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{{Short description|American football player (born 1946)}}
{{Short description|American football player (born 1946)}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2019}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox NFL player
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Gary Beban
|image=
| image =
⚫
|position=[[Quarterback]]
| image_size =
⚫
|number=16
| alt =
⚫
|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1946|8|5}}
| caption =
⚫
|birth_place=[[San Francisco|San Francisco, California]]
⚫
| number = 16
⚫
|death_date=
⚫
| position = [[Quarterback]]
⚫
|draftyear=1968
⚫
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1946|8|5}}
⚫
|draftround=2
⚫
| birth_place = [[San Francisco]], California, U.S.
|draftpick=30<br>(by the [[Los Angeles Rams]])<ref name="dbF">{{cite web|url=http://www.databasefootball.com/teams/teamyear.htm?tm=LAM&lg=nfl&yr=1968 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070408233346/http://www.databasefootball.com/teams/teamyear.htm?tm=LAM&lg=nfl&yr=1968 |title=1968 Los Angeles Rams |website=databaseFootball.com |url-status=unfit |archive-date=April 8, 2007 |access-date=July 18, 2020}}</ref>
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| death_date =
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|college=[[UCLA Bruins football|UCLA]] (1965–1967)
| death_place =
|teams=
| height_ft = 6
* [[History of the Los Angeles Rams#1946–1994: Origins in Los Angeles|Los Angeles Rams]] ({{NFL Year|1968}})*
| height_in = 1
⚫
* [[Washington Commanders|Washington Redskins]] ({{NFL Year|1968}}–{{NFL Year|1969}})
| weight_lb = 195
|statlabel1=[[Touchdown|TD]]–[[Interception|INT]]
| high_school = [[Sequoia High School (Redwood City, California)|Sequoia]] <br> ([[Redwood City, California]])
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|statvalue1=0–0
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| college = [[UCLA Bruins football|UCLA]] (1965–1967)
|statlabel2=Yards
⚫
| draftyear = 1968
⚫
|statvalue2=0
⚫
| draftround = 2
|statlabel3=[[Passer rating|QB Rating]]
| draftpick = 30
|statvalue3=39.6
| pastteams =
|nfl=BEB276861
⚫
* [[Washington Commanders|Washington Redskins]] ({{NFL Year|1968|1969}})
⚫
|highlights=
* [[Denver Broncos]] ({{NFL Year|1971}})*
⚫
| highlights =
* [[Heisman Trophy]] (1967)
* [[Heisman Trophy]] (1967)
* [[Maxwell Award]] (1967)
* [[Maxwell Award]] (1967)
* [[Sporting News College Football Player of the Year|SN Player of the Year]] (1967)
* [[Sporting News College Football Player of the Year|''SN'' Player of the Year]] (1967)
* [[Chic Harley Award]] (1967)
* [[Chic Harley Award]] (1967)
* [[Pop Warner Trophy]] (1967)
* [[Pop Warner Trophy]] (1967)
* [[Unanimous All-American]] ([[1967 College Football All-America Team|1967]])
* [[List of unanimous All-Americans in college football|Unanimous All-American]] ([[1967 College Football All-America Team|1967]])
* Second-team [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] ([[1965 College Football All-America Team|1965]])
* 3× First-team [[List of All-Pac-12 Conference football teams|All-Pac-8]] ([[1965 All-Pacific Coast football team|1965]]–[[1967 All-Pacific-8 Conference football team|1967]])
* [[UCLA Bruins football#Retired numbers|UCLA Bruins No. 16]] retired
* [[UCLA Bruins football#Retired numbers|UCLA Bruins No. 16]] retired
| statlabel1 = Games played
⚫
|CollegeHOF=1880
⚫
| statvalue1 = 5
| statlabel2 = Rushing yards
⚫
| statvalue2 = 18
| nfl = gary-beban
| pfr = B/BebaGa00
⚫
| CollegeHOF = 1880
}}
}}

