Bobby Beathard
Wediditalittlebitdifferentthanalotofpeople.AlotofpeopleintheleaguethoughtIwasnuts.Maybethatwastrue,becauseIstartedtradingawayfirst-rounddraftpicksandfirst-rounddraftpickswerevaluable…butwefiguredifitwasadraftthatwehadevaluated…anditwasrichintalent,wecouldgetplayersinthelaterrounds.
Bobby Beathard was a highly-regarded personnel administrator during his 33-year career which included stints with the Kansas City Chiefs (1966-67), Atlanta Falcons (1968-1971), Miami Dolphins (1972-77), Washington Redskins (1978-1988) and San Diego Chargers (1990-99).
Beathard, a longtime general manager and personnel administrator, played an integral role in the success of each of these franchises. He began his career as a part-time scout for the Kansas City Chiefs in 1963, but left to scout for the American Football League before returning to the Chiefs in 1966 when the team played in Super Bowl I. In 1972, Beathard was named director of player personnel for the Miami Dolphins before the Washington Redskins hired him as general manager in 1978.
His visionary thinking soon became a template for the NFL where first-round draft picks were weapons to be used in trades. His keen sense for talent was apparent on each team, but especially in 1982 when the Redskins Super Bowl-winning team included 27 free agents signed by Beathard since he joined the team. In his 11 years in Washington, the Redskins had only three first-round picks. The team went to the Super Bowl three times and won twice.
Collectively, his teams won 10 division titles, seven league/conference championships and four Super Bowls – Super Bowls VII and VIII with Miami and Super Bowls XVII and XXII with Washington.
Beathard was hired as general manager of the Chargers in 1990 and immediately brought hope to a city hungry for a winner. In just his third season in San Diego, the organization won its first AFC Western Division championship in more than a decade and by 1994, the team made its first Super Bowl appearance.
Pro football's 'surfer guy' team builder, Bobby Beathard: 1937-2023
Pro Football Hall of Famer Bobby Beathard died Jan. 30, 2023, at the age of 86.
“Football is my whole life,” Beathard once told the Washington Post. “It’s all I've ever wanted to do. … If I had a lot of money and I didn't have to work, I’d still want to do this.”
Pro Football Hall of Fame President Jim Porter called Beathard “one of the game’s great architects.”
“Bobby not only built winning teams throughout his career, but he also built winning cultures that lasted beyond his years with an organization,” Porter said. “He combined an eye for talent with a special gift for working with other people. The results speak for themselves.”
Read the full tribute article and watch a video honoring Beathard here.