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Elvin Bethea. Elvin Lamont Bethea (born March 1, 1946) is an American former football defensive end who spent his entire career with the Houston Oilers of the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the North Carolina A&T Aggies and was the first player from the school to be elected to ...
- 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
- Trenton (NJ) Central
- Strict Parents
- Newfound Athleticism
- Turning Point
- Still Struggling in A New League
- A New Era
- Hitting Their Stride
- Standing Up For The Players
- Time to Hang It Up
- Health Issues
As the Bethea family grew bigger, James and Henrietta laid down the law whenever Elvin or any of his brothers or sisters tested their authority. Their mom or dad “whipped them good” whenever they disobeyed. When any of the children forgot to mop the floor or do any of the chores their parents assigned them, their mom or dad would beat them with an ...
Coach Clements, who was diminutive in stature, told Bethea he made the varsity squad roster the following day. The coach said he liked Elvin’s scrappy nature and athleticism on the high school gridiron. Elvin Bethea’s evolution from Trenton high school football player to Pro Football Hall of Famer had officially begun. Bethea also excelled in track...
The turning point in Elvin Bethea’s gridiron career came the following year. In 1965, Bethea went toe-to-toe with Tennessee State Tigers defensive lineman Claude Humphrey, an eventual Hall of Famer who played eleven seasons for the Atlanta Falcons. Humphrey was so good, Howell wrote him a letter after the game thanking him for his competitiveness. ...
Houston became the NFL’s laughingstock when the team entered the league in 1970. The Oilers averaged just two wins per season from 1970 to 1973. Houston’s pitiful performance prompted owner Bud Adams to hire former Los Angeles Rams and San Diego Chargers head coach Sid Gillman prior to the 1974 NFL campaign. Gillman was a tough, no-nonsense coach w...
Phillips noticed Bethea was a quiet and reserved player in the Oilers’ locker room. However, he morphed into a mouthy defensive menace once he took the field. Phillips also admired Bethea’s conditioning. Surprisingly, Phillips’s laid-back approach worked like a charm for Bethea and company. He was the right coach at the right time for the Oilers. U...
When the Oilers hit their stride in the mid-to-late 1970s, they thrived in Phillips’s 3-4 defensive scheme. However, Bethea was not too crazy about it. Eventual Oakland Raiders Hall of Fame left tackle Art Shell, who was in the same NFL Draft class as Bethea in 1968, thought Elvin could have excelled in a 4-3 scheme with three linebackers playing b...
Bethea’s streak of 135 consecutive appearances from 1968 to 1977 set a new Oilers franchise record. Elvin Bethea racked up double-digit figures in sacks during that memorable ten-year time frame. He had a career-best 16.0 sacks in 1973. He also recorded 14.5 sacks in 1969 and 1976. Bethea’s best game in the NFL was against the San Diego Chargers in...
Elvin Bethea retired following the 1983 NFL season. He had initially considered retiring the previous year. However, he postponed it at the request of Oilers management. Bethea, a relatively unknown third-round selection in 1968, eventually became one of the best pass rushers in Houston Oilers franchise history. Bethea’s 105.0 career sacks ranked f...
Bethea has had his share of health issues during his retirement years. In the fall of 2018, he told ANDSCAPE’s Jason Reid he visits his doctor twice a week. Bethea has had neck issues, a back operation, and knee replacement surgery after he hung up his cleats following the 1983 NFL season. Bethea also told Reid he’s fortunate Anheuser-Busch, the br...
Mar 4, 2013 · DE Elvin Bethea. NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Elvin Bethea has retired from two careers but is staying busy making the rounds. Bethea had a remarkably successful playing career but strategized for success thereafter. He actually started his second career at Anheuser-Busch in 1977, several years before he retired from football, and stayed there 28 years.
Larry Bethea. Larry Bethea (July 21, 1956 – April 24, 1987) was an American football defensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He also was a member of the Michigan Panthers, Oakland Invaders, and Houston Gamblers of the United States Football League (USFL). He played college football at Michigan State ...
- 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
- Ferguson (VA)
Feb 11, 2023 · Born on March 1, 1946, Elvin is the oldest of nine children. During his hall-of-fame speech, Bethea admitted to not playing football until his ninth-grade year at Trenton Central High School.
Elvin Lamont Bethea attended North Carolina A&T. Family. Elvin Bethea’s mother’s name is unknown at this time and his father’s name is under review. We will continue to update information on Elvin Bethea’s parents. Personal Life. Like many famous people and celebrities, Elvin Bethea keeps his personal life private.
I echo this sentiment on behalf of his family, his former college – North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, North Carolina – his friends, and all those whose lives he's touched throughout the years.
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