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SAN DIEGO -- Now Bobby Beathard has more time to surf. He always looked like a beach boy, anyway.
Beathard, who built Super Bowl teams on both coasts in his 37-year NFL career and lives the Southern California lifestyle to the max, retired as general manager of the San Diego Chargers on Tuesday even though he thinks the team will return to the playoffs.
|  | | Bobby Beathard helped San Diego rebound to 8-8 in 1999. |
ESPN initially reported Monday that Beathard was planning to retire next week. A team source, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the report to the Associated Press.
With his impending retirement already being reported, Beathard apparently decided not to waste any time.
Beathard, who had a hand in seven Super Bowl teams in jobs ranging from scout to GM, got emotional as he talked about how scouts and coaches spend so much time away from their families.
"It's a sacrifice, and the reasons I'm doing this are all the right reasons," Beathard said at a news conference. "I want to spend more time with them. It's sad for me, but I'm excited. I'm looking forward to it."
True to his style, Beathard didn't bother getting dressed up for his farewell. He wore a blue Chargers polo shirt, gray shorts and running shoes. At 63, he's still an avid surfer and runner.
And he put a bit of pressure on an organization that floundered for most of the second half of his 10 years at the helm.
"I think they're going to make the playoffs," said Beathard, who had two years left on his contract. "But I'll have fun. I'll be sitting up there drinking a beer and watching the game. And I'll be thrilled to death for them. I think they're a great group of guys."
Chargers president Dean Spanos chose not to name a GM to replace Beathard. Instead, Ed McGuire, who handles all contract negotiations and keeps tabs on the salary cap, was named vice president of football operations. He will continue to oversee contract negotiations as well as the day-to-day business and administrative operations of the scouting and coaching departments.
Player personnel director Billy Devaney will take over the responsibility of all player acquisitions. If the Chargers want to trade first-round draft picks like Beathard did so often and with controversial results, that will become Devaney's call.
Beathard came under increasing criticism in recent years over many of his player acquisitions. One of his legacies will be mortgaging the club's future in order to take quarterback Ryan Leaf with the second overall pick in the 1998 draft.
Leaf has been nothing but trouble to the Chargers, both on and off the field. In November, Leaf cursed Beathard, drawing a four-game suspension. Beathard said Leaf's escapades didn't lead to him leaving with two years left on his contract.
"Oh, God no. Hey, look, those things are unfortunately part of the game. I'll still be rooting for him to pull it together. There are too many neat guys with this organization to have anything like that run me off," he said.
Beathard is leaving now for several reasons. One is he wants to spend more time with his wife, Christine, and their four children and 13 grandchildren, who are scattered throughout the country.
Beathard also is comfortable with the direction the team is heading under popular coach Mike Riley, who got the Chargers to 8-8 last year after they had won a total of nine games the previous two
years.
Riley is a perfect example of the gambles Beathard was willing to take. Riley was head coach at Oregon State when he was hired in January 1999.
"Just think about it, the fact that I'm even here," Riley said. "I wasn't on a track to get this kind of a job. I owe him a ton. I wouldn't even have a chance to comment on any of this stuff if it wasn't for him."
Riley said he appreciated Beathard putting his confidence in those who will now run the team.
"I think that's a pretty classy way to step aside and enjoy living the new life and rehashing 37 years of one of the greatest careers in NFL history," Riley said.
Said Spanos: "He leaves this organization in pretty good shape."
Beathard nearly left in January 1994 when Spanos' father, Alex, who owns the team, didn't want to pay signing bonuses to keep certain players. Beathard finally won that battle. On Tuesday, Alex Spanos twice clutched Beathard's hand when he got emotional, and then gave his former GM a hug.
Beathard will remain involved in some capacity, probably as a part-time scout or consultant. He'll still have an office at team headquarters.
"Just to help out if they need anything. I said I'd be glad to do that. But I just didn't want to be tied to a schedule," he said.
Beathard said he spoke earlier Tuesday with Joe Gibbs, whom he hired as coach of the Washington Redskins in 1981. Together, they won two of the three Super Bowls they reached in the 1980s. Gibbs retired after the 1992 season.
"Joe said, `You're really going to love it.'"
Gibbs said his time with Beathard "was one of the most productive and near eras in my life. ... He is going to be remembered as one of those few NFL general managers that was able to build a franchise."
Beathard said his biggest regret was not winning the Super Bowl with the Chargers. They got there after the 1994 season, but were embarrassed 49-26 by the San Francisco 49ers and have been back to the playoffs just once since.
But Beathard was part of four Super Bowl winners, including as player personnel director when the Miami Dolphins won consecutive titles after the 1972 and '73 seasons.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report. | |
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