to which Coach Beard smirks and also opens up. Beard: After a brief pause, “I’m from Peoria.” Peoria is located along the Illinois River in central Illinois. The city was founded in 1845 and ...

Tim Thornton is moving on from Peoria High ... He became the 11th football coach at Central since 1919, replacing Gary Beard, who had spent the previous three seasons at the helm.

Hunt also mentioned Peoria during a 2021 interview published online with Vanity Fair, hinting that Beard's history could include the River City. "My sort of backstory that I have for him is ...