Tom Beer
Encyclopedia
Thomas John Beer was an American football
player who played at the University of Houston
and professionally for the Denver Broncos
of the American Football League
and the NFL's Boston Patriots
and New England Patriots
.
Beer wore #82 and had the nickname "Tarzan". He played as a tight end
in 42 games for the Patriots over the 1970-1972 seasons. Beer had 25 receptions for 381 yards and three TD's. His longest reception was a 31 yard TD reception on October 24, 1971.
He also returned two kickoffs for a total of 19 yards. Beer returned a kickoff 4 yards to end the 1st half in the Patriots 31-21 loss to the New York Jets
at Harvard Stadium on September 27, 1970. His longest kickoff return was 15 yards at the end of the 1st Quarter in the Patriots 34-10 loss to the New York Jets at Shea Stadium on October 29, 1972.
Beer lateraled a kickoff to Carl Garrett, who took it 27 yards in the Boston Patriots 45-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills
at Harvard Stadium on November 1, 1970. Later in the same game, he lateraled another kickoff to Garrett, who advanced it 15 yards. Beer is the only tight end in Patriots history who lateraled a kickoff to a teammate.
Beer returned a fumbled punt return by Ike Hill 5 yards in the Patriots 38-33 win over the Buffalo Bills at Schaefer Stadium on November 14, 1971.
Following his playing days, Beer wrote the sardonically ribald 1974 memoir Sunday's Fools: Stomped, Tromped, Kicked and Chewed in the NFL, recounting the experience of playing for two of the worst franchises in pro football during his career. He also was an executive for the New York Stars of the short-lived World Football League
.
He is currently residing in New Jersey.
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...
player who played at the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
and professionally for the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
and the NFL's Boston Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
and New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
.
Beer wore #82 and had the nickname "Tarzan". He played as a 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...
in 42 games for the Patriots over the 1970-1972 seasons. Beer had 25 receptions for 381 yards and three TD's. His longest reception was a 31 yard TD reception on October 24, 1971.
He also returned two kickoffs for a total of 19 yards. Beer returned a kickoff 4 yards to end the 1st half in the Patriots 31-21 loss to the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
at Harvard Stadium on September 27, 1970. His longest kickoff return was 15 yards at the end of the 1st Quarter in the Patriots 34-10 loss to the New York Jets at Shea Stadium on October 29, 1972.
Beer lateraled a kickoff to Carl Garrett, who took it 27 yards in the Boston Patriots 45-10 loss to 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...
at Harvard Stadium on November 1, 1970. Later in the same game, he lateraled another kickoff to Garrett, who advanced it 15 yards. Beer is the only tight end in Patriots history who lateraled a kickoff to a teammate.
Beer returned a fumbled punt return by Ike Hill 5 yards in the Patriots 38-33 win over the Buffalo Bills at Schaefer Stadium on November 14, 1971.
Following his playing days, Beer wrote the sardonically ribald 1974 memoir Sunday's Fools: Stomped, Tromped, Kicked and Chewed in the NFL, recounting the experience of playing for two of the worst franchises in pro football during his career. He also was an executive for the New York Stars of the short-lived World Football League
World Football League
The World Football League was a short-lived gridiron football league that played in 1974 and part of 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest the WFL reached was placing a team – the Hawaiians – in Honolulu, Hawaii. The...
.
He is currently residing in New Jersey.