Brian Bedford (gridiron football)

For other people named Brian Bedford, see Brian Bedford (disambiguation).

Brian Bedford
Personal information
Born: (1965-06-29) June 29, 1965 (age 59)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school:C. K. McClatchy (CA)
College:California
Position:Wide receiver
NFL draft:1988 / round: 9 / pick: 232
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career CFL statistics
Games played:6

Brian Allen Bedford (born June 29, 1965) is an American former professional football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Diego Chargers. He also was a member of the Toronto Argonauts and BC Lions in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at the University of California.

Early life

Bedford attended C. K. McClatchy High School. He received Bee All-Metro honors at quarterback as a senior. In basketball, he set the national high school record for season field-goal percentage as a senior.[1]

He accepted a football scholarship from the University of California. He was considered a dual-threat at quarterback, with the ability to both pass and run. As a freshman, he was a backup behind Gale Gilbert.

As a sophomore, he was a mostly a backup behind Kevin Brown, but still had a chance to start a few games. In the season finale against Stanford University, he replaced an ineffective Brown with the team trailing 0-24 at halftime. Bedford led a remarkable third quarter comeback that put the Golden Bears in a position to win the game, but sprained his ankle while celebrating a touchdown, forcing him to miss most of the fourth quarter and having to watch kicker Leland Rix miss a late 30-yard field goal in a 22-24 loss.[2] During the season, he tallied 46-of-103 completions for 627 passing yards, 157 rushing yards, 2 passing touchdowns, 6 rushing touchdowns and 7 interceptions.

As a junior, he was named the starting quarterback. In the season opener, he completed 4-of-16 attempts for 32 yards in a 15-21 loss against Boston College.[3] He was replaced 4 games into the season with true freshman Troy Taylor. Taylor suffered a broken in the tenth game against USC. Brown would be the player chosen to finish the game, but also start in the season finale against Stanford University, engineering a 17-11 upset win.[4] Bedford finished with 42-of-93 completions for 488 yards, 3 passing touchdowns and 5 interceptions.

As a senior, he was converted into a wide receiver, leading the team with 39 receptions for 515 yards and 4 receiving touchdowns, while also having 7 carries for 53 yards (7.6-yard average).

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Bedford was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the ninth round (232nd overall) of the 1988 NFL draft.[5] On June 30, he was traded to the San Diego Chargers in exchange for a draft choice.[6]

San Diego Chargers

In 1988, he was tried at both wide receiver and tight end during the preseason. He was placed on the injured reserve list with a shoulder injury on August 23.[7] He was waived on August 29, 1989.[8]

Toronto Argonauts

On September 7, 1989, he was signed by the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.[9] He posted 10 receptions for 171 yards and 2 touchdowns. He was released on July 4, 1990.[10]

BC Lions

On September 19, 1990, he was signed by the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League.[11] He was limited with a right knee injury, registering only 4 receptions for 54 yards.

References

  1. ^ "30 years later, Donald Hair rushes into McClatchy HOF". Retrieved January 12, 2019.
  2. ^ "Big Goats on Both Sides in Big Game". November 16, 2010. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
  3. ^ "CAL NOTEBOOK / Passing game misses mark". October 5, 2003. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
  4. ^ "1986 BIG GAME / 20 years later, upset is still hard to believe". November 27, 2006. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
  5. ^ "1988 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  6. ^ "Chargers Get Receiver Bedford From Cowboys". Los Angeles Times. July 1988. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  7. ^ Hewitt, Brian (August 24, 1988). "Chargers Settle on a Starter : Saunders Chooses Laufenberg to Be No. 1 Quarterback". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  8. ^ "NFL Transactions". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  9. ^ "Transactions". Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  10. ^ "Transactions". Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  11. ^ "Transactions". Retrieved March 23, 2019.