MIAMI (Dec. 5, 2016) – Head Coach Butch Davis announced on Monday the addition of Kevin Beard to the FIU football staff. Beard will serve as the Panthers' wide receivers coach.
 
Beard returns to South Florida where he has strong ties both as a coach and former player.   
 
"I'm excited to have Kevin Beard join the FIU coaching staff," Davis said. "I've known Kevin since he was in high school. He is a great person, who is full energy and loves the game. He is a tremendous recruiter and is well known in the South Florida area. He also is driven to be an outstanding coach and has a proven track record as a teacher on the field."
 
Beard comes to FIU after spending the past season with the University of Georgia as offensive quality control (wide receivers). Prior to his stint at Georgia, Beard was the wide receivers coach at the University of Miami in 2015. Before coaching the wide receivers, he was the Hurricanes' assistant director of football operations (2014).
 
Beard played with the Hurricanes from 1999-2003 and was a key member of Miami's 2001 National Championship team. He finished his career with over 900 yards receiving and nine touchdowns. As a player, Beard served as a team captain on the Hurricanes' 2003 squad that finished with an 11-2 record and came away with a 16-14 victory over Florida State in the 2004 Orange Bowl.
 
Following his graduation from Miami with a degree in liberal arts and a minor in sociology in 2003, Beard spent four years playing professionally in the Arena Football League.
 
Following his stint in the AFL, Beard returned to South Florida where he began his coaching and training career, working primarily with 7-on-7 teams and at University High School in Davie, Florida. During his four-year tenure at University High School, Beard coached the wide receivers and helped the Suns to the 2012 3A Florida High School State Championship.
 
Beard becomes the fourth member of Coach Davis' staff along with previously announced Brent Guy (defensive coordinator), Bobby Babich (secondaries) and Tim Harris, Jr., (running backs). Other additions to Coach Davis' staff will be announced as they are finalized.
 
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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium.
 
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offer more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes $8.9 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.