PCM alum Beyer to be inducted into Iowa State’s Athletic HOF

When PCM alum Jamie Beyer saw a number from Iowa State University on his phone recently, he almost didn’t answer.

But he’s glad he did.

When Beyer finally answered the call, Iowa State Athletics Director Jamie Pollard was on the line. And he had some good news.

Pollard told Beyer he would be a part of the Iowa State Athletic Hall of Fame’s 2018 class. The Iowa State Letterwinners Club officially announced the class in a press release on Feb. 23.

“It was exciting to hear the news,” Beyer said. “I almost didn’t pick up the phone. I thought it was some foundation call and they wanted money. It’s an honor obviously.”

Beyer will be inducted into the Iowa State Athletics Hall of Fame on Sept. 14 at halftime of the Iowa State-Oklahoma football game at Jack Trice Stadium.

He is one of a seven-person class that also includes Dennis Gibson, Lisa Griebel, Karen Groth, Dave Martin, Max Urick and Hank Whitney.

The Iowa State Athletics Hall of Fame was established in 1997 and 182 Cyclone legends have been enshrined by an 18-person selection committee.

Beyer was a standout athlete for PCM back in the early 1990s. He graduated from PCM in 1995 after winning a state title in shot put while also placing fifth in the high jump.

Beyer will go into the Iowa State Athletics Hall of Fame as a member of the Cyclones’ track and field team.

He was part of the squad from 1997-2000 and was a seven-time All-American in the shot put, discus and weight throw.

“I was at Iowa State when the Letterwinners Club started and I actually was one of the athletes that took some of the first hall of fame athletes at the school around campus,” Beyer said. “This kind of takes me full circle.”

Beyer, who also played on PCM’s 1994-95 boys’ state basketball tournament team, won a Drake Relays title in the shot put during his junior season of high school. He won the Relays shot put title and a state title in the shot put during his senior season.

That same year, Beyer took fifth in the high jump.

“It’s an unusual combination, but I played basketball and did some stuff that helped me for the high jump anyway,” Beyer said. “Lots of the training is the same. It’s not all about strength for the shot put. It’s also about having quick feet.”

Beyer had a stellar career at Iowa State. He was a five-time Big 12 champion, a three-time Big 12 indoor shot put champion and the school-record holder with a throw of 64 feet, 1 inch.

Beyer, who also competed in the final season of the Big 8 Conference, was a silver medalist in the shot put at the 1999 Pan American games, he played fourth in the shot put at the 2002 USA Outdoor Championships and ranked in the top 10 in the world by Track and Field News in 2005.

“We had lots of good competition at Iowa State,” Beyer said.

“It was good to come in and have great upperclassmen to compete with. It was a good, competitive environment.”

Beyer’s best shot put throw in high school was 62 feet, 11 inches. His high school track and field coach, Joel Grier, was not surprised to hear the news that his former athlete had been picked for a hall of fame.

“I kept tabs on him after he graduated high school,” Grier said. “He was a good one. There’s no doubt about that. And I am not surprised at all.”

After graduating from Iowa State in 2000, Beyer took a construction engineering internship in San Diego, California. While there, he trained for the US Olympic Trials and competed in the trials in 2000, 2004 and 2008.

He was teammates with fellow Hall of Fame member Lisa Griebel, and they trained together in San Diego. They both competed in the University World Games in Beijing in 2002.

Beyer currently lives in Des Moines and is the Senior Project Manager at Graham Construction.