South Carolina Football: Shane Beamer competing for a cause bigger than himself

The South Carolina football job has been Shane Beamer’s for about two and a half years. The son of legendary Virginia Tech Hokie Frank Beamer was hired in November of 2020 to take over at the school he loved as an assistant under another legendary coach Steve Spurrier. Since the hire, Gamecock football has returned to relevancy, and the program’s trajectory has South Carolina fans optimistic about Beamer’s Gamecocks reaching Spurrier-level heights and, potentially, beyond.

But there is more to Shane Beamer than just being the South Carolina football coach.

It has been well-documented that Shane Beamer is a family man who gives his assistant coaches an unusual amount of opportunities to be with their loved ones compared to other head coaches in his industry.

Multiple Gamecock staffers have reported being told, “Stop asking me that question” when inquiring about being at events for their children. This wasn’t because Beamer didn’t want his staff to attend their kids’ events or to bother him with the requests; on the contrary, it was because he expected that they should be there and wanted them to understand that expectation.

Beamer’s values regarding family have shaped the way he views the world around him. One of the main tenets of his football program is “Above All Else.” This moniker is used as a shorthand for “Above all else, love your brother.” His football program and his players are an extension of his family. Because of this, the families associated with the South Carolina football program have become an extension of the Beamer clan, as well, and the Columbia community at large has become part of this ever-growing family.

This is why the Beamer Family Foundation was established. The non-profit has made it its mission to provide children and families in the Columbia area (especially in the oft-underserved Richland County) with “the educational and medical resources they deserve so they have every opportunity to succeed and thrive.”

Coach Beamer and his wife Emily created the Beamer Family Foundation in 2022 to make a difference in the lives of children, and that’s what they have done. Despite the Foundation being in relative infancy, the BFF has already partnered with multiple schools in the area to provide backpacks for students, supplies for teachers, and gift cards for social workers and resource officers associated with the schools. They have also partnered with the University of South Carolina to provide student volunteers to the schools.

Beamer and his foundation make sure to get Gamecock players involved in giving back, as well. Several USC football players created back-to-school videos for students at Joseph Keels Elementary this fall. Though not directly affiliated with the foundation, Coach Beamer has also encouraged his players to get involved with organizations like Athletes and Artists (headed up by former Gamecocks Preston Thorne and Langston Moore) and Pigskin Poets to help promote literacy among children.

The genuineness of Shane Beamer is something readily apparent, and it is a big reason why coaches want to coach for him, players want to play for him, and everyone else wants to get to know him.

At the end of the month, Beamer will be competing alongside 20 current and former college football coaches in a golf tournament for charity. The Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge Charity Golf Tournament will take place from April 30th-May 2nd at the Reynolds Lake Oconee Golf Course just outside of Atlanta, Georgia.

The event will be played with 2-man scramble teams (Beamer’s partner has not yet been revealed) and scored using Stableford scoring (players earn a point for a bogey, two for a par, three for a birdie, four for an eagle, five for an albatross/double-eagle, and zero points for a double-bogey or worse).

The winners will receive a share of a $300,000 purse. Coach Beamer will be playing for the Beamer Family Foundation.

The other coaches participating in the event and their charities are:

Steve Spurrier, Former Head Coach at South Carolina, Florida, Duke; HBC Foundation

Dabo Swinney, Head Coach at Clemson; All in Team Foundation

Dino Babers, Head Coach at Syracuse; Dick Tomey Legacy Fund-Positive Coaching Alliance

Eli Drinkwitz, Head Coach at Missouri; CarePortal

Randy Edsall, Former Head Coach at UConn, Rutgers; Edsall Family Foundation

Chan Gailey, Former Head Coach at Georgia Tech; Fellowship of Christian Athletes (Georgia)

Jim Grobe, Former Head Coach at Wake Forest, Baylor; Fisher DeBerry Foundation

Bobby Johnson, Former Head Coach at Vanderbilt, Furman; Sea Island Habitat for Humanity

Paul Johnson, Former Head Coach at Navy, Georgia Tech; Paul and Susan Johnson Family Foundation

Brent Key, Head Coach at Georgia Tech; Undecided

Urban Meyer, Former Head Coach at Utah, Florida, Ohio State; Urban and Shelley Meyer Family Foundation

Jeff Monken, Head Coach at Army; Legacies Alive

Dan Mullen, Former Head Coach at Mississippi State, Florida; Mullen Family 36 Foundation

Pat Narduzzi, Head Coach at Pitt; UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh

Rick Neuheisel, Former Head Coach at UCLA, Colorado, Washington; Wedgewood Charity

Mike Norvell, Head Coach at Florida State; Keep Climbing Family Foundation

Houston Nutt, Former Head Coach at Arkansas, Ole Miss; Chickasaw Foundation

Tom O’Brien, Former Head Coach at Boston College, NC State; National Medal of Honor Leadership and Education Center

Kirby Smart, Head Coach at Georgia; The Kirby Smart Family Foundation