Pepperdine has hired ASU men’s golf assistant coach Michael Beard to be the Waves’ next head coach.
In August 2011, ASU first-year head coach Tim Mickelson appointed Beard to be an assistant on staff. Beard then spent a season and half on the job before leaving for Pepperdine.
“Obviously we’re happy for Michael,” Mickelson said. “From the get-go, it was clear he wanted to be a head coach. I knew we’d find him a (head-coaching) spot at some point. Luckily for him, he found a spot that he really wanted to be, which is back in Pepperdine, where he went college, where he met his wife, and obviously where he was an assistant coach before coming here.”
Prior to arriving at ASU, Beard served as an assistant on Pepperdine’s staff in the 2010-2011 season, and led the Waves to the NCAAs. Beard also played for the Waves from 1999-2002, where he was a Golf Coaches Association of America All-American honorable mention twice.
At Pepperdine, Beard replaces longtime coach John Geiberger, who won 10 West Coast Conference championships with the Waves.
For ASU, there is no immediate rush to find Beard’s successor. The team doesn’t return to action until Jan. 28 for the Arizona Invitational, where Pepperdine will also compete.
Mickelson said the process for finding Beard’s replacement will not begin until Nov. 29, when Mickelson returns from San Diego.
“Ideally, I’d like to have the person determined by Christmas and starting (on the job) by the first day of school this spring,” Mickelson said. “The goal is to have someone in place by Jan. 7.”
Mickelson added that the ideal replacement is someone who embodies many of the same traits and qualities Beard has.
Mickelson said those traits are, “Somebody that can help recruit the best talent we can find. Somebody that can help from an instructional standpoint, help players get better. Somebody that has very high moral values. And someone that can help continue to build and maintain the relationships we have with donors and the alumni.”
Reach the reporter at Justin.Janssen@asu.edu
