Tim Beck, named Monday as Nebraska’s new running backs coach, was a successful high school football coach in Texas earlier this decade.

Once you’re in the Texas high school coaching fraternity, you’re forever “part of the family,” Beck said.

The 41-year-old’s strong ties in the Lone Star State obviously could become beneficial for Nebraska, which has struggled somewhat in recent years to attract players from Dallas. Turns out the Dallas area happened to be one of Beck’s primary recruiting territories, along with Austin, during the past three years when Beck served as an assistant at Kansas.

“When I’m recruiting in Texas, I know the programs,” Beck said Monday. “I know where you’re going to get the tough kids. I know where you’re going to get the speed, because I’ve been down there. You just know from being involved in all of the conventions and clinics and things you go through down there.

“To have somebody on the ‘inside’ certainly is going to help.”

In announcing Beck’s hire Monday, new Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini completed his staff of nine full-time assistants. The staff possesses a wealth of experience in the Big 12.

Beck, for instance, helped Kansas to its best season in school history this year, as the Jayhawks finished 12-1 , capped by a 24-21 triumph against Virginia Tech in last week’s Orange Bowl. In each of his three seasons on Mark Mangino’s staff, Beck was a receivers coach, and this season added the title of passing game coordinator.

Kansas ranked second nationally in 2007 in scoring offense (42.8 points per game), eighth in total offense (479.8 yards per game) and 17th in passing offense (291.0). Senior wideout Marcus Henry earned All-Big 12 honors.

Beck played the lead role in recruiting standout quarterback Todd Reesing from Lake Travis, Texas, near Austin. Beck coaxed an official campus visit to KU from Texas Tech standout wide receiver Michael Crabtree of Dallas — one of only two official visits the 2007 first-team All-American made.

“You had to recruit him hard, because he was hard to get ahold of,” Beck said. “You have to use intelligence and patience and a relentless mentality.”

Beck has ties to Bo Pelini and Carl Pelini that date to their boyhood. They grew up in the same neighborhood in Youngstown, Ohio, and attended Cardinal Mooney High School. Carl Pelini, Nebraska’s new defensive coordinator, was a senior at Cardinal Mooney when Beck was a junior and Bo was a freshman.

“We’re going to win a lot of games at Nebraska and have a lot fun doing it,” Beck said.

Beck said it wasn’t easy to leave Kansas. But the Pelinis and Beck talked in recent years about working together someday. Nebraska will pay Beck an annual salary of $160,000. He had a base salary of $140,400 at Kansas in 2007.

“As a kid growing up, you see programs like Nebraska, and you say, ‘Man, that’s the epitome of college football,’” Beck said. “To be around people like (athletic director) Tom Osborne and the traditions — it’s a great opportunity.”

Before joining Kansas’ staff, Beck served three seasons at Summit High School in Mansfield, Texas. He led Summit to its first playoff appearance and district title. He was head coach at R.L. Turner High in Carrollton, Texas, from 1999-2001.

Among his other head coaching stops was Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Ariz. (1993-95), where he coached former Nebraska All-America safety Mike Brown. The team captured the state championship in Brown’s senior year.

At Nebraska, Beck inherits a stable of running backs led by seniors Marlon Lucky and Cody Glenn and sophomores Quentin Castille and Roy Helu. Lucky has been contemplating an early departure to the NFL. Beck said he hasn’t had a chance to talk in-depth to any players or even the coaches.

“Once recruiting’s over, you get a chance to catch your breath a little,” he said.

Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.