Inside Bobby Beathard’s family life, including NFL star and tragic grandson stabbed to death in bar fight

The NFL world recently lost a true heavyweight in Bobby Beathard.

The Hall of Famer tragically passed away at his home in Franklin, Tennessee at the age of 86 from complications from Alzheimer’s.

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Retired in 2001, Beathard spent his remaining years with his 45-year-old wife Christine.

In addition to his wife, Beathard is survived by four children from his previous marriage to Larae Rich – daughter Jaime and sons Kurt, Jeff and Casey.

Kurt is the head coach at Zion Christian High School in Tennessee.

Jeff also followed his father into soccer and is currently a scout for the Washington Commanders.

While Casey went in a completely different direction and became an award-winning country songwriter for the likes of Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, Billy Ray Cyrus and many more, according to ESPN.

His grandchildren include Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback CJ Beathard, who was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers from Iowa in 2017.

He has made 25 NFL appearances to date.

Beathard told ESPN in 2020, “I think CJ can be a really good NFL quarterback.

“He’s got the size, he’s got the arm, he’s a smart kid, he can run. I don’t think there are any weak points with CJ

“In all my time in the NFL, a lot of quarterbacks that were on the bench and were backups for a couple of years have become great quarterbacks.”

Tragically, the Beathard family was struck by a terrible loss in 2019 when CJ’s 22-year-old brother Clay was fatally stabbed during a bar fight in Nashville, Tennessee, according to ESPN.

Shortly after his grandson’s death, Beathard described Clay as: “Just one of the happiest kids you ever knew. He was a great kid. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

LEGENDARY NFL CAREER

Beathard left an indelible mark on the NFL after spending nearly four decades in the league and building Super Bowl-caliber teams across the country.

Raised primarily in El Segundo, California, he later played for the Cal Poly Mustangs.

Unfortunately, despite stints with the Washington Redskins (as they were then called) and the San Diego Chargers (now Los Angeles), Beathard was never able to secure a roster in the NFL. In 1963, Beathard entered the world of pro football scouting chiefs from Kansas City.

He eventually joined the Atlanta Falcons before rising to the role of Director of Player Staff with the Miami Dolphins in 1972.

Beathard stayed in Florida for five seasons during which the Dolphins won two Super Bowls under Hall of Fame head coach Don Shula.

This included the NFL’s only perfect season in Beathard’s freshman year.

WASHINGTON CALLS

Then, in 1978, Beathard moved north to take on the position of general manager for Washington.

During his ten seasons in Virginia, the organization had just two losing records, made the playoffs five times, won two Super Bowls, and reached a third.

He drafted All-Pro talent like Russ Grimm, Art Monk, Gary Clark, Joe Jacoby and Dexter Manley.

Beathard also brought with him key veterans like Lemar Parrish, George Rogers, Ricky Sanders and the first black quarterback to win a Super Bowl, Doug Williams.

He left Washington after the 1988 season and made brief appearances in the NFL on NBC before the game lured him back to one of his former homes.

DRIVE WEST

Beatherd spent ten seasons as general manager of the Chargers.

He took over a team that hadn’t won a season since 1981 and led them to the playoffs three times and to the Super Bowl once.

Despite failing to win another Lombardi Trophy, he helped win notable names such as Junior Seau, Rodney Harrison and Tony Martin.

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