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IN MEMORY OF JUG BECK
  
Jug Beck will always be remembered as one of the initiators of the sport of wrestling in the state of Montana.  His teams were competitive and, at one    point, dominated wrestling in this state.  He cared deeply for his athletes.  It did not matter if they were State Champions or beginners, he cared.  We  miss Jug and his unique personality.  He was truly a winner.  In his honor, we have renamed the Outstanding Wrestler Award for the Rocky  Mountain Classic.  From now on this award will be, “The Jug Beck Most Valuable Wrestler Award.”  We are sure Jug would be honored.
         
 Additionally, in 1995, the coaches voted to rename the Classic to “The Jug Beck Rocky Mountain Classic.” Henceforth, all individual and team  awards will carry this name.
 Jug was born in Elizabeth, Illinois on March 9, 1924.  He attended a small high school which had only basketball.  He played all four years in high school.  Jug was introduced to wrestling while attending Cornell College.  From 1944 - 1949 he wrestled at Duke University and Cornell College.  Jug’s coaching experience is as follows:
 
1949-50       Assistant Wrestling Coach @ Michigan State University
1950-54       Assistant Wrestling Coach @ University of Illinois
1954-55       Assistant Wrestling Coach @ Champaign High School
1955-93       Head Wrestling Coach @ Sentinel High School
         
​ In addition to coaching twelve teams to state titles and 75 individuals to state titles, Jug was involved in numerous community service organizations and also received multitudes of different awards related to wrestling.  He has been the Montana Wrestling Coach of the Year, National Wrestling Coach of the Year, and honored by the Montana Coaches Association for Meritorious Service. He was inducted into the Montana Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1982.

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