Steve Beck, President & Executive Director, Military Bowl Foundation
When Steve Beck first started working on the National Capital Region’s bowl game, he had no idea what he was getting into.
“I knew the basics,” said Beck, a local businessman whose career included running sporting events, “but that first year we were just worried about getting the ball kicked off at the right time. It was really unbelievable.”
So how did Beck, who has been the president and executive director of the Military Bowl since its inception in 2008 (when the game was known for the EagleBank Bowl), spearhead turning the game into an event that has thrived and spawned other endeavors, such as the DC Touchdown Club and Patriot Point?
Beck relied on the connections he made throughout his career, building a vibrant Board of Directors. After five years at RFK Stadium, he led the move to Annapolis, where the Bowl has enjoyed terrific success at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
“The move to Annapolis gave us the opportunity to take this organization to the next level,” Beck said. “We’ve had great turnouts every year and that benefits the DMV and Annapolis economy.”
Having grown up in the Washington area, Beck remembered the energy of the former Touchdown Club of Washington and yearned to bring that group back to life. The DC Touchdown Club was reborn in 2013 to bring together supporters from throughout the National Capital Region and spotlight the top local high school and college players and coaches.
Beck’s next move was the creation of Patriot Point. A good friend, Stuart Plank, knew that the previous property owner, Jim Bugg, had passed away. Bugg had informally taken recovering service members to what was then known as Poverty Point; Plank went to Beck to see if they could further Bugg’s concept. In the spring of 2016, Patriot Point was created.
“We are proud to be able to help the men and women who serve,” Beck said. “It shows the region that the Military Bowl Foundation is more than a football game and is worth getting involved in. It’s only right that we dedicate time and space for those who sacrificed so much. It gives me so much satisfaction to know the impact we are making at Patriot Point.”