'

Date of birth:	July 20, 1967 (1967-07-20) (age 42)
Place of birth:	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Career information
Position(s):	Guard
College:	Indiana
NFL Draft:	1990 / Round: 5 / Pick 114
Organizations
As player:
1990-1996 1997-1998	Tampa Bay Buccaneers Philadelphia Eagles
Playing stats at DatabaseFootball.com

Ian Harold Beckles (born July 20, 1967 in Montreal, Quebec) is a former American football Guard who played nine seasons in the NFL. Beckles is currently part of the Ron Diaz & Ian Beckles Show on 620 WDAE-AM "The Sports Animal" in Tampa, Florida.

[edit] Early Years to College

Beckles' family emigrated to Canada in 1964. His mother (who passed in early-2009) was native of Guayana, while his father hails from Trinidad. Beckles grew up with his mother in a single-parent home in Montreal and played hockey and baseball as a youth (among his friends was future NFL fullback and Buc teammate Alonzo Highsmith). However, after playing football in high school, Beckles excelled and went on to play junior college football at Waldorf College in Forest City, Iowa, earning all-conference honors as a sophomore.
Beckles later transferred to Indiana, and became a standout guard during the 1989 season—his only as a starter. During Beckles' senior year, Indiana produced one of nation's top rushing attacks (214.5 yards per game). Beckles blocked for future NFL quarterback Trent Green, and running backs Vaughn Dunbar (an NFL first-round pick) and Anthony Thompson, (who won the Maxwell House player of the year award in 1989), and Ernie Thompson, and alongside standout center Ron Vargo, who played briefly for the Arena League's Columbus franchise in the early 1990s.
Beckles received attention from NFL scouts as a senior when they turned to film from Indiana to scout, primarily, Thompson. As the teams primary pulling lineman, Beckles stood out on film.

Beckles graduated IU with a BS in business.

[edit] Professional Football

Following Indiana, Beckles was drafted in the fifth round of the 1990 NFL draft and started immediately for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at right guard. The rookie was a bright addition to an interior line the had struggled with guards Tom McHale, John Bruhin and Carl Bax.
Beckles became a mainstay during his seven seasons with the Bucs, along with left tackle Paul Gruber and center Tony Mayberry, while the left guard and right tackle positions were in flux from season to season. During his time, the Bucs had 1,000 yard rushers and Reggie Cobb (1992) and Errict Rhett (1994, 1995).
Beckles, who wore jersey no. 62, departed as a free agent after the 1996 season, inking a deal with Philadelphia. Beckles, however, did not want to leave the Bucs, and blames then Bucs offensive line coach Chris Foerster for the split from the organization. Foerster wanted to bring larger lineman to the Bucs than the 6 foot, 307 pound Beckles.
(Second year guard Jorge Diaz [6-4, 315] took Beckles spot at right guard for the Bucs in 1997, and was moved to left guard the following season to replace the undersized Jim Pyne [who was exposed to Cleveland in the expansion draft]. The spot then went to Frank Middleton [6-3, 330] in 1998.)
Beckles started two seasons for the Eagles at right guard alongside players such as right tackle Richard Cooper, centers Steve Everitt and Bubba Miller and swingmen Jermaine Mayberry and Jerry Crafts, before signing with the Jets in 1999. Ricky Watters had 1,000 yard seasons in each of Beckles' seasons as a starter with Philadelphia under offensive coordinator Jon Gruden.
His time with the Jets was brief, however, as he was released prior to the season as the Jets elected to go with young guards Randy Thomas (right side, a rookie) and Kerry Jenkins (left side, who moved inside from tackle) and David Loverne (rc). Head coach Bill Parcells criticized Beckles' conditioning during his time in New York.
After being out of football in 1999, Beckles was in camp with the Broncos for approximately one month as a backup to left guard Mark Schlereth in 2000. Beckles had not played any position in the NFL, except right guard, and retired after suffering severe cramping due to dehydration after filling in for Shlereth in practice.

[edit] Post football

After football, Beckles, his wife (Dayle) and two children (Zayna, Marques) remained in Tampa. He briefly owned a Blimpie sandwich shop in Tampa before he began filling in for the late Chris Thomas at 620 WDAE, an AM sports radio station in the Tampa Bay area. After Thomas' passing, Beckles and longtime local radio DJ Ron Diaz took the nine to noon time slot on WDAE. The duo is among the top rated AM radio shows in the Tampa market in its time slot. The duo's show involves sports, but often pop culture happenings, news, food, women, sex and travel are among the conversations.

On WDAE Beckles is known to consistently lose in the weekly birthday game to partner Ron Diaz, and often blames "the fairest commissioner in all of sports," show producer Justin Pawlowski, for these defeats. The list of regular callers includes Tony the Racist, Rey-Rey (actually another caller, Lenny, voice diguised) and Chowder Man.

In 2007 the show had one of the its more memorable episodes, as former Tampa Bay Rays' outfielder Elijah Dukes' family members and Dukes called the show in regard to Dukes' parental, family and criminal issues. Dukes' mother, Phyllis, explained her son has children with many different mothers because "if a girl is gonna drop it like it's hot, then she's gonna drop it like it't hot."

Critics of the 'Ron and Ian Show' cite the duo's apparent little research put into the show, and Beckles specifically for being unknowing or unaware of what is expected of a sports show co-host (the duo often refer to the show as a non-sports show, or life show). Opponents of the show believe the sex, food and travel talk is an effort to keep away from less-topical sports talk that is more reliant on background knowledge and research. Either way, it is apparent during the sports talk segments that Beckles is most comfortable talking football.

Also while on WDAE, Beckles worked one season for the Buccaneers Radio Network, where he did the weekly show of the Buccaneers' head coach, Jon Gruden. Gruden and Beckles did not see eye-to-eye on unscripted questions, and the relationship ended. According to Beckles, Gruden, his offenseive coordinator in Philadelphia, did not speak to him until training camp in 2008 and avoided conversations when the two crossed paths.

In his spare time, Beckles enjoys cooking and eating, shopping, travel and coaches his son's youth football team in Tampa. It is not Beckles' only involvement in the community.

He is heavily involved in raising funds for the Children's Cancer Foundation in Tampa, and is the organizer of the annual Blue and White Party at the Tampa Hard Rock Casino, which raises money for the Foundation. The 40-year-old Beckles also promotes local boxing events through Star Fights Production, Inc. and emcees matches and other events.
Beckles was also co-publisher of the magazine IMAGO, but the magazine's headquarters burned down before the first issue was published. The magazine is on hiatus as of January 2009.

[edit] External links

• [1] Indiana at a glance 1990.
• [2] Imago Magazine
• [3] Ron and Ian page
• [4] Ian's page
• [5] As-I-B clothes line
• [6] Starfight

[edit] Buccaneers right guards since 1990

1990-1996 Ian Beckles
1997 Jorge Diaz
1998-2000 Frank Middleton
2001-2004 Cosey Coleman
2005 Sean Mahan
2006-present Davin Joseph