Fred Besana
Encyclopedia
Fred Besana is a former American football
quarterback
for the Oakland Invaders
of the United States Football League
as well as the Buffalo Bills
and the New York Giants
of the National Football League
. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fifth round (115th overall) of the 1977 NFL Draft
. He was active for two games in 1977 and two games in 1978, before being released by the New York Giants on August 13, 1979.
With Besana's NFL pro career effectively over, he returned to California, playing semi-pro
ball for the Twin Cities Cougars of the California Football League from 1980-1982.
job for the Invaders leading them to a 9-9 record and the Pacific Division title. The Invaders lost in the first round of the playoffs to the league's eventual champion, the Michigan Panthers
, 37-21. Besana was the league's 2nd ranked QB spreading the ball around to 4 receivers who caught over 50 passes. Following the season, All-League tight end
Raymond Chester
retired and by the start of the 1984 season big play threat wide receiver
Wyatt Henderson would also be off the team.
Without two of his top four receivers to stretch the defense, opposing defenses were able to smother the Invader offense. In spite of a strong defense, the team lost its first nine games --- scoring a total of 82 points. Without a running game and with few good receiving options, Besana struggled. In the second half of the season, halfback
Eric Jordan emerged as an effective feature back. Besana, Jordan, and WR Gordon Banks
combined to reignite the offense. The team won 7 of their last 9 games.
Following the 1984 season the Invaders merged with the Michigan Panthers and Besana was forced to the bench backing up Bobby Hebert
on the eventual Western Conference Champions. The new team retained Jordan & Banks and added Michigan stars Albert Bentley
, Anthony Carter, Derek Holloway
, & John Williams
. Besana did see the field a few times in 1985 with this team full of weapons and Besana put up the third best QB rating
in the league.
Key to Abbreviations
GP= Games Played
Att= Passes attempted
Com= Passes Completed
Pct= Completion percentage
Yds= Yards
YPA= Yards per Attempt
TD= Touchdown
s
Int= Interceptions
Rate= Passer rating
, played for the Baltimore Orioles
in 1956.
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...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
for the Oakland Invaders
Oakland Invaders
Oakland Invaders was a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League from 1983 through 1985.-In reaction to the Raiders relocating to Los Angeles:...
of the United States Football League
United States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
as well as 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...
and the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the National Football League
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...
. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fifth round (115th overall) of the 1977 NFL Draft
1977 NFL Draft
The 1977 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 May 3–4, 1977...
. He was active for two games in 1977 and two games in 1978, before being released by the New York Giants on August 13, 1979.
With Besana's NFL pro career effectively over, he returned to California, playing semi-pro
Semi-professional
A semi-professional athlete is one who is paid to play and thus is not an amateur, but for whom sport is not a full-time occupation, generally because the level of pay is too low to make a reasonable living based solely upon that source, thus making the athlete not a full professional...
ball for the Twin Cities Cougars of the California Football League from 1980-1982.
Invaders years
The Oakland Invaders signed Besana on January 26, 1983. Besana would go on to win the startingStarting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
job for the Invaders leading them to a 9-9 record and the Pacific Division title. The Invaders lost in the first round of the playoffs to the league's eventual champion, the Michigan Panthers
Michigan Panthers
The Michigan Panthers were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid-1980s.-Team history:The Michigan Panthers were named as a charter member of the United States Football League on May 11, 1982....
, 37-21. Besana was the league's 2nd ranked QB spreading the ball around to 4 receivers who caught over 50 passes. Following the season, All-League tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
Raymond Chester
Raymond Chester
Raymond Tucker Chester was an American football tight end.Chester was drafted in the first round of the 1970 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders. He played twelve years in the NFL for the Raiders and Colts, and made four Pro Bowl squads...
retired and by the start of the 1984 season big play threat 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...
Wyatt Henderson would also be off the team.
Without two of his top four receivers to stretch the defense, opposing defenses were able to smother the Invader offense. In spite of a strong defense, the team lost its first nine games --- scoring a total of 82 points. Without a running game and with few good receiving options, Besana struggled. In the second half of the season, halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
Eric Jordan emerged as an effective feature back. Besana, Jordan, and WR Gordon Banks
Gordon Banks (American football)
Gordon Gerard Banks is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He played for the New Orleans Saints from 1980–1981, the Dallas Cowboys from 1985–1988, and for the Oakland Invaders of the short-lived United States Football League...
combined to reignite the offense. The team won 7 of their last 9 games.
Following the 1984 season the Invaders merged with the Michigan Panthers and Besana was forced to the bench backing up Bobby Hebert
Bobby Hebert
Bobby Joseph Hebert Jr., is an American sportscaster who is best known as a retired Pro bowl American football quarterback of the New Orleans Saints. He played professionally in the USFL and NFL from 1983 to 1996 for the Michigan Panthers, Oakland Invaders, New Orleans Saints, and Atlanta Falcons...
on the eventual Western Conference Champions. The new team retained Jordan & Banks and added Michigan stars Albert Bentley
Albert Bentley
Albert Timothy Bentley is a former professional American football player who played running back for eight seasons for the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers. He also played in the USFL for the Michigan Panthers and the Oakland Invaders. He played high school football at Immokalee High...
, Anthony Carter, Derek Holloway
Derek Holloway
Derek Lance Holloway is a former wide receiver in the United States Football League, the National Football League, the Canadian Football League, the World League of American Football and the Arena Football League.-High school career:Holloway played high school football at Palmyra High School in...
, & John Williams
John Williams (running back)
John Alan Williams is a former running back in the USFL and the National Football League. Williams played for the Michigan Panthers and Oakland Invaders from 1983-85. Between 1985-1987, Williams played for the Dallas Cowboys, the Seattle Seahawks, the New Orleans Saints, and the Indianapolis...
. Besana did see the field a few times in 1985 with this team full of weapons and Besana put up the third best QB rating
Passer rating
Passer rating is a measure of the performance of quarterbacks or any other passers in American football and Canadian football. There are at least two formulae currently in use: one officially used by the National Football League and the Canadian Football League, and one used in college football...
in the league.
Career stats
| Year | Team | GP | Att | Com | Pct | Yds | YPA | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | OAK Oakland Invaders Oakland Invaders was a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League from 1983 through 1985.-In reaction to the Raiders relocating to Los Angeles:... |
18 | 550 | 345 | 62.7 | 3980 | 7.24 | 21 | 16 | 85.1 |
| 1984 | OAK Oakland Invaders Oakland Invaders was a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League from 1983 through 1985.-In reaction to the Raiders relocating to Los Angeles:... |
18 | 446 | 257 | 57.6 | 2792 | 6.26 | 14 | 12 | 75.4 |
| 1985 | OAK Oakland Invaders Oakland Invaders was a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League from 1983 through 1985.-In reaction to the Raiders relocating to Los Angeles:... |
|||||||||
| 58 | 34 | 58.6 | 494 | 8.51 | 6 | 4 | 92.2 |
Key to Abbreviations
GP= Games Played
Att= Passes attempted
Com= Passes Completed
Pct= Completion percentage
Yds= Yards
YPA= Yards per Attempt
TD= 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:...
s
Int= Interceptions
Rate= Passer rating
Passer rating
Passer rating is a measure of the performance of quarterbacks or any other passers in American football and Canadian football. There are at least two formulae currently in use: one officially used by the National Football League and the Canadian Football League, and one used in college football...
Family
His father, Fred BesanaFred Besana (baseball)
Frederick Cyril Besana was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Baltimore Orioles in 1956. He also played in the minor leagues for eight seasons....
, played for the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
in 1956.