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On Sunday The News-Gazette wrote a story about Tim Beckman and Wes Lunt in which we discovered that Beckman wrote Lunt a letter. Per day. While he was trying to decide which school he was going to transfer to.
Which seems a bit stalkerish, but, hey, what about recruiting doesn't seem stalkerish when you think about it? Some of you are probably on Twitter right now stalking recruits, you weirdos.
Anyway, as soon as The Champaign Room found out that Beckman had been sending Wes Lunt letters we decided we'd stop at nothing to get our hands on those letters, and thanks to some of our friends at the NSA, we did just that.
Here are the most interesting ones.
MAY 10, 2013
Wes,
Hello, my name is Tim Beckman. I am the head football coach at the University of Illinois and I recently found out that you were transferring from Oklahoma State. First of all, let me say that I'm sorry things didn't work out for you at Oklahoma State. I'm good friends with Mike Gundy and I know for a fact that he was quite high on you not only as a quarterback, but as a person.
Which is why I'm writing. You see, I know that you're from Rochester, and we sure could use a guy like you on this football team. So if you decide that you want to go to school closer to home and your family, I just want you to know that you are more than welcome here and we'd be thrilled to have you.
Sincerely,
Tim Beckman
MAY 11, 2013
Wes,
Hey, it's Coach Beckman again. Just wanted to make sure you got my message yesterday and check in to see how things are going. Sorry Coach Gundy is restricting you from all those schools, but I couldn't help but notice Illinois wasn't on that list!
Coach
MAY 12, 2013
Wes,
It was great hearing from you and I can't tell you how excited we are to find out that you're interested in transferring to the University of Illinois. We'll work on setting up a visit and get you on campus to show you around.
I-L-L!
Coach
MAY 17, 2013
Was great seeing you on campus yesterday! I hope you enjoyed the trip as much as we enjoyed hosting you!
Coach
MAY 22, 2013
I hear that you're going to be visiting Louisville next week. That's good. You should consider all your options, and Louisville is a good school with a very good football team, and Charlie Strong is a great coach. Have fun down there!
Coach
MAY 23, 2013
Hey, did you see this?
http://www.wave3.com/story/18576651/mother-murder-in-west-louisville-shooting-laid-to-rest
Just terrible news. You never know what can happen, a lot of crazy people out there. Make sure you tell your parents you love them every day, especially before you leave for Louisville.
MAY 24, 2013
I was up all night worried about that story I sent you yesterday, so I was surfing the net. Found this too. These are things you need to consider before making your decision. They're important.
http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/ky/louisville/crime/
Coach
MAY 28, 2013
Saw you're getting ready to make a decision, and I want you to know that you shouldn't rush anything. Think things through, as your education is priceless, and you want to make sure you make the right decision.
Do you want to go to the school that was ranked as the 46th best college in the country or the one that was ranked 160th, just a few spots behind such great institutions like Adelphi University, Hawaii's Manoa campus, the Florida Institute of Technology, Wyoming and Mississippi State?
Think this one through, Wes. Do what's right for you.
Coach
JUNE 3, 2013
Hey, Wes. So haven't heard from you since your visit to Louisville. I hope your okay. I got a lot done this weekend. Finally fixed that leaky faucet in the sink that the wife has been nagging me about for weeks. I get where she's coming from, but I'm busy, you know? I said I would get to it, and I got to it. She didn't need to bring it up constantly. Frankly, the more she brought it up the less I wanted to do it, you know?
Hope things are going well.
Coach
JUNE 5, 2013
Great to hear you're going to be back on campus tomorrow. We'll take you to some real pizza joints, not that generic Papa Johns stuff they make you eat at Louisville. :)
Coach
JUNE 8, 2013
Hey, did you see this story about the owner of Papa Johns and one of Louisville's biggest boosters?
I CC'd your parents on this one. They need to know what kind of people are associated with your choices.
Coach
JUNE 14, 2013
Soooooooooooooooo.....how are things? Do you have any inkling on what you're going to do or maybe when you're going to make the announcement? I'm not rushing you or anything, I'm just wondering. Saw this story this morning and nearly had a heart attack.
Haha! I can take a joke, but that scared me, hoooo boy!
Coach
JUNE 16, 2013
Hey, Wes, how has your weekend been? I went to the Meijer today to get some groceries. Just had a bunch of nervous energy and had to find something to do, so I told the wife I'd take care of the grocery shopping. I don't know that we really need 15 jars of peanut butter, but they were on sale and for that price I didn't see how you could not buy all 15 jars that were left. The wife thought I was crazy when I got home, but one day down the line she'll see the long-term results of my decision and realize it was the right call all along.
Always have to think long-term, Wes.
Coach
JUNE 17, 2013
YOU BEAUTIFUL BASTARD, THANK YOU. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.
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