Obituary for Edward Leroy Beard
Local Portlock boy and sports legend, Ed Beard, departed from this earth on January 15, 2023, at age 83, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. Ed passed away at home, surrounded by his loving wife of 55 years, Bobbie; daughter, Ashley; grandson, Jeremy, and two beloved rescue dogs, Patsy Cline and Duke.
Ed was born on December 9, 1939, to Opal and Clyde Beard. He had 3 sisters: Kathryn, Dorothy, and Joyce, who have all pre-deceased him. Ed was a star football player at Oscar Smith High School in South Norfolk in the late 1950s and a state champion heavyweight wrestler despite his school’s lack of a wrestling program.
He attended Staunton Military Academy and then went on to play football for two years at the University of Tennessee. He then joined the Wheeling Ironmen, a semi-professional football team, before being drafted into the U.S. Army, where he was named the Most Outstanding Player on the Army football team.
Beard was drafted in the 1964 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers and played eight seasons in the league as middle linebacker and special teams from 1965 to 1972, starting in 53 games. Ed was the first special teams captain in the NFL.
Known by teammates as “Biggie,” because he played bigger than his size at 6-foot-one (and a half!), 225 pounds, he won the 1971 Len Eshmont Award, voted on by the players and given to the 49er each year who represents the “inspirational and courageous play” of former player Len Eshmont. After a career-ending injury against Dallas in the playoffs, Ed served for a decade as a NFL assistant coach and defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints, and Detroit Lions.
After going into the construction business, Ed went on to start his own business, Ed Beard Home Improvements and then worked for a time with the Chesapeake Sheriff’s Department and as a bondsman/bounty hunter in Chesapeake.
Ed was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2002. Oscar Smith’s high school football field, Beard-DeLong-Easley Field, is also named in his honor.
Beard was a lover of country western music and a talented singer and musician with a 1996 Virginian-Pilot article referring to him as “Singin’ Ed Beard.” Ed and his wife, Bobbie joined the Virginia Rounders, started by Bobbie’s father, local legend, Willie Phelps and his brothers, Norman and Earl. The Virginia Rounders performed locally at events such as the Williamsburg Film Festival and started an annual Phelps Brothers Music Festival at Lakeside Park in South Norfolk that continued for 20 years.
The family would like to thank Legacy Hospice for their loving care, especially dear Liz as the family could not have made it without her.
A service to celebrate Ed's life will be held on Monday, January 30, 2023, at 4 p.m. at Graham Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 1112 Kempsville Road, Chesapeake, VA 23320. A reception will immediately follow from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the social hall. For more information please visit grahamfuneralhome.com.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital (Donate) or the Community Animal Project (Donate) in Ed’s name.
Ed was born on December 9, 1939, to Opal and Clyde Beard. He had 3 sisters: Kathryn, Dorothy, and Joyce, who have all pre-deceased him. Ed was a star football player at Oscar Smith High School in South Norfolk in the late 1950s and a state champion heavyweight wrestler despite his school’s lack of a wrestling program.
He attended Staunton Military Academy and then went on to play football for two years at the University of Tennessee. He then joined the Wheeling Ironmen, a semi-professional football team, before being drafted into the U.S. Army, where he was named the Most Outstanding Player on the Army football team.
Beard was drafted in the 1964 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers and played eight seasons in the league as middle linebacker and special teams from 1965 to 1972, starting in 53 games. Ed was the first special teams captain in the NFL.
Known by teammates as “Biggie,” because he played bigger than his size at 6-foot-one (and a half!), 225 pounds, he won the 1971 Len Eshmont Award, voted on by the players and given to the 49er each year who represents the “inspirational and courageous play” of former player Len Eshmont. After a career-ending injury against Dallas in the playoffs, Ed served for a decade as a NFL assistant coach and defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints, and Detroit Lions.
After going into the construction business, Ed went on to start his own business, Ed Beard Home Improvements and then worked for a time with the Chesapeake Sheriff’s Department and as a bondsman/bounty hunter in Chesapeake.
Ed was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2002. Oscar Smith’s high school football field, Beard-DeLong-Easley Field, is also named in his honor.
Beard was a lover of country western music and a talented singer and musician with a 1996 Virginian-Pilot article referring to him as “Singin’ Ed Beard.” Ed and his wife, Bobbie joined the Virginia Rounders, started by Bobbie’s father, local legend, Willie Phelps and his brothers, Norman and Earl. The Virginia Rounders performed locally at events such as the Williamsburg Film Festival and started an annual Phelps Brothers Music Festival at Lakeside Park in South Norfolk that continued for 20 years.
The family would like to thank Legacy Hospice for their loving care, especially dear Liz as the family could not have made it without her.
A service to celebrate Ed's life will be held on Monday, January 30, 2023, at 4 p.m. at Graham Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 1112 Kempsville Road, Chesapeake, VA 23320. A reception will immediately follow from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the social hall. For more information please visit grahamfuneralhome.com.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital (Donate) or the Community Animal Project (Donate) in Ed’s name.