| No. 65 | |
| Defensive end | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: March 1, 1946 Trenton, New Jersey |
|
| Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | Weight: 260 lb (118 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College: North Carolina A&T | |
| Debuted in 1968 for the Houston Oilers | |
| Last played in 1983 for the Houston Oilers | |
| Career history | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
| Stats at NFL.com | |
| Pro Football Hall of Fame | |
Elvin Lamont Bethea (born March 1, 1946 in Trenton, New Jersey) is a former American football defensive end who played his entire career with the Houston Oilers. He played for North Carolina A&T State University and was the first person from that school to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Bethea played high school football at Trenton Central High School.[1]
During his career in Houston, Bethea played in 210 games, including a stretch of 135 consecutive. He played at defensive end and guard in the 1968 season and didn’t miss a game until breaking his arm in a game against the Oakland Raiders in 1977. He led the team in sacks six times, finishing his career with 105 unofficial sacks.[2]
His career high was in 1973 with 16 sacks, which still ranks as the best in Oilers/Tennessee Titans history.[3] In 1976 Bethea recorded 14½ sacks, yet was not voted to the Pro Bowl. In a game against the San Diego Chargers in 1976, he recorded four sacks (his career high) and had one fumble recovery.
He also had 14½ sacks in 1969. Other notable seasons in terms of sacks were: 1970 and 1971 with 10½ sacks in each, 1975 with 10 and 1978 with 8. He played in the AFC Championship game in 1978 and 1979.
In 1975 Bethea was named All-pro by "College and Pro Football Newsweeky", the only time Bethea was a First-team All-Pro in his 16-year career. He was Second-team All-Pro in 1969, 1973, 1978 and 1979 to go with his 8 Pro Bowl selections.
Bethea was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003. He was officially inducted during the Enshrinement Ceremony on August 3, 2003,[4] where his college coach and presenter, Hornsby Howell, unveiled the bust of Bethea,[5] which was sculpted by Scott Myers.
In 2005 Bethea was inducted to the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame [6]
Bethea is also the author of "Smash-Mouth: My Football Journey from Trenton to Canton".
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||
|
|
|||||