, Beckwith was twice named second team All-SEC as well as being a finalist for the Butkus Award (nation’s top linebacker) in 2008. He capped his career playing in 47 games, starting 34 times, and with 189 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. As a junior in 2007, he was the starting middle linebacker for LSU’s BCS National Championship Team, a squad that posted a 12-2 mark and beat No. 1 Ohio State, 38-24, in the national champion game in New Orleans. One of his biggest moments came late in LSU’s 21-14 win over Tennessee in the 2007 SEC Championship Game when he intercepted a pass that halted a potential game-tying drive late in the fourth quarter. That win over Tennessee propelled the Tigers into the BCS National Championship Game. Darry graduated from LSU in August of 2012 with a degree in interdisciplinary studies.

And then:

After his playing days at LSU were over, Darry signed a free agent contract with the San Diego Chargers, where he spent one season on practice squad for the NFL franchise. After his one year in San Diego, Darry signed a contract with Indianapolis, spending two seasons on the practice squad for the Colts. He also saw time with both the New Orleans Saints and the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL before knee injuries forced his retirement from football.

And now:

Darry has taken advantage of his experiences as a football player and is now using his platform to give back to the community. In 2015, he founded the Darry Beckwith Foundation, an organization that “aims to expose high school student-athletes to their true potential beyond their physical talents.” Beckwith’s foundation provides tutoring, internship and volunteer opportunities, activities and enrichment programs that focus on career readiness, grooming, health and wellness and financial management. The Darry Beckwith Foundation also offers life skills seminars for high school student-athletes as well as providing scholarships to those who are part of his program.

When Darry isn’t doing work for his foundation, he’s serves as an eight-year veteran working as an insurance sales representative for State Farm Insurance in Baton Rouge. His ultimate goal is to continue to inspire the youth in the Baton Rouge community and develop his foundation into a full time job.

“It’s a lot work balancing both a real job and the foundation, but it’s so rewarding. I love to be able to give back and try to help those by using the experiences I went through as a student-athlete. Sports won’t last forever, but the things you do now will help you with a rewarding career once your playing days are over.”

To learn more about the Darry Beckwith Foundation visit www.darrybeckwithfoundation.org.