The Virginian-Pilot 
                            THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT  
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Monday, July 10, 1995                  TAG: 9507100140
SECTION: SPORTS                   PAGE: C3   EDITION: FINAL  
SOURCE: BY PATTI WALSH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                     LENGTH: Medium:   51 lines

CORRECTION/CLARIFICATION: ***************************************************************** David Heath is not the head football coach at Norview. He is an applicant for an assistant's job at Norview. A story in Monday's editions contained an error. Correction published Tuesday, July 11, 1995 on page C5 of THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT. ***************************************************************** COX'S BECK TAKES POST AT TALLWOOD HE'LL JOIN BARTO'S STAFF AS AN ASSISTANT FOOTBALL COACH.

Citing the loss of all but one of his assistants, Cox head football coach Gene Beck has voluntarily transferred to Tallwood, where he will assume assistant coaching duties and a physical education position.

Kevin Blanding would have been the only coach returning to Beck's staff while David Heath moves on to the Norview head coaching position, Shawn Dean returns to school and Sean Wilson awaits the birth of his first child.

Beck, 33, who was defensive coordinator under former Falcons coach Jim Prince for four years before taking the helm last season, said the decision was a tough one.

``I have a 2-year-old and another on the way in September,'' he said. ``I can't go through another season without any help. It's been a nightmare for me to make this decision. It was very hard for me to leave. But I do see a lot of good things at Tallwood, and I'm excited about getting a new start.''

Beck, whose team was 1-9 last fall, said the transition to Tallwood should be a smooth one.

``I'm pretty resilient and will be able to adapt,'' he said. ``I'm an assistant coach and I'll do what I'm asked to do. I've talked with (head coach) Ken Barto quite a bit and I feel we're on the same page when it comes to the sport of football. They've got quite an established program there.''

Beck, a Los Angeles native, was an offensive lineman at the University of Cincinnati, where he earned a bachelor's degree in physical education.

Dr. Perry Pope, Cox principal, is accepting applications for the head coaching post. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

Gene Beck was faced with rebuilding his staff and the Cox program.

by CNB