Ed Beard (American football)

Ed Beard

No. 50
Date of birth	(1939-12-09)December 9, 1939
Place of birth	Chesapeake, Virginia, U.S.
Date of death	January 15, 2023(2023-01-15) (aged 83)
Career information
Position(s)	Linebacker
US college	Tennessee
High school	Oscar F. Smith (South Norfolk, Virginia)
AFL draft	1964 / round: 20 / pick: 159
Drafted by	Oakland Raiders
NFL draft	1964 / round: 14 / pick: 183
Drafted by	San Francisco 49ers
Career history
As player
1965–1972	San Francisco 49ers
Career stats
Playing stats at DatabaseFootball.com

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 in South Norfolk, 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. In 1960, Beard completed his post-graduate year at the Staunton Military Academy, where he was a standout football player. Beard played two years of college football at Tennessee before joining the Army, where he was selected Outstanding Player on the Army football team.

National Football League

Drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 1964, Beard was a special teams captain and middle linebacker; during his eight years with the team, San Francisco won the NFC West 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 for the 49ers and New Orleans Saints, 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 and Kenny Easley. In 2002 Beard was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. 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.

External links

• Ed Beard's career stats
• Ed Beard at the VSHOF