NFL

Former San Diego Chargers General Manager Bobby Beathard Dies At 86

Pro Football Hall of Famer Bobby Beathard, who lead the San Diego Chargers to the Super Bowl in 1995, passed away in Tennessee.

Bobby Beathard Film Room

Bobby Beathard, one of the NFL's all-time best personnel executives, has died at the age of 86.

He died from complications from Alzheimer's disease at his home in Franklin, Tennessee.

Beathard spent more than three decades as an NFL executive, including a stint with the San Diego Chargers from 1990-2000.

The pinnacle of Beathard's time with the Chargers was the 1994 NFL season. The Chargers finished the season 11-5, won two playoff games, before losing to the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XXIX.

That Super Bowl in January of 1995 is still the Chargers only appearance in the Super Bowl.

"Bobby was one of the best judges of football talent in NFL history. For most, that alone would be enough. For Bobby Beathard, it doesn't nearly do the man justice," Chargers owner Dean Spanos said in a statement. "Bobby was who we all aspire to be -- a friendly, caring, giving, thoughtful human being who brought people from all walks of life together. He was the best GM in football; but he was also the guy sitting on his surfboard in the ocean that you caught waves with, jogged trails alongside and chatted up in the check-out line of the local market. He was the guy you felt like you'd known your entire life, even if it wasn't but for five minutes at the gas station. He was just a regular guy who happened to be anything but.

"Bobby was, in fact, exceptional. He was one-of-a-kind. And he will be incredibly missed. On behalf of my family and the Chargers organization, we want to extend our deepest condolences to his wife, Christine, and the entire Beathard family on the loss of one of the best to ever do it, be it football or life."

Beathard made his name in the football word with Washington. Hired as General Manager in Washington in 1978, Beathard was responsible for hiring head coach Joe Gibbs, and for making the draft picks that built a roster that would win three Super Bowls in the years ahead. It’s that tenure that made him a Hall of Famer.

Beathard retired from football in 2000, and he is a member of the Ring of Fame for both the Commanders and Chargers.

Beathard is survived by his family, including his younger brother, former NFL quarterback Pete Beathard, and his grandson, Jaguars backup quarterback C. J. Beathard.

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