Top of the world: Andover's Beasley leads women's tackle football squad to championship game

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Andover's Derrick Beasley, right, instructs a player during practice with the Boston Militia. Beasley is the head coach for the Militia, which will play in the 2010 Independent Women's Football League World Championship game on Saturday, July 24, in Texas.

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July 22, 2010

By David Willis Staff Writer

He found the job by accident. But now, Derrick Beasley and his team will compete for a world championship.

Longtime Andover resident Beasley is the head coach of the Boston Militia of the Independent Women's Football League, which will take on the Sacramento Sirens in the Independent Women's Football League World Championship Game on Saturday. The squad also sports former Andover star Mike Muccio as an assistant.

"When I took over the team I asked the owner to give me a three-year window to win a championship," said Beasley. "And this is the third year. We are thrilled. I knew what I wanted from the team, and we found the way to get there. We're not done yet.

"It's pretty amazing. We're working with girls that didn't know how to get into a three-point stance. Now we're going to play for a championship."

Beasley, who was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 1987 NFL draft, was hardly familiar with women's football in 2007 when he was contacted by the then-Mass Mutiny of the National Women's Football Association.

"I do a lot of clinics and camps through the Patriots," said Beasley. "They asked if I would do a clinic for the female team. I said, "Women's tackle football?' But I was curious. I thought I was going to be doing fundamental work."

But Beasley soon found himself taking on more responsibility.

"Another guy that I was coaching with stopped showing up," remembered Beasley. "So I said, 'OK, let's see where this goes.'"

In his first year as head coach, he led the Mutiny to an 8-2 record. Then, following that season, the team was bought by well-known car dealer Ernie Boch Jr., and merged with the Boston Rampage to make the Boston Militia. Boch asked Beasley to remain as head coach, a challenge Beasley accepted.

Beasley has no shortage of football experience. He was a star in high school in Detroit, then at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina. He was then selected by the Patriots in the draft, before a knee injury ended his career.

A resident of Andover since 1990, he is a deputy sheriff in the Essex County Sheriff's department. He spent five years (2005-09) as an assistant football coach at Andover High under coaches Ken Maglio and John Rex, where his son Derrick was a standout. His daughter Elon was a member of the Golden Warriors' Division 1 girls basketball state title team this year.

The elder Beasley said his approach to coaching women isn't much different than previous jobs.

"I'm pretty much the same guy," said Beasley. "I bring the same philosophy. But these are adult, professional women, not high school kids. You don't have to get on them quite as much, and we have to remember to be patient, because these aren't people that have played the game for 10 or 15 years.

"But they really work hard, and don't have those bad habits. It is fun to see the light go off in their heads when they see something works. They work really hard, and the play has been impressive."

Beasley has plenty of experience on his eight-member coaching staff. Along with Muccio, a cocaptain for the Warriors in 2004 before playing starting fullback at Bentley, Beasley's brother-in-law and six-year NFL running back (1987-1992) Robert Perryman serves as the team's offensive coordinator.

"Robert really handles the offense and is the quarterbacks coach," said Beasley. "And the best move I've ever made was to talk Mike into coaching. He has done a wonderful job."

The Militia have had plenty of success under Beasley. After going 6-2 in 2008, the Militia surged to an 8-0 regular season in 2009, winning the North Atlantic Division title and falling just short to DC Divas in the playoffs.

"That was the worst loss of my football career," said Beasley. "We were ahead, and they ran a kickoff back 82 yards for a touchdown with 52 seconds left in the game. But that game provided that much more motivation to win a championship this season."

Motivated they have been this season. The Militia defeated DC twice during an 8-0 regular season, and again with a 28-0 shutout on July 10 to earn their berth in the World Championship game.

"It took a while for them to bond and earn their trust," said Beasley, who was selected to coach the Eastern Conference All-Star team for the second straight season. "They weren't sold right away. But they're used to me now. They learned from the heartbreaking loss, and they have learned to play as a team now. Saturday is going to be great."

Boston Militia BULLETS

Sport: Women's contact football

League: Independent Women's Football

2010 record: 10-0, four shutouts

Home field: Dilboy Stadium (Somerville)

Owner: Ernie Boch Jr.

Roster: 52 players

Next game: World Championship vs. Sacramento Sirens on Saturday, July 24 in Round Rock, Texas

Local connection: Head coach Derrick Beasley and assistant coach Mike Muccio, both of Andover