FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (August 19, 2022) – The Beemiller name goes way back in Northern Arizona University football history where it is not only well respected, but also well decorated.
Harrison Beemiller continued his father's legacy alongside his brother Heath when they joined the Lumberjack football team in 2019. Their father, Vince Beemiller, played football for NAU from 1984-88, earning All-American honors as an offensive lineman.
Harrison earned his spot as a starter, highlighting his playing career with three All-Big Sky honors. In NAU's upset at Arizona last season, he totaled a career-high 12 tackles with 4.5 tackles for loss, tying for second-most in a single game since 1970.
"Flagstaff has been amazing ever since I was a kid. My dad went here in the '80s, so I was always coming up to NAU games and always coming up to Flagstaff," Harrison said. "It's always been so beautiful and it's the perfect place to be for college. That's why I've stayed as long as I have."
Beemiller transferred to NAU from South Dakota Mines, where he played from 2017-18 at defensive back. When he got to Flagstaff he was transitioned into linebacker, where his hard work and football IQ really stood out to the coaching staff.
"I think the glaring thing that gives Harrison a head start is his football knowledge. I didn't totally know he had a passion for it until after his first year," said Northern Arizona defensive coordinator
Jerry Partridge. "He had never played linebacker before, but he listened to his coaches and continued to learn and put in the work."
As clearly noticed within Northern Arizona's program, hard work and dedication have carried Beemiller to where he is now, a first-year defensive graduate assistant for the 'Jacks, working primarily with the linebacker position.
Beemiller has quickly transferred his leadership skills and knowledge over from playing to coaching, a seemingly easy transition while working with former teammates who know him well on and off the field.
"It's a hard job when you get done playing with those guys and now you got to be their coach, sometimes it can be hard," Partridge said. "Harrison is so well respected by the whole defense. They all love him and listen to him, and know he knows what he's talking about. They know how hard he played."
The respect comes second nature for the players who Beemiller impacts, but he knows it's earned and it is something he continues to work for every day.
"Attention to detail and doing things right the first time, it's important to do that as a player and I'm learning that doing that as a coach is extremely important too. When you do that, your players also follow the same direction as you and they do those little things right." Beemiller said.
Just a little less than a year after playing in his final game as a Lumberjack, Beemiller is now focused on the coaching aspects of the game, but still shares the same goal – a Big Sky Championship.
As the team enters fall camp ahead of the 2022 season, the Beemiller family still stands strong in their support for NAU football.
"I'm extremely thankful for my family's support, especially with our background here and just how NAU has accepted my family, the time that my dad had here and the time that I had here as a student as well as my brother," Beemiller said. "There's nothing negative we can say about NAU or Flagstaff, and I really appreciate how Coach (Chris) Ball has taken me in as a family member as well."
It doesn't take much asking around the program to understand just how much the Beemiller family's support means to everyone and how it lives on through generation to generation. You can find the Beemillers at every home game, and even throughout road trips, their presence is known.
Entering his first year of coaching, Beemiller said his father inspired him to turn to coaching after years of playing for him in youth football and watching how he touched the lives of other players around him.
"As a coach, my dad inspires me. He was my youth coach growing up and early on I knew that's exactly what I wanted to do," Beemiller said. "I wanted to have the same impact on kids that he had on me growing up as a coach as well as my father."
It's clear that the football field with forever hold a special place in the Beemiller family. Whether it's from the middle of the field, the sidelines, or the stands, the dedication will always be there.
"It's a lot of hard work but hard work always prevails. At the end of the day if you work hard you'll get to the places that you need to go," Beemiller said.
