No doubt, St. Louis Battlehawks Head Coach Anthony Becht has done all he can to prepare his team for its 2023 XFL season opener Sunday, Feb. 19, against the host San Antonio Brahmas (ABC and ESPN+, 3 p.m. ET).
But if Becht needs to inspire his Battlehawks a bit further, he can point to a 1999 ESPN The Magazine feature as proof that he was willing to push himself – if not a 56,000-pound tank – to the limits.
In its “College Football’99” issue, the Magazine featured the West Virginia All-Big East tight end and his Mountaineer teammates in a multi-page spread (see magazine galley below) about unconventional college football training techniques.
During a recent visit to ESPN’s Bristol, Conn., headquarters, Becht discussed what he remembered about the Magazine shoot in the video above.
The tank shoot might have been an early indicator of Becht’s durability. The 11-year NFL veteran played 152 consecutive games, which in 2010 ranked behind only Brett Favre and Peyton Manning.
Becht was an ESPN college football analyst from 2013-20. Also in the video above, he discusses how that experience helped him scout talent for the Battlehawks.
Sunday, he’ll coach in the Alamodome opposite fellow former NFL star Hines Ward.
Spencer T. Jackson produced the video above
Watch West Virginia Athletics’ 1999 profile of Becht
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