Don Beebe
Encyclopedia
Don Lee Beebe 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
. 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
.
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; 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.
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.
. 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", 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, 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 coach
es varsity
football
for Aurora Christian School in Aurora, IL, 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 Eagles 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. Beebe lead Aurora Christian back to the IHSA Football State Finals in 2011 where they were victorious over the Golden Aces of Mt. Carmel, by an impressive 34-7 margin.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
who played for the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
(1989–1994), Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
(1995) and the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
(1996–1997) of the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
.
Beebe was drafted by the Bills out of unheralded Chadron State College
Chadron State College
Chadron State College is a four-year public college in the Nebraska State College System in Chadron, Nebraska. The college is located in the northern part of the Nebraska Panhandle, in the Pine Ridge area....
(after transferring from Western Illinois University
Western Illinois University
Western Illinois University is a public university founded in 1899 as Western Illinois State Normal School. Like many similar institutions of the time, Western Illinois State Normal School focused on teacher training for its relatively small body of students. As the normal school grew, it became...
) in the third round (82nd pick overall) of the 1989 NFL Draft
1989 NFL Draft
The 1989 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24 , 1989...
. 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
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, and track
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
, as well as football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
.
Career
He is perhaps best known for one of the more memorable moments in Super BowlSuper Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
history. He was with the Bills during their rout at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
in Super Bowl XXVII
Super Bowl XXVII
Super Bowl XXVII was a football game played on January 31, 1993 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1992 regular season. The National Football Conference champion Dallas Cowboys defeated the American Football Conference champion...
, when in the fourth quarter, Cowboys defensive tackle Leon Lett
Leon Lett
Leon Lett, Jr. , nicknamed The Big Cat, is a former American football defensive tackle in the National Football League who played for the Dallas Cowboys and the Denver Broncos , after playing college football at Emporia State University. Lett was a two-time Pro Bowler, with selections in 1994 and...
recovered a fumble
Fumble
A fumble in American and Canadian football occurs when a player, who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed or scoring. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking or successful handing that results in loss of player possession...
and was preparing to return it for a touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
. 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; 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
Touchback
In American football, a touchback is a ruling which is made and signaled by an official when the ball becomes dead behind or above a goal line and the team who is attacking that goal line is responsible for the ball being there. Responsibility is determined by which team gave the ball the impetus...
. Beebe also caught 2 passes for 50 yards, including a 40 yard touchdown reception from Frank Reich
Frank Reich
Frank Michael Reich, Jr. is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, New York Jets, and the Detroit Lions. For a time, he had the distinction of having led his team to the biggest comeback victory ever in both the collegiate...
earlier in the game.
Don Beebe was a member of six Super Bowl teams, including four appearances with the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
(Super Bowls XXV
Super Bowl XXV
Super Bowl XXV was an American football game played on January 27, 1991 at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1990 regular season. The National Football Conference Champion New York Giants defeated the American Football Conference ...
, XXVI
Super Bowl XXVI
Super Bowl XXVI was an American football game played on January 26, 1992 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota to decide the National Football League champion following the 1991 regular season...
, XXVII
Super Bowl XXVII
Super Bowl XXVII was a football game played on January 31, 1993 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1992 regular season. The National Football Conference champion Dallas Cowboys defeated the American Football Conference champion...
and XXVIII
Super Bowl XXVIII
Super Bowl XXVIII was an American football game played on January 30, 1994, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, to decide the National Football League champion following the 1993 regular season. The National Football Conference champion Dallas Cowboys defeated the American Football...
) and two with the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
(Super Bowls XXXI
Super Bowl XXXI
Super Bowl XXXI was an American football game played on January 26, 1997, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1996 regular season. The National Football Conference champion Green Bay Packers defeated the American...
and XXXII
Super Bowl XXXII
Super Bowl XXXII was an American football game played on January 25, 1998 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1997 regular season...
). 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.
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 dash40 yard dash
The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time in the 40 can have a heavy impact on his prospects in college or professional football...
. 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", 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, 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 coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
es varsity
Varsity team
In the United States and Canada, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of secondary schools, against...
football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
for Aurora Christian School in Aurora, IL, 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 Eagles 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. Beebe lead Aurora Christian back to the IHSA Football State Finals in 2011 where they were victorious over the Golden Aces of Mt. Carmel, by an impressive 34-7 margin.
External links
- Don Beebe's Official Website
- 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