'''Gary Joseph Beban''' (born August 5, 1946) is an American former professional [[American football|football]] player. Beban won the 1967 [[Heisman Trophy]],<ref>{{cite news |author=Prugh, Jeff |title=Gary Beban Wins Heisman Trophy |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=November 29, 1967 |quote=It all began on an asphalt playground in San Francisco and it culminated Tuesday afternoon when UCLA's Gary Beban was voted winner of the 1967 Heisman Trophy, which is awarded annually by New York's Downtown Athletic Club to the nation's most outstanding college football player.}}</ref> narrowly beating out [[O.J. Simpson]], and the [[Maxwell Award]] while playing [[quarterback]] for the [[UCLA Bruins football|UCLA Bruins]]. He played professional football for two seasons in the [[National Football League]] (NFL) with the [[Washington Redskins]]. Beban was inducted into the [[College Football Hall of Fame]] in 1988.
'''Gary Joseph Beban''' (born August 5, 1946) is an American former [[American football|football]] [[quarterback]] who played in the [[National Football League]] (NFL) for two seasons with the [[Washington Commanders|Washington Redskins]]. He played [[college football]] for the [[UCLA Bruins football|UCLA Bruins]], where he won both the [[Maxwell Award]] and the [[Heisman Trophy]] in 1967.<ref>{{cite news |author=Prugh, Jeff |title=Gary Beban Wins Heisman Trophy |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=November 29, 1967 |quote=It all began on an asphalt playground in San Francisco and it culminated Tuesday afternoon when UCLA's Gary Beban was voted winner of the 1967 Heisman Trophy, which is awarded annually by New York's Downtown Athletic Club to the nation's most outstanding college football player.}}</ref> He was inducted into the [[College Football Hall of Fame]] in 1988.


==Early life==
==Early life==
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Beban, known as "The Great One", excelled in both academics and athletics, majoring in European history while quarterbacking the Bruins across three straight winning seasons. As a quarterback at the [[University of California, Los Angeles]], he was named to the all-conference team three times, and led the [[UCLA Bruins football|Bruins]] to a 24–5–2 record. His school record for total offense lasted for 15 years. As a sophomore, he threw two touchdown passes in the last four minutes to rally the Bruins over [[UCLA–USC rivalry|their crosstown arch-rival]], [[USC Trojans football|USC]], 20–16.<ref>[http://www.english.ucla.edu/ucla1960s/6465/Smith2.htm UCLA Athletics: 1964-1965] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617225234/http://www.english.ucla.edu/ucla1960s/6465/Smith2.htm |date=June 17, 2008 }} UCLA.edu</ref><ref>[http://www.lasports.org/lagreatest_moments/greatest2.php L.A.'s greatest moments 100 greatest] #35 1965: Bruin sophomore Gary Beban heaves fourth-quarter touchdown passes to [[Dick Witcher]] and Kurt Altenberg to stun USC and Heisman Trophy winner Mike Garrett, 20-16.</ref> In the [[1966 Rose Bowl]], Beban scored both UCLA's touchdowns in the Bruins' 14–12 victory over {{abbr|No.|number}}&nbsp;1 ranked [[1965 Michigan State Spartans football team|Michigan State]].<ref>{{cite news |author=Wolf, Al |title=Bruin Crowd Brimming With Joy...It's 'Everybody's Win' |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=January 2, 1966}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author1=Sharkey, Larry |author2=Olender, Ben |author3=Kennedy, Joe |title=Bruins Perform Surgery on Spartans' Line |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=January 2, 1966}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Bruins Won It Easily |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=January 2, 1966}}</ref>
Beban, known as "The Great One", excelled in both academics and athletics, majoring in European history while quarterbacking the Bruins across three straight winning seasons. As a quarterback at the [[University of California, Los Angeles]], he was named to the all-conference team three times, and led the [[UCLA Bruins football|Bruins]] to a 24–5–2 record. His school record for total offense lasted for 15 years. As a sophomore, he threw two touchdown passes in the last four minutes to rally the Bruins over [[UCLA–USC rivalry|their crosstown arch-rival]], [[USC Trojans football|USC]], 20–16.<ref>[http://www.english.ucla.edu/ucla1960s/6465/Smith2.htm UCLA Athletics: 1964-1965] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617225234/http://www.english.ucla.edu/ucla1960s/6465/Smith2.htm |date=June 17, 2008 }} UCLA.edu</ref><ref>[http://www.lasports.org/lagreatest_moments/greatest2.php L.A.'s greatest moments 100 greatest] #35 1965: Bruin sophomore Gary Beban heaves fourth-quarter touchdown passes to [[Dick Witcher]] and Kurt Altenberg to stun USC and Heisman Trophy winner Mike Garrett, 20-16.</ref> In the [[1966 Rose Bowl]], Beban scored both UCLA's touchdowns in the Bruins' 14–12 victory over {{abbr|No.|number}}&nbsp;1 ranked [[1965 Michigan State Spartans football team|Michigan State]].<ref>{{cite news |author=Wolf, Al |title=Bruin Crowd Brimming With Joy...It's 'Everybody's Win' |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=January 2, 1966}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author1=Sharkey, Larry |author2=Olender, Ben |author3=Kennedy, Joe |title=Bruins Perform Surgery on Spartans' Line |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=January 2, 1966}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Bruins Won It Easily |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=January 2, 1966}}</ref>


