Don Beebe

Don Beebe

Position(s) Wide Receiver Jersey #(s) 82
Born	December 18, 1964 (1964-12-18) (age 46) Aurora, Illinois
Career information
Year(s)	1989–1997
NFL Draft	1989 / Round: 3 / Pick: 82
College	Chadron State
Professional teams
Buffalo Bills (1989–1994) Carolina Panthers (1995) Green Bay Packers (1996–1997)
Career stats
Receptions	219
Receiving Yards	3,416
Touchdowns	23
Stats at NFL.com
Career highlights and awards
Super Bowl champion (XXXI)

Don Lee Beebe (born December 18, 1964) is a former American football wide receiver who played for the Buffalo Bills (1989–1994), Carolina Panthers (1995) and the Green Bay Packers (1996–1997) of the NFL.

Beebe was drafted by the Bills out of unheralded Chadron State College (after transferring from Western Illinois University) in the third round (82nd pick overall) of the 1989 NFL Draft.^[1] He created a sensation at the 1989 pre-draft combine, posting times in speed and agility drills that were the marvel of the camp. Most of the coaches and staff were dumb-founded as to where he came from and how he got invited.

Beebe attended Kaneland High school in Maple Park, IL where he lettered in basketball, and track, as well as football.

Career

He is perhaps best known for one of the more memorable moments in Super Bowl history. He was with the Bills during their rout at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XXVII, when in the fourth quarter, Cowboys defensive tackle Leon Lett recovered a fumble and was preparing to return it for a touchdown. Lett began to celebrate prematurely on the return by holding the ball out to his right side around the 10 yard line, and though the Bills were down 52-17 at the time, a relentless Beebe streaked down the field and knocked the ball out of Lett's hands just before the goal line;^[2] the ball went through the end zone and out of bounds to prevent the touchdown (which would have given Dallas a Super Bowl-record 58 points), and Buffalo gained possession of the ball on the touchback. Beebe also caught 2 passes for 50 yards, including a 40 yard touchdown reception from Frank Reich earlier in the game.

Don Beebe was a member of six Super Bowl teams, including four appearances with the Buffalo Bills (Super Bowls XXV, XXVI, XXVII and XXVIII) and two with the Green Bay Packers (Super Bowls XXXI and XXXII). Beebe won his first NFL Championship with the Packers at Super Bowl XXXI.

Beebe has always been highly respected by players and coaches because of his strong work ethic and character. He was honored as an "Unsung Hero" in 1996 at the NFL Players Association Awards Banquet.

Perhaps Beebe's best game was on Sep 8, 1991 against the Steelers, in which he caught 4 TDs from Jim Kelly, with 10 total receptions for 112 yards. ^[3]

In his 9 NFL seasons, Beebe caught 219 passes for 3,416 yards, rushed for 28 yards, returned 81 kickoffs for 1,735 yards, scored 25 touchdowns (23 receiving, 1 kickoff return, 1 fumble recovery) and appeared in 6 Super Bowls.

Life after football

Prior to the NFL draft, Beebe was timed at 4.20 in the 40 yard dash.^[4] He could run a 4.3 in full pads, and is still considered one of the fastest players in NFL history. Now Beebe operates "Don Beebe's House of Speed",^[5] where he trains athletes in the essentials of top performance, speed and character. House of Speed began franchise operations in 2006, and has spread to five states. Beebe also works with several professional and college programs in the area of speed training, including the Chicago Bears, the St. Louis Rams and the University of Illinois Fighting Illini. Beebe is currently working with Club Fusion Volleyball and many others. Since 2004, he also coaches varsity football for Aurora Christian School in Aurora, IL,^[6] where he has taken the fledgling program from Single A up to 4A, reaching as high as the state semi-finals in 2007. In 2008, and 2011, Beebe led Aurora Christian to the State Championship Game, which was played on Thanksgiving weekend. The Eagles lost to Bloomington Central Catholic's Saints 37-28, but they went down as the first football team from Aurora to play in a state championship game. ^[7]Beebe lead Aurora Christian back to the State Finals in 2011 where they played the Mt. Carmel Golden Aces.

References

1. ^ "1989 - Round 3". NFL.com. National Football League. http://www.nfl.com/draft/history/fulldraft?season=1989#round3. Retrieved 29 November 2010. 
2. ^ Jackson, Kevin. "100 GREATEST SUPER BOWL MOMENTS #11 All hustle". espn.com. ESPN. http://espn.go.com/page2/s/superbowlmoments25.html. Retrieved 29 November 2010. 
3. ^ http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BeebDo00/gamelog/1991/
4. ^ "Don Beebe Biography". Don Beebe Official Website. http://www.donbeebe.com/pdf/Don%20Beebe%20Biography.pdf. Retrieved 29 November 2010. 
5. ^ "About". House of Speed. http://www.houseofspeed.com/about-us/. Retrieved 29 November 2010. 
6. ^ "Head Coach: Don Beebe". Aurora Christian Schools. http://www.aurorachristian.org/athletics/varsity-football.cfm. Retrieved 29 November 2010. 
7. ^ "IHSA". Illinois High School Football Official Website. http://www.ihsa.org. Retrieved 21 November 2011. >

External links

• Don Beebe's Official Website
• Don Beebe at Pro-Football-Reference.com
• Beebe's stats at databasefootball.com
• House Of Speed Sports and training performance company run by Beebe
• ESPN Page 2, 100 Greatest Super Bowl Moments

Persondata
Name	Beebe, Don
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	December 18, 1964
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death