Pete Beathard
American football player (born 1942)
American football player
Peter Falconer Beathard ( BETH -ərd ;[ 1] born March 7, 1942) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the American Football League (AFL), National Football League (NFL), and World Football League (WFL). He is the younger brother of former NFL executive Bobby Beathard [ 2] and is Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback C. J. Beathard ’s great-uncle.
College career
Born and raised in southern California , Beathard graduated from El Segundo High School in 1960 and played college football in Los Angeles at USC .
As a junior, he led the Trojans to the national championship in 1962 . Both he and Ron Vander Kelen , the Wisconsin quarterback were named the Players Of The Game in the 1963 Rose Bowl , which USC won, 42–37.[ 3]
Professional career
Beathard was the fifth overall selection in 1964 NFL draft (Detroit Lions ) and the second overall pick in the AFL draft by the Kansas City Chiefs ,[ 4] where he signed and backed up Len Dawson .[ 5]
On October 30, 1966 , Beathard set a NFL record for the most passing yards in a game with a perfect completion percentage, until it was surpassed in 2024 by Jared Goff with 292 yards on 18-for-18 passing in a 42-29 win over the Seattle Seahawks. In that game against the Houston Oilers , Beathard threw for 141 yards, completing all five of his pass attempts.[ 6]
In October 1967 , Beathard was traded during his fourth season to the Houston Oilers in exchange for defensive tackle Ernie Ladd and quarterback Jacky Lee .[ 7] He led the Oilers to the Eastern division title, but lost 40–7 to the Oakland Raiders in the AFL championship game . Beathard's playing time in 1968 was curtailed due to appendicitis ,[ 8] and in 1969 he took the Oilers to the four-team AFL playoffs .
Beathard was traded to the Cardinals in 1970,[ 9] the Rams in August 1972,[ 10] and returned to the Chiefs in 1973.[ 11]
In March 1974, he was selected by the Houston Texans in the first round (10th overall) of the WFL Pro Draft . He was waived by the Chiefs in September 1974, he finished his pro career in the short-lived World Football League (WFL), with the Portland Storm in 1974 ,[ 12] [ 13] and the Chicago Winds in 1975 .[ 14] He was briefly on the roster of the Oakland Raiders in October 1975.[ 15]
See also
References
^ "49ers Analysis: How rookie C.J. Beathard showed promise of better days ahead" . The Mercury News . August 20, 2017. Retrieved March 4, 2024 .
^ Zimmerman, Paul (August 29, 1988). "Smartest man in the NFL" . Sports Illustrated . p. 58.
^ 2008 Rose Bowl Program Archived March 6, 2008, at the Wayback Machine , 2008 Rose Bowl . Accessed January 26, 2008.
^ "Lions lose Beathard to Chiefs" . Owosso Argus-Press . Michigan. Associated Press. December 4, 1963. p. 16.
^ Moore, Bob (June 18, 2015). "Chapter Two: Pete Beathard is an Early Prize" . Kansas City Chiefs. (team history). Archived from the original on July 6, 2015. Retrieved February 9, 2016 .
^ "Most Passing Yards In A Single Game With A Completion Percent Of 100" . StatMuse . Retrieved September 26, 2024 .
^ "Beathard is traded by KC for Ladd, Lee" . Lodi News-Sentinel . California. UPI. October 9, 1967. p. 11.
^ "Beathard: surgery" . St. Petersburg Independent . Florida. Associated Press. October 4, 1968. p. 2C.
^ "Houston trades Beathard" . Victoria Advocate . Texas. Associated Press. January 22, 1970. p. 1B.
^ "Rams get Pete Beathard" . Lakeland Ledger . Florida. Associated Press. August 20, 1972. p. 5B.
^ "Beathard will start for Chiefs tonight" . Schenectady Gazette . New York. Associated Press. August 13, 1973. p. 26.
^ "Storm signs Beathard to WFL pact" . Eugene Register-Guard . Oregon. UPI. September 11, 1974. p. 1B.
^ Cawood, Neil (September 26, 1974). "Beathard stirs up the Storm" . Eugene Register-Guard . Oregon. p. 1B.
^ "Hornets seek 1st victory" . Spartanburg Herald . South Carolina. July 19, 1975. p. A6.
^ "Beathard to Raiders" . Lodi News-Sentinel . California. UPI. October 9, 1975. p. 10.
External links