In his senior year, Beban played in the [[1967 USC vs. UCLA football game]], widely regarded as one of the [[Game of the Century (college football)|best college football games of all time]]. The game pitted No. 4 AP (No. 2 UPI) ranked USC, and their Heisman Trophy candidate running back [[O. J. Simpson]], against the No. 1 ranked Bruins and Beban—also a Heisman Trophy candidate—with both the [[Pac-12 Conference|AAWU]] and national championships on the line. Badly injured with torn rib cartilage and in great pain, he still threw for over 300 yards and two touchdown passes to lead the Bruins in scoring. Although USC eventually won the game 21–20 on a blocked PAT, and went on to the Rose Bowl, Beban would go on to win the Heisman Trophy. Both Beban and Simpson were featured on the cover of the November 20 issue of ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' magazine.<ref>[http://dynamic.si.cnn.com/si_online/covers/issues/1967/1120.html USC VS. UCLA: SHOWDOWN IN L.A. - Sports Illustrated November 20, 1967 (Cover)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612085607/http://dynamic.si.cnn.com/si_online/covers/issues/1967/1120.html |date=June 12, 2007 }}</ref><ref>Article:The Great One Confronts O.J. Sports Illustrated, November 20, 1967, Volume 27, Issue 21</ref> Commenting on Beban's heroic effort playing through injury, famed ''L.A. Times'' columnist Jim Murray wrote that if "Gary Beban wins the Heisman Trophy, they ought to fill it with aspirin".<ref>{{cite news |author=Murray, Jim |title=The REAL Gary Beban |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=November 28, 1967}}</ref>
In his senior year, Beban played in the [[1967 USC vs. UCLA football game]], widely regarded as one of the [[Game of the Century (college football)|best college football games of all time]]. The game pitted No. 4 AP (No. 2 UPI) ranked USC, and their Heisman Trophy candidate running back [[O. J. Simpson]], against the No. 1 ranked Bruins and Beban—also a Heisman Trophy candidate—with both the [[Pac-12 Conference|AAWU]] and national championships on the line.<ref>Bonfante, Jordan - [https://books.google.com/books?id=bEkEAAAAMBAJ The Technocrat - Sports / Gary Beban is the Master of Cool Football] Life Magazine, November 17, 1967, pg 90A</ref> Badly injured with torn rib cartilage and in great pain, he still threw for over 300 yards and two touchdowns. Although USC eventually won the game 21–20 on a blocked PAT, and went on to the Rose Bowl, Beban would go on to win the Heisman Trophy. Both Beban and Simpson were featured on the cover of the November 20 issue of ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' magazine.<ref>[http://dynamic.si.cnn.com/si_online/covers/issues/1967/1120.html USC VS. UCLA: SHOWDOWN IN L.A. - Sports Illustrated November 20, 1967 (Cover)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612085607/http://dynamic.si.cnn.com/si_online/covers/issues/1967/1120.html |date=June 12, 2007 }}</ref><ref>Article:The Great One Confronts O.J. Sports Illustrated, November 20, 1967, Volume 27, Issue 21</ref> Commenting on Beban's heroic effort playing through injury, famed ''L.A. Times'' columnist Jim Murray wrote that if "Gary Beban wins the Heisman Trophy, they ought to fill it with aspirin".<ref>{{cite news |author=Murray, Jim |title=The REAL Gary Beban |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=November 28, 1967}}</ref>


