COSTA MESA, Calif. -- Bobby Beathard was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2018 by the Hall's board of selectors Saturday. Here's what you need to know about Beathard, who will be inducted in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 4:
Résumé: 1972-1977, Miami Dolphins director of player personnel; 1978-1988, Washington Redskins general manager; 1990-2000, San Diego Chargers general manager.
Why he was selected: Teams run by Beathard advanced to seven Super Bowls and won four. The Dolphins won Super Bowls VII and VIII in his first two seasons in Miami. The Redskins made five playoff appearances and won Super Bowl XVII and XXII during Beathard's tenure. The Chargers also made the franchise's only Super Bowl appearance after the 1994 season under Beathard's direction. Beathard was responsible for drafting Hall of Famers Junior Seau, Art Monk, Russ Grimm and Darrell Green.
Remember this? On the selection of Green in the first round of the 1983 draft, Beathard said Washington had the last pick in the opening round and did not believe the speedy cornerback would last that long. Beathard said he tried to trade up the draft board to secure Green but found no takers, so he waited and was fortunate to have Green fall into Washington’s lap at No. 28 overall. Green went on to play 20 seasons in Washington, recording a franchise-record 54 interceptions, with six of those returned for scores.
"So when we drafted Darrell, I called him and said, 'Hey, Darrell, this is Bobby. We took you,' " Beathard said. "And he said, 'Man, why'd you wait so long to take me?' And I said, 'Darrell, don't get mad at me for that. You had 27 other teams that passed you up. I'm the only one that took you.' We could play any team and take their best receiver out of the game with Darrell."
He said it: "I never looked at it like I was trying to get into the Hall of Fame. I loved doing my job and always had fun doing my job. And as it turned out, we won a lot of games. The only thing I said to my wife when they gave us the news is my worst nightmare is having to give a speech. So if I have to do that, it'll be the shortest one up there."