Brian Bedford (gridiron football)
Brian Allen Bedford (born June 29, 1965) is a former American 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.
Personal information | |||
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Born: | Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. | June 29, 1965||
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 | |||
CFL status: | Import | ||
Career CFL statistics | |||
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Player stats at NFL.com |
Early years
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 (CFL)
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 (CFL)
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
- "30 years later, Donald Hair rushes into McClatchy HOF". Retrieved January 12, 2019.