In addition to winning the Heisman, Beban was unanimously named to the [[1967 College Football All-America Team|All-America Team]],<ref>1975 UCLA Media Guide, UCLA Athletic News Bureau, 1975</ref> won the [[Maxwell Award]], and was awarded the Washington Touchdown Club Trophy and the [[W. J. Voit Memorial Trophy]] as the outstanding football player on the Pacific Coast. He was also named a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete and received the Dolly Cohen award, given to the player best combining academic and football achievement.
In addition to winning the Heisman, Beban was unanimously named to the [[1967 College Football All-America Team|All-America Team]],<ref>1975 UCLA Media Guide, UCLA Athletic News Bureau, 1975</ref> won the [[Maxwell Award]], and was awarded the Washington Touchdown Club Trophy and the [[W. J. Voit Memorial Trophy]] as the outstanding football player on the Pacific Coast. He was also named a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete and received the Dolly Cohen award, given to the player best combining academic and football achievement.
Line 53: Line 64:
|work=Lawrence Daily Journal-World |location=(Kansas) |agency=Associated Press |title=Tantalizing names available in second day of grid draft |date=January 31, 1968 |page=21}}</ref> ahead of [[Mike Livingston]] and [[Ken Stabler]].
|work=Lawrence Daily Journal-World |location=(Kansas) |agency=Associated Press |title=Tantalizing names available in second day of grid draft |date=January 31, 1968 |page=21}}</ref> ahead of [[Mike Livingston]] and [[Ken Stabler]].


