RIP Bobby Beathard

[powderblueboy]

I revere this man.

On draft day when Bobby would get frustrated he would go to the weight-room and lift weights to take out his aggression positively. Then, he would go back into the war room and keep reaching absent-mindedly for the cookie plate.

Dealt first rounders for Mikhael Ricks and Bryan Still, huh Bobby?

RIP Bobby

From my understanding of the matter, first rounders were expensive and it was always a struggle to get them signed, given the tightwad ownership.

Beathard once called out A. Spanos, in the San Diego Union, for being cheap and survived to tell about it.

[Boltjolt]

https://www.sfgate.com/sports/articl...os-3047985.php

GM Beathard Almost Bolted Chargers Over Spanos

T.J. Simers, Los Angeles Times
Jan. 30, 1995
1995-01-30 04:00:00 PDT Miami -- Bobby Beathard quit.

It was never reported, and is discussed now only reluctantly, but San Diego Chargers general manager Bobby Beathard quit.

The "smartest man in the NFL" walked out of training camp. There was no talk of a settlement, no room for compromise, just escape from team owner Alex Spanos, the man of whom former Charger coach Dan Henning said recently, "He's one of the most despicable people I've ever met in my whole life."

It was the summer of '93, the Chargers were coming off their first playoff appearance in a decade, and Spanos' vice president of finances, Jerry Murphy, repeatedly insisted on Beathard justifying his genius.

Instead, Beathard walked, taking with him Alex Spanos' chance of ever making it to the Super Bowl.

"It wasn't a power play," Beathard said. "I wasn't happy. Maybe he had the wrong guy, because I wasn't smart enough to hang around and try and do it a different way.

"It had a lot to do with the attitude toward people in the office. The morale was horrible. Mr. Spanos could not see the difference between (the construction) business up in Stockton and the football business."

Dean Spanos, the owner's oldest son, chased after Beathard, and, fortunately for the San Diego faithful, caught him. He pleaded with Beathard for understanding, urged him to ride out the season and promised a solution at the end of the year.

Players, coaches and fans were unaware of Beathard's disenchantment until late December, when Spanos refused to make money available to beat the salary cap and sign several of the team's high- priced stars.

By January, a year ago, Beathard had told his wife, Christine, there was no way he would work any longer for the Chargers.

"I told Mr. Spanos verbally that I was out of there," Beathard said. "I had a letter of resignation, and although I never got around to giving it to him, I didn't think I'd be there any longer."

What happened next goes contrary to all previous experiences.

Alex Spanos, known best for being egocentric, bombastic and cheap, promised to no longer meddle in the running of the team. And Madonna will no longer be outrageous, Roseanne no longer tempestuous, Elvis no longer dead.

"We're talking about a live volcano here," said Billy Devaney, Chargers director of player personnel. "You would hear him before you saw him. He would come in on Mondays and you would try to close the door fast or make believe you were on the telephone.

"He'd be getting advice from people, people who had no idea what they were talking about, and he'd want to know why we aren't using zone coverages more. Why isn't Ronnie Harmon getting the ball? And then he would want to go back and talk to coaches to get some answers.

"A large part of Bobby's job was just calming him down. I mean, knowing Mr. Spanos, I thought Bobby and the rest of us were all out of here."

Alex Spanos, however said he would yield to Beathard's demands. And the pope will announce tomorrow he is no longer Catholic.

"He changed," Beathard said, but then added with a smile, "If we don't make it to the Super Bowl next year, I'm fired."

He was kidding, wasn't he?

"I heard that Bobby got his way and I called Bobby," said Ron Lynn, former Charger defensive coordinator and now defensive coordinator for the Washington Redskins. "I told him the only thing worse than losing an argument to Mr. Spanos was winning an argument with Mr. Spanos."

Spanos not only gave in, however, he gave up. He stepped down as boss, put son Dean, 44, in charge and banished Murphy and all the other three-piece suits to Stockton, hometown site for all of A.G. Spanos' enterprises.

"I've always been a bottom-line guy," Spanos said. "Dammit, you invest a dollar and you're supposed to get a good return on it. It took me 10 years to learn it, but you don't run a sports franchise worrying about the dollar.

