Elvin Lamont Bethea (born March 1, 1946) 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, having been inducted in 2003.
![]() Bethea playing for the Oilers in 1979 | |||||||
No. 65 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position: | Defensive end | ||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Born: | (1946-03-01) March 1, 1946 (age 76) Trenton, New Jersey | ||||||
Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 260 lb (118 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Trenton (NJ) Central | ||||||
College: | North Carolina A&T | ||||||
NFL Draft: | 1968 / Round: 3 / Pick: 77 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
| |||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||
| |||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||
| |||||||
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||||
Bethea was born in Trenton, New Jersey, and played high school football and track at Trenton Central High School.[1] He set the New Jersey state record in the shot put in 1964 – 66 feet 4.5 inches - which stood until 1997.[2] He won the shot put and discus competitions at the Golden West Invitational track meet in 1964.[3]
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.[4]
His career high was in 1973 with 16 sacks, which still ranks as the best in Oilers/Tennessee Titans history, a feat made more remarkable by the Oilers' 1-13 record.[5] In 1976 Bethea recorded 14+1⁄2 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 14+1⁄2 sacks in 1969. Other notable seasons in terms of sacks were: 1970 and 1971 with 10+1⁄2 sacks in each, 1975 with 10 and 1978 with 8. He played in the AFC Championship game in 1978 and 1979.
Bethea 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,[6] where his college coach and presenter, Hornsby Howell, unveiled the bust of Bethea,[7] which was sculpted by Scott Myers.
In 2005, Bethea was inducted to the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame [8]
Bethea is the author of Smash-Mouth: My Football Journey from Trenton to Canton.[9]
Houston Oilers 1968 AFL Draft selections | |
---|---|
|
Tennessee Titans | |
---|---|
| |
Franchise |
|
Stadiums |
|
Culture |
|
Lore |
|
Rivalries |
|
Division championships (11) |
|
Conference championships (1) |
|
League championships (2) |
|
Retired numbers | |
Media |
|
Current league affiliations |
|
Former league affiliation |
|
Owners |
|
Tennessee Titans retired numbers | |
---|---|
|
Tennessee Titans Ring of Honor | |
---|---|
|
Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2003 | |
---|---|