His draft rights were traded to the [[1968 Washington Redskins season|Washington Redskins]] on June 14, 1968, after failing to agree to terms on a contract with the Rams, in exchange for a first-round draft pick in [[1969 NFL/AFL Draft|1969]] (the Rams used the pick, tenth overall, to select split end [[Jim Seymour (American football)|Jim Seymour]]).<ref>{{cite news |title=Redskins Buy Rights To Beban From Rams |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19680614&id=SmcxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mwEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7279,3590381&hl=en |newspaper=[[Toledo Blade]] |date=June 14, 1968 |access-date=March 30, 2015}}</ref> Beban signed a reported three-year contract worth $200,000 three days later.<ref>{{cite news |title=Gary Beban Signs Redskins' Contract |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19680618&id=7sobAAAAIBAJ&sjid=108EAAAAIBAJ&pg=3818,1565856&hl=en |newspaper=[[The Pittsburgh Press]] |date=June 18, 1968 |access-date=March 30, 2015}}</ref> He played for the Redskins in [[1968 Washington Redskins season|1968]] and [[1969 Washington Redskins season|1969]], under new head coach [[Vince Lombardi]]. But, sitting behind veteran quarterback and future [[Pro Football Hall of Fame|Hall of Famer]] [[Sonny Jurgensen]], Beban was given little game time, and the professional stardom portended by his college career was not forthcoming. Released from the Redskins on September 8, [[1970 Washington Redskins season|1970]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Gary Beban cut from Redskin roster |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6_9XAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DPcDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3145%2C1681360 |newspaper=[[The Bulletin (Bend)|The Bulletin]] |location=(Bend, Oregon)|agency=UPI |date=September 9, 1970 |page=9|access-date=March 30, 2015}}</ref> Beban signed with the [[1971 Denver Broncos season|Denver Broncos]] after the 1970 season,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=iOBYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=uPgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3832%2C1617107 |newspaper=[[Spokane Daily Chronicle]] |location=(Washington) |last=Johnson |first=Bob |title=Beban on Hand, Too |date=April 6, 1971 |page=15 |access-date=March 30, 2015}}</ref> but was waived on August 5, [[1971 Denver Broncos season|1971]], and retired from professional football immediately.<ref>{{cite news |title=Broncs Cut Gary Beban; He's Done |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=19kvAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OO0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=7152%2C2091820 |newspaper=[[The Spokesman-Review]] |location=(Spokane, Washington) |agency=Associated Press |date=August 6, 1971 |page=21 |access-date=March 30, 2015}}</ref>
His draft rights were traded to the [[1968 Washington Redskins season|Washington Redskins]] on June 14, 1968, after failing to agree to terms on a contract with the Rams, in exchange for a first-round draft pick in [[1969 NFL/AFL draft|1969]] (the Rams used the pick, tenth overall, to select split end [[Jim Seymour (American football)|Jim Seymour]]).<ref>{{cite news |title=Redskins Buy Rights To Beban From Rams |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19680614&id=SmcxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mwEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7279,3590381&hl=en |newspaper=[[Toledo Blade]] |date=June 14, 1968 |access-date=March 30, 2015}}</ref> Beban signed a reported three-year contract worth $200,000 three days later.<ref>{{cite news |title=Gary Beban Signs Redskins' Contract |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19680618&id=7sobAAAAIBAJ&sjid=108EAAAAIBAJ&pg=3818,1565856&hl=en |newspaper=[[The Pittsburgh Press]] |date=June 18, 1968 |access-date=March 30, 2015}}</ref> He played for the Redskins in [[1968 Washington Redskins season|1968]] and [[1969 Washington Redskins season|1969]], under new head coach [[Vince Lombardi]]. But, sitting behind veteran quarterback and future [[Pro Football Hall of Fame|Hall of Famer]] [[Sonny Jurgensen]], Beban was given little game time, and the professional stardom portended by his college career was not forthcoming. Released from the Redskins on September 8, [[1970 Washington Redskins season|1970]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Gary Beban cut from Redskin roster |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6_9XAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DPcDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3145%2C1681360 |newspaper=[[The Bulletin (Bend)|The Bulletin]] |location=(Bend, Oregon)|agency=UPI |date=September 9, 1970 |page=9|access-date=March 30, 2015}}</ref> Beban signed with the [[1971 Denver Broncos season|Denver Broncos]] after the 1970 season,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=iOBYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=uPgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3832%2C1617107 |newspaper=[[Spokane Daily Chronicle]] |location=(Washington) |last=Johnson |first=Bob |title=Beban on Hand, Too |date=April 6, 1971 |page=15 |access-date=March 30, 2015}}</ref> but was waived on August 5, [[1971 Denver Broncos season|1971]], and retired from professional football afterwards.<ref>{{cite news |title=Broncs Cut Gary Beban; He's Done |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=19kvAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OO0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=7152%2C2091820 |newspaper=[[The Spokesman-Review]] |location=(Spokane, Washington) |agency=Associated Press |date=August 6, 1971 |page=21 |access-date=March 30, 2015}}</ref>


==Later life==
==Later life==
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[[Category:UCLA Bruins football players]]
[[Category:UCLA Bruins football players]]
[[Category:Washington Redskins players]]
[[Category:Washington Redskins players]]
[[Category:Denver Broncos players]]
[[Category:All-American college football players]]
[[Category:All-American college football players]]
[[Category:Heisman Trophy winners]]
[[Category:Heisman Trophy winners]]
[[Category:Maxwell Award winners]]
[[Category:Maxwell Award winners]]
[[Category:People from Redwood City, California]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Redwood City, California]]
[[Category:Players of American football from San Mateo County, California]]
[[Category:Players of American football from San Francisco]]
[[Category:Players of American football from San Francisco]]
[[Category:American people of Croatian descent]]
[[Category:American people of Croatian descent]]
[[Category:American people of Italian descent]]
[[Category:American people of Italian descent]]
[[Category:American sportspeople of Italian descent]]
[[Category:Sequoia High School (Redwood City, California) alumni]]

