FAYETTEVILLE — Frank Beamer, who led Virginia Tech to a 238-121-1 record in 29 seasons, urged fans to have patience with Razorbacks Coach Bret Bielema during a speaking engagement Wednesday at the Northwest Arkansas Touchdown Club.
Bielema is 25-26 entering his fifth season at Arkansas, with records of 7-6, 8-5 and 7-6 after a 3-9 start in 2013.
Beamer was 24-40-1 in his first six seasons at Virginia Tech, including 2-8-1 in his sixth season.
Bielema was 68-24 in seven seasons at Wisconsin before taking the Arkansas job.
“I think you hire a good coach, and I think you guys have got a great coach here at Arkansas,” Beamer said of the key to winning on a consistent basis. “He’s been proven, he’s sound, he’s solid and has toughness. I think after that, if you have a good one and he’s doing things the right way, then you give him time because it’s going to come around.”
Beamer indicated his program at Virginia Tech was similar to Bielema’s off the field.
“We were doing things the right way,” he said. “We were graduating our kids. We were stressing academics. We were wanting to do right off the field and recruiting good kids. Thank goodness the people at Tech felt the same way and hung in there with me when most places, that wouldn’t happen now.”
Bielema has talked recently about the Razorbacks’ improvement academically and socially, and the need to make a move on the field.
“He’s doing things the right way,” Beamer said. “Make sure, in my opinion, you give him enough time to get the job done.”