"I was wrong. It wasn't easy for me to admit, but by God, I was just going to have to back away and let Deano be responsible. The problem was we weren't spending the money. That was it. I didn't want to spend the bucks. I felt whatever profit the team made, then sure, spend that, but no more.

"I turned the team over to Deano and said, 'Son, do whatever you have to do, just bring me a winner.' I authorized $8 million, and I hate to tell you the kind of money we spent after I left. But look at the difference: We're going to the Super Bowl. And that's what it took."

His weekly three-day reign of terror in San Diego became one-day courtesy visits at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

Losses are still hard to take, but Beathard no longer considers it punishment having to sit next to Spanos during games.

"I don't cuss anymore," Spanos said, and he has never appeared so relaxed. "I used to go frantic, get mad. I was terrible."

When it became apparent that the club might lose Beathard, Spanos' wife and children became alarmed. Spanos, 71, had already gone through more than half a dozen coaches and general managers, and now he was threatening to start the search for success all over again.

"Let me tell you where the pressure came from: my wife," Spanos said. "In 46 years she has never intervened with the business, but she stepped in and said it was time for a change.

"I'm a hands-on guy and I don't think there is anything in this world I can't handle. That's how much confidence I have in myself. I know I'm good at whatever I do. But football, oh, I made a lot of mistakes. I had to swallow deep and walk away. I'm a big ego, but it was affecting me so badly and it was affecting the entire staff.

"I look at the end result, and after one year, mind you, since I walked away, it's just amazing. It just took a few extra dollars and look where we are; we're in the Super Bowl."

For years, almost every day, he said, he dreamed of his team winning the Super Bowl. And yesterday they made it, although the 49ers were the overwhelming favorite. If the Chargers were to get thumped, wouldn't that make the owner mad?

"This team got me to the Super Bowl," he said last week. "It's just so hard to imagine. I've been on cloud nine all week, and I'm loving every minute of this.

"See that picture there; I'm taking everyone in the family -- all 22 of them -- the grandchildren, the babies, every one of them. I can't tell you how happy I am; I'm just sailing."

Spanos, who was only hours away from buying the 49ers in 1977, only to have Eddie DeBartolo bid $4 million more, gained majority interest in the Chargers in 1984. He promised an immediate winner, but the team nose-dived and Spanos became the easy target for criticism.

Spanos had been teased by the prospects of success after opening 1987 at 8-1; the Chargers lost their final six games in the strike-shortened season and missed the playoffs.

They finished 6-10 for three consecutive seasons, compiling a 6-27 record in games decided by seven or fewer points.

Until the hiring of Beathard and Coach Bobby Ross, the Chargers continued to lose.

Now all is well with the Chargers. Ross has been every bit as impressive as Beathard's previous head-coaching hire, Joe Gibbs, and they have advanced to the playoffs two of the last three years. The flash fire between Beathard and Spanos died with Dean's elevation and easy-going approach.

"Mr. Spanos has just been phenomenal," Beathard said. "It's hard for anyone to change, but he said he would and he has held to it. Dean's truly fantastic. He has a great understanding of what we're trying to do, and he's very approachable and very supportive."

In less than a year, Dean Spanos has made Beathard and his highly regarded assistants happy while also getting the team into the Super Bowl. But the younger Spanos prefers that the spotlight linger on his father.

"What can you give a dad that has everything?" Dean said. "More than anything I like to see him in a good mood, and right now he's having the time of his life. I wouldn't miss that smile that he has on his face these days for anything." Top Picks In Shopping Written By
T.J. Simers

[powderblueboy]

Highlight from article:

"We're talking about a live volcano here," said Billy Devaney, Chargers director of player personnel. "You would hear him (AG Spanos) before you saw him. He would come in on Mondays and you would try to close the door fast or make believe you were on the telephone.

"He'd be getting advice from people, people who had no idea what they were talking about, and he'd want to know why we aren't using zone coverages more. Why isn't Ronnie Harmon getting the ball? And then he would want to go back and talk to coaches to get some answers.

"A large part of Bobby's job was just calming him down."