Latest revision as of 06:05, 4 May 2024

Gary Beban
No. 16
Position:Quarterback
Personal information
Born: (1946-08-05) August 5, 1946 (age 77)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school:Sequoia
(Redwood City, California)
College:UCLA (1965–1967)
NFL draft:1968 / Round: 2 / Pick: 30
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:5
Rushing yards:18
Player stats at PFR

Gary Joseph Beban (born August 5, 1946) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for two seasons with the Washington Redskins. He played college football for the UCLA Bruins, where he won both the Maxwell Award and the Heisman Trophy in 1967.[1] He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1988.

Early life[edit]

The son of an Italian-born mother and a first-generation Croatian-American father,[2] Beban graduated from Sequoia High School in Redwood City, California.

College career[edit]

Beban, known as "The Great One", excelled in both academics and athletics, majoring in European history while quarterbacking the Bruins across three straight winning seasons. As a quarterback at the University of California, Los Angeles, he was named to the all-conference team three times, and led the Bruins to a 24–5–2 record. His school record for total offense lasted for 15 years. As a sophomore, he threw two touchdown passes in the last four minutes to rally the Bruins over their crosstown arch-rival, USC, 20–16.[3][4] In the 1966 Rose Bowl, Beban scored both UCLA's touchdowns in the Bruins' 14–12 victory over No. 1 ranked Michigan State.[5][6][7]

In his senior year, Beban played in the 1967 USC vs. UCLA football game, widely regarded as one of the best college football games of all time. The game pitted No. 4 AP (No. 2 UPI) ranked USC, and their Heisman Trophy candidate running back O. J. Simpson, against the No. 1 ranked Bruins and Beban—also a Heisman Trophy candidate—with both the AAWU and national championships on the line.[8] Badly injured with torn rib cartilage and in great pain, he still threw for over 300 yards and two touchdowns. Although USC eventually won the game 21–20 on a blocked PAT, and went on to the Rose Bowl, Beban would go on to win the Heisman Trophy. Both Beban and Simpson were featured on the cover of the November 20 issue of Sports Illustrated magazine.[9][10] Commenting on Beban's heroic effort playing through injury, famed L.A. Times columnist Jim Murray wrote that if "Gary Beban wins the Heisman Trophy, they ought to fill it with aspirin".[11]

In addition to winning the Heisman, Beban was unanimously named to the All-America Team,[12] won the Maxwell Award, and was awarded the Washington Touchdown Club Trophy and the W. J. Voit Memorial Trophy as the outstanding football player on the Pacific Coast. He was also named a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete and received the Dolly Cohen award, given to the player best combining academic and football achievement.

UCLA became the first school to have a player of the year winner in both basketball and football in the same year, with Beban winning the Heisman Trophy and Lew Alcindor winning the U.S. Basketball Writers Association player of the year award in 1968. For one week in November 1967, UCLA had the No. 1 ranked football and men's basketball teams, with the chance of landing national championships in both sports. UCLA did ultimately garner the 1968 basketball championship.

Beban was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 1991. He is a charter member of the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame, and the Bruins retired his No. 16 jersey. Although the UCLA football program has turned out a high proportion of successful professional players through the years, Beban remains the only Bruin to win the Heisman.

Professional career[edit]

After graduating from UCLA, Beban was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the second round (30th overall) of the 1968 NFL/AFL draft.[13] He was the third quarterback taken, after Greg Landry and Eldridge Dickey,[14] ahead of Mike Livingston and Ken Stabler.

