Edward Leroy Beard (December 9, 1939 – January 15, 2023) was an American professional football player.

Early life and education

Beard was born in Chesapeake, Virginia, on December 9, 1939. A 1959 graduate of

Oscar F. Smith High School Oscar F. Smith High School (also known as Smith High or OSHS) is a public high school with an enrollment of approximately 2,200 students in grades 9- 12. The school is located on a campus in the Greenbrier West area of the city of Chesapeake, V ...

South Norfolk South Norfolk is a local government district in Norfolk, England. Its council is based in Long Stratton. The population of the Local Authority District was 124,012 as taken at the 2011 Census. History The district was formed on 1 April 19 ...

, Virginia, Beard was an All-American and also State Heavyweight Wrestling Champion in 1957 when his high school, Oscar F. Smith, did not have a wrestling team; the only time this has ever been accomplished by a

wrestler Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat spor ...

. In 1960 Beard completed his post-graduate year at the

Staunton Military Academy Staunton Military Academy was a private all-male military school located in Staunton, Virginia. Founded in 1884, the academy closed in 1976. The school was highly regarded for its academic and military programs, and many notable American politica ...

, where he was a standout football player. Beard played two years of college football at

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

before joining the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

, where he was selected Outstanding Player on the Army football team.

National Football League

Drafted by the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...

, Beard was a

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

captain and

middle linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

; during his eight years with the team, San Francisco won the

NFC West The National Football Conference - Western Division or NFC West is one of the four divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It currently has four members: the Arizona Cardinals, the Los Ang ...

three years in a row. Beard won the Len Eshmont award in 1971 and was the first special teams captain in NFL history. After his career was cut short by injuries, Beard served as

linebackers coach In American football, a position coach is a team official in charge of coaching a specific position group. Position coaches have more specialized duties than the head coach, assistant coach, and the offensive and defensive coordinators. Common ...

for the 49ers and

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

, and later became defensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions.

After the NFL

In 1996 the football field at Oscar Smith was renamed Beard-DeLong-Easley Field in honor of Beard and fellow alumni

Steve DeLong Steven Cyril DeLong (July 3, 1943 – August 18, 2010) was an American football defensive lineman who played professionally in the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL). He played collegiately for the Universi ...

and

Kenny Easley Kenneth Mason Easley Jr. (born January 15, 1959) is an American former professional football player who was a strong safety in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons during the 1980s. He played college football for the UCLA Brui ...

. In 2002 Beard was inducted into the

Virginia Sports Hall of Fame The Virginia Sports Hall of Fame honors athletes, coaches, administrators, journalists and other contributors to athletics. Many of the more than 350 inductees since 1972 were born in Virginia or enjoyed success in college, professional, amateur or ...

. He was honored along with other former 49ers on November 5, 2006, at an Alumni Day. After leaving football, Beard entered the contracting business and helped promote country music in the greater Hampton Roads area. On October 23, 2011, Beard was riding his bicycle in the north section of Chesapeake, Virginia, and saw a person being beaten by about 15-20 teenagers. He stopped to help the victim but was attacked by the group of youths and suffered a concussion, cuts, and bruises. Beard stated he would continue working with youth groups, something he had done for several years. As of March 2013, four of those involved had been sentenced to jail time. Beard stated he hoped this would help them turn their lives around. Beard died on January 15, 2023, at the age of 83.

References

External links

Ed Beard's career stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beard, Ed 1939 births 2023 deaths Sportspeople from Chesapeake, Virginia Military personnel from Virginia Staunton Military Academy alumni American football linebackers San Francisco 49ers players Tennessee Volunteers football players Army Black Knights football players National Football League defensive coordinators New Orleans Saints coaches Players of American football from Virginia San Francisco 49ers coaches Detroit Lions coaches