Bobby Beathard, a Pro Football Hall of Famer and executive with the National Football League, passed away on Wednesday at 86 after a protracted illness, the Hall and two teams said.
According to the Washington Commanders, Beathard passed away on Monday at his home in Franklin, Tennessee. His son Casey confirmed to the Washington Post that Alzheimer’s disease was the cause of death.
Beathard served 35 years in the NFL with Washington, Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins, the former San Diego Chargers, and Kansas City Chiefs before being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018.
“Bobby not only built winning teams throughout his career, but he also built winning cultures that lasted beyond his years with an organization,” Pro Football Hall of Fame President Jim Porter said in a statement. “He combined an eye for talent with a special gift for working with other people. The results speak for themselves.”
Beathard, renowned in the NFL for his work, worked with Washington and Miami to create teams that won four Super Bowls, including the Dolphins team that went undefeated in 1972.
In 2000, Beathard gave up playing football. Later, in 2016, he was admitted to the Washington Ring of Fame and, in 2018, the Chargers Hall of Fame.
“Bobby was a man of extraordinary class and integrity and was the architect behind the greatest teams in this organization’s history,” the Commanders said in a statement. He always put the team first and had a great deal of respect for everyone with whom he worked. Bobby will be remembered as one of the best executives in NFL history and is appropriately inducted into both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Washington Ring of Fame.
“We send our heartfelt condolences to his wife Christine, children Kurt, Casey, Jeff and Jaime along with the entire Beathard family. Bobby’s impact on our franchise and community will never be forgotten.”
Hall of Fame NFL executive Bobby Beathard dies at 86.. RIP🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/Al505COgKX
— CLICK DAILY (@CLICKDNEWS) February 2, 2023
In a statement released on Wednesday, Los Angeles Chargers owner and board chairman Dean Spanos referred to Beathard as “one of the best judges of football talent in NFL history.”
CJ Beathard, the quarterback who played for the Jacksonville Jaguars this past season, is Beathard’s grandson.
Leave a Reply