His draft rights were traded to the Washington Redskins on June 14, 1968, after failing to agree to terms on a contract with the Rams, in exchange for a first-round draft pick in 1969 (the Rams used the pick, tenth overall, to select split end Jim Seymour).[15] Beban signed a reported three-year contract worth $200,000 three days later.[16] He played for the Redskins in 1968 and 1969, under new head coach Vince Lombardi. But, sitting behind veteran quarterback and future Hall of Famer Sonny Jurgensen, Beban was given little game time, and the professional stardom portended by his college career was not forthcoming. Released from the Redskins on September 8, 1970,[17] Beban signed with the Denver Broncos after the 1970 season,[18] but was waived on August 5, 1971, and retired from professional football afterwards.[19]

Later life[edit]

In 1971, Beban joined the Los Angeles office of CB Richard Ellis, a global real estate services company.[20] Beginning in 1975, he worked to establish offices in the Chicago area. He was named president and general manager of the company in 1985, and in 1998 became senior executive managing director of the company's Global Corporate Services unit. For several years in the 1970s, he also provided unique color commentary for UCLA football telecasts.

In 2009, UCLA scheduled a special "Throwback Jersey" day in Beban's honor for the UCLA-Washington homecoming game at the Rose Bowl, where the team dressed in the powder-blue and white shoulder-stripe jerseys with pure gold helmets (without decals) of UCLA's 1965–66–67 seasons, uniforms first devised by the coach Red Sanders for his teams of the 1950s, including the 1954 National Championship team. Fans were able to purchase Beban's number 16 jersey to wear en masse that day.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Prugh, Jeff (November 29, 1967). "Gary Beban Wins Heisman Trophy". Los Angeles Times. It all began on an asphalt playground in San Francisco and it culminated Tuesday afternoon when UCLA's Gary Beban was voted winner of the 1967 Heisman Trophy, which is awarded annually by New York's Downtown Athletic Club to the nation's most outstanding college football player.
  2. ^ Croatian Chronicle Network 35 Pacific Northwest Croatian Athletes
  3. ^ UCLA Athletics: 1964-1965 Archived June 17, 2008, at the Wayback Machine UCLA.edu
  4. ^ L.A.'s greatest moments 100 greatest #35 1965: Bruin sophomore Gary Beban heaves fourth-quarter touchdown passes to Dick Witcher and Kurt Altenberg to stun USC and Heisman Trophy winner Mike Garrett, 20-16.
  5. ^ Wolf, Al (January 2, 1966). "Bruin Crowd Brimming With Joy...It's 'Everybody's Win'". Los Angeles Times.
  6. ^ Sharkey, Larry; Olender, Ben; Kennedy, Joe (January 2, 1966). "Bruins Perform Surgery on Spartans' Line". Los Angeles Times.
  7. ^ "Bruins Won It Easily". Los Angeles Times. January 2, 1966.
  8. ^ Bonfante, Jordan - The Technocrat - Sports / Gary Beban is the Master of Cool Football Life Magazine, November 17, 1967, pg 90A
  9. ^ USC VS. UCLA: SHOWDOWN IN L.A. - Sports Illustrated November 20, 1967 (Cover) Archived June 12, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ Article:The Great One Confronts O.J. Sports Illustrated, November 20, 1967, Volume 27, Issue 21
  11. ^ Murray, Jim (November 28, 1967). "The REAL Gary Beban". Los Angeles Times.
  12. ^ 1975 UCLA Media Guide, UCLA Athletic News Bureau, 1975
  13. ^ Kale, Gary (January 29, 1968). "Rams Get Gary Beban". Times-News. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  14. ^ "Tantalizing names available in second day of grid draft". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. January 31, 1968. p. 21.
  15. ^ "Redskins Buy Rights To Beban From Rams". Toledo Blade. June 14, 1968. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  16. ^ "Gary Beban Signs Redskins' Contract". The Pittsburgh Press. June 18, 1968. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  17. ^ "Gary Beban cut from Redskin roster". The Bulletin. (Bend, Oregon). UPI. September 9, 1970. p. 9. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  18. ^ Johnson, Bob (April 6, 1971). "Beban on Hand, Too". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). p. 15. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  19. ^ "Broncs Cut Gary Beban; He's Done". The Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. August 6, 1971. p. 21. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  20. ^ Myers, Bob (November 4, 1971). "No Football for Beban; He Succeeds in Business". Reading Eagle. Retrieved March 30, 2015.

External links[edit]

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