Larry Beightol

{{Short description|American football player and coach (1942–2024)}}

{{Infobox college coach

| name = Larry Beightol

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1942|11|21|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Morrisdale, Pennsylvania, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2024|04|04|1942|11|12}}

| death_place = Fayetteville, Arkansas, U.S.

| alma_mater =

| player_years1 = 1961–1963

| player_team1 = Catawba

| player_positions = Guard, linebacker

| coach_years1 = 1968–1971

| coach_team1 = William & Mary (OL)

| coach_years2 = 1972–1975

| coach_team2 = NC State (OL)

| coach_years3 = 1976

| coach_team3 = Auburn (OC/OL)

| coach_years4 = 1977–1978

| coach_team4 = Arkansas (OL)

| coach_years5 = 1979

| coach_team5 = Louisiana Tech

| coach_years6 = 1981

| coach_team6 = Arkansas (OC)

| coach_years7 = 1983–1984

| coach_team7 = Missouri (OC)

| coach_years8 = 1985–1986

| coach_team8 = Atlanta Falcons (OL)

| coach_years9 = 1987–1988

| coach_team9 = Tampa Bay Buccaneers (OL)

| coach_years10 = 1989

| coach_team10 = San Diego Chargers (OL)

| coach_years11 = 1990–1994

| coach_team11 = New York Jets (OL)

| coach_years12 = 1995

| coach_team12 = Houston Oilers (OL)

| coach_years13 = 1996–1998

| coach_team13 = Miami Dolphins (OL)

| coach_years14 = 1999–2005

| coach_team14 = Green Bay Packers (OL)

| coach_years15 = 2006

| coach_team15 = Detroit Lions (OL)

| admin_years1 = 1979

| admin_team1 = Louisiana Tech

| overall_record = 2–8

| bowl_record =

| tournament_record =

| championships =

| awards = Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame
Catawba College Sports Hall of Fame

| coaching_records =

}}

Larry Beightol (November 21, 1942 – April 4, 2024) was an American football coach. He has been inducted into both the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame (Western Division){{Cite news |date=November 19, 1989 |title=About the Chargers |work=Pittsburgh Press |url=https://news.google.ca/newspapers?id=hoMcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mmMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5938,1251809&dq=larry-beightol+sports-hall-of-fame&hl=en |access-date=March 18, 2010}} and the Catawba College Hall of Fame.{{Cite news |last=Eskenazi |first=Gerald |date=December 2, 1994 |title=Up Front, the Pressure Is on the Jets' Linemen. Just Listen to Their Coach. |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/12/02/sports/pro-football-up-front-pressure-jets-linemen-just-listen-their-coach.html |access-date=March 18, 2010}}

Early years

Beightol played high school football at West Branch High School and college football at Catawba College. He obtained his master's degree at The College of William & Mary.

Career

Beightol's coaching career began in 1968 at the College of William and Mary, where he served as offensive line coach until 1971. From there, Beightol moved on to coach at North Carolina State, Auburn, the University of Arkansas, the University of Missouri, and Louisiana Tech University, where he spent the 1979 season as head football coach. In 1985, Beightol began his National Football League (NFL) coaching career, where he led the offensive lines for the Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Diego Chargers, New York Jets, Houston Oilers, and Miami Dolphins before joining the Green Bay Packers as offensive line coach in 1999 under Head Coach Ray Rhodes. When Mike Sherman became the Packers coach in 2000, Beightol was one of the few assistant coaches he retained from the previous coaching regime.

In early 2006, Sherman was fired by the Packers after a disappointing 4–12 season. The new head coach, Mike McCarthy, released much of the coaching staff after he was hired, including Beightol.{{Cite news |date=January 14, 2006 |title=McCarthy gets settled in with Packers |work=Pittsburgh Tribune-Review |url=http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/sports/steelerslive/s_413474.html |access-date=March 18, 2010}}{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} He was hired in late January 2006 by the Detroit Lions and new head coach Rod Marinelli to coach the Lions' offensive line. In January 2007 he was fired from the Detroit Lions.{{Cite news |date=January 3, 2007 |title=Lions fire Henderson, O-line coach Beightol, too |publisher=ESPN |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=2717148 |access-date=March 18, 2010}}

After his NFL career, Beightol served as an offensive line coach preparing college stars for the NFL combine, at Competitive Edge Sports (CES) of Atlanta. Beightol also ran a national football camps for high school stars in training.

Death

Beightol died of complications from heart failure, dementia, and diabetes, in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on April 4, 2024. He was 81.{{cite web |title=Larry Beightol |url=https://www.arkansasonline.com/obituaries/2024/apr/06/larry-beightol-2024-04-06/ |website=Arkansas Democrat-Gazette |access-date=April 6, 2024}}

Head coaching record

{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead|name=Louisiana Tech Bulldogs|startyear=1979|endyear=single|conf=Southland Conference}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| year = 1979

| name = Louisiana Tech

| overall = 2–8{{efn-ua|Beightol was fired with one game remaining; Pat Patterson coached the finale.{{Cite news |date=November 13, 1979 |title=Patterson new coach; Beightol fired |page=12 |work=The Times |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/62987852/patterson-new-coach-beightol-fired/ |access-date=November 10, 2020 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{free access}}}}

| conference = 1–4

| confstanding = 5th

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| championship =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal|name=Louisiana Tech|overall=2–8|confrecord=1–4}}

{{CFB Yearly Record End||overall=2–8 |bowls=no|poll=no|legend=no}}

Larry Beightol

Early years

Career

Death

Head coaching record

References

Further reading