Former Mountaineer Anthony Becht started off the first day of 2024 by posting a GIF that sent one clear message – he will be back as head coach of the St. Louis Battlehawks as they transition into the new UFL.
After initially just being an XFL team, the Battlehawks are part of the new combined league. The USFL and XFL officially announced the merger of the two leagues over a month ago and then revealed the name and logo of the combined league on the last day of 2023. Becht led the Battlehawks to a 7-3 record in the XFL in 2023.
While Becht’s return to sidelines was expected, the last public comment he made about the league was to voice his displeasure over how transactions were being handled.
“Really?? So other teams can poach my players?” That’s what St. Louis Battlehawks head coach Anthony Becht said about another team stealing away one of his players, ionically a fellow Mountaineer.
WVU product wide receiver Gary Jennings left the Battlehawks to join the back-to-back defending USFL champion Birmingham Stallions. This obviously did not sit well with Becht as he appears to be blindsided by the move.
Regardless of how Becht feels, Jennings will now continue his professional career with the Stallions. Jennings’ time under Becht in St. Louis during the 2023 XFL season did earn him a training camp tryout with the NFL’s Carolina Panthers.
The WVU product caught 11 balls for 149 yards and scored three touchdowns in eight games for the St. Louis Battlehawks. One of his touchdowns came off a fake punt. WVSN’s Mike Asti spoke to Jennings about his XFL season and mindset for the future.
Becht played at WVU from 1996-1999 before kicking off a 12-year professional career in the NFL. He was drafted in the first round by the New York Jets with the 27th overall pick and spent five years with them.
He then spent three years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a season each with the Rams, Arizona Cardinals and Kansas City Chiefs. He was out of football in between his Cardinals and Chiefs tenure.
In his career he started 132 games catching 188 passes for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns. Yards wise he wasn’t far ahead of his collegiate numbers of 1,178 receiving yards with 11 touchdowns on 88 catches in four seasons.
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