BOULDER — B.J. Beatty didn't have any choice but to grow up tough. How many Hawaiians of Polynesian descent have red hair?
"Kids would tease me about it when I was young," the Colorado junior linebacker said. "I got it from my grandmother on my mom's side. She has red hair. We said it was a distinction, and to be proud of it."
Beatty also had to answer to his father. Byron Beatty (B.J. stands for Byron Jr.) played a couple of years at Brigham Young as a linebacker before returning to the islands to be a police officer. Byron taught B.J. the game, serving as his head coach or position coach from Pop Warner football until B.J.'s senior year at Kahuku High.
"My dad taught me that tough mentality," Beatty said, "that you have to be someone that always finds the ball, no matter where it is." Beatty's aggressive, opportunistic play became one of Colorado's bright spots last week in a 35-24 loss at West Virginia. Beatty forced one Mountaineers fumble and recovered another. He also recorded two tackles for losses. It will be crucial again for Colorado's defense to come up with big plays Saturday on the road against heavily favored, No. 2 Texas, Beatty said. "That gets the whole team fired up," he said. Solidly built at 6-feet-2 and 220 pounds, Beatty may be the best pass rusher on the team. But Buffaloes fans might wonder what took him so long. Beatty redshirted in 2006, and then was in for just eight plays in 2007 as a redshirt freshman. What happened to all that toughness? Linebackers coach Brian Cabral wondered. "There comes a point in just about every player's college career that all of a sudden the light goes on and he gets it," Cabral explained. "Once the light went on, he started using his abilities. You recruit guys based on what they do in high school, and you know they possess it. You just wait for them to figure it out." Beatty, a cousin of former CU great and NFL lineman Chris Naeole's, still can't explain what happened during his first two years, except that he was feeling his way through the college game. His father offered encouragement, but talks with his grandfather Simeon finally gave him focus. Grandpa Simeon battled throat cancer for more than a year before succumbing to the disease in March 2008. "He was a big inspiration in my whole turnaround," B.J. said. "His fight against cancer, being so strong through it — I realized that I can do this. That sparked my playing." Beatty became a productive backup to senior Brad Jones last fall. Beatty's totals of 18 tackles, including four for losses, would have been greater if a leg fracture hadn't cost him four games during midseason. "Those first two years, we saw in practice that he could run and hit, and he likes the game of football," senior defensive back Benjamin Burney recalled. "We knew he was going to be a player." Through four games this season, Beatty ranks first on the team in tackles for losses (three), and is tied for second in sacks (two) and quarterback pressures (two). "He plays with a lot of passion . . . and pays attention to the little things," CU coach Dan Hawkins said. "That's why he makes plays." Beatty can't wait to get on the field Saturday. Growing up, he heard about the University of Texas from his redheaded grandmother. Grandma Dorothy is Irish and a native of the Lone Star State. You guessed it: She went to UT. "But she's rooting for the Buffs, definitely," Beatty said with a grin.
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