Beekman put to the test as Michigan State seeks new coach

Bill Beekman became Michigan State athletic director during a turbulent period in the school's history, taking the job two years ago with minimal experience in athletics.

Now he faces one of the most important tasks for any Big Ten AD — hiring a new football coach.

“In my two years, we've only had one coaching search — for a rowing coach,” Beekman told reporters this week. “I'd challenge most of you to name the rowing coach.”

Rowing won't be foremost on the minds of most Michigan State fans in the days to come. For the first time in over a decade, the Spartans need a football coach after Mark Dantonio announced his retirement Tuesday. That puts Beekman, who took over in 2018 in the wake of the Larry Nassar scandal, on the spot.

Michigan State's previous athletic director, Mark Hollis, retired early in 2018 amid the fallout from the sex abuse scandal involving Nassar, a former Michigan State sports doctor who also worked for USA Gymnastics. Around the time of Hollis' departure, ESPN reported allegations of sexual assault and violence against women involving Michigan State football and basketball players. The report questioned how the athletic department handled those cases.

Into that turmoil stepped Beekman, who had been executive director of the MSU Alumni Association, as well as a vice president of the school and secretary of its board. He did not have experience running a major athletic department.

Dantonio's departure, which came a few weeks after the usual college football hiring season, puts Beekman to the test, but this coaching change didn't come totally out of nowhere. The Spartans were one of the Big Ten's best teams from 2010-15 but have struggled since then. And Dantonio is 63. At some point, his tenure was going to end.

“You're constantly...