AMHERST, N.Y. (WIVB) -- The Western New York football community is mourning the loss of a coach remembered not just for his passion on the field, but for the love he poured into the lives around him.
New York State Police identified 52-year-old Jason Beckman as the owner of a Jeep that drove into the Niagara River Monday morning. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The shock is still fresh for many who knew him.
"Somebody I knew had posted rest in peace Coach Beckman and at first it didn't really hit me," said Chuck Tilley, a former coach of Beckman's. "I'm still in disbelief. I still don't believe that it actually happened."
Beckman was the varsity football coach at Amherst Central High School, but his involvement in football began long before. In the 90s, Beckman was a quarterback a