Bobby Beathard, who helped turn the Washington Redskins into Super Bowl champions and nearly did the same with the San Diego Chargers, took another step toward making it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Friday.
The hall's contributors committee selected Beathard as a finalist for the Class of 2018. He must receive 80 percent of the vote by the 48-member selection committee on Feb. 3, 2018, to make the Hall of Fame.
Beathard's greatest success occurred in Washington, where he served as general manager from 1978 to 1988. He hired coach Joe Gibbs in 1981, helping the organization field a dominant team for the next decade. Beathard drafted Hall of Famers Art Monk, Russ Grimm and Darrell Green. He also found players such as Joe Jacoby, Dexter Manley, Charles Mann and Gary Clark. The franchise built an offensive line nicknamed "The Hogs" that became among the best in the NFL.
All these moves helped the Redskins win two Super Bowls and get to a third during Beathard's tenure. The core of the team stayed together after Beathard left to capture a third title in 1991.
Beathard left the Redskins after the 1988 season, taking over at San Diego from 1990 to 1999. Though Beathard was criticized for picking draft bust quarterback Ryan Leaf No. 2 overall in 1998 and trading away first-round picks, he helped turn the Chargers around. In his third season as GM, the Chargers won their first division title since 1981. The Chargers reached the Super Bowl during the 1994 season, losing to the San Francisco 49ers.
Beathard served as director of player personnel for Miami in 1971-72 when the Dolphins won a Super Bowl. He also worked for Kansas City and Atlanta before joining Miami. He retired in 2000. Overall, he was part of seven Super Bowl teams (winning four) and 10 division titles.
There have been four others inducted into the Hall of Fame as contributors: Bill Polian and Ron Wolf (2015), Edward DeBartolo Jr., (2016) and Jerry Jones (2017). If Beathard is inducted, he would join fellow Cal Poly San Luis Obispo alum John Madden in the Hall of Fame.
Beathard's grandson, San Francisco 49ers quarterback C.J. Beathard, told ESPN's Nick Wagoner, "I was excited because I know he's been on the ballot for quite a few years now. He's just the best person you can be around, the best grandfather and role model for me and anybody else.
"I started realizing that more when I got into high school just how big of a deal he was in the NFL and Super Bowls he went to and won and his impact on the NFL. Everyone I know that has known my grandpa has had nothing but good things to say about him. He's just as good of a human being as there is."