Bobby Beathard Enshrinement speech

Bobby Beathard’s speech was delivered through a video presentation.



TRANSCRIPT

BOBBY BEATHARD: Joe Gibbs, hey, thanks a lot for all the nice things you said. You had something to do with it, too, so ‑‑ but, really, thanks a lot. Those are nice things.

There are way too many people to thank for getting me into the Hall of Fame, so I'm just going to thank a few.

First off, Don Shula. I think working for Don Shula was probably the thing that really prepared me for my career in the NFL. And then when I got the call from Jack Kent Cooke and Ed Bennett Williams to come up to Washington, I couldn't believe it. I thought: Well, I'll go up there, but I ‑‑ for this job, I don't know. So, I took the job, and it was probably the best decision I made.

And Joe, Coach Gibbs, the kind of coach that every guy in my position would want. So, it didn't matter who we brought in, whether it was a first round pick in the draft or the last pick in the last round of the draft, each one of those players got the same chance. And because of that, we ended up getting to three Super Bowls.

And I've got to thank the Spanos family. Getting back to San Diego was like a dream come true. I got to be near my parents. And fortunately, we got enough players out there to get to another Super Bowl.

I want to thank all the great players, the talented players we had on those teams who became great friends off the field as well.

And I can't forget all of the assistant coaches and all the scouts we had. They all played as big a part as anyone in this. Dan Snyder and Bruce Allen for all the wonderful things they did for myself and the family and putting me in that ring of honor at the Redskins.

I want to thank all of our friends through the years who supported us in the good years and the bad years. And a special thanks to all our fans. My gosh, to the greatest fans in the NFL.

I want to thank my family, my kids, my grandkids. I was gone a lot, and they always supported me, no matter what. Of course, I couldn't have done all this without my wife, Christine. She put up with a lot, but she understood it was a job I loved to do. I owe so much of it to her. I love you, babe.

And, lastly, to the Hall of Fame, not only for this great honor that they've given me but also for all the wonderful things they do for the retired players.

There are so many people I want to thank, but, God, my memory is so bad now that I can't remember everybody. So, for all of those who I've named, and those who I haven't named, I'm really grateful for this honor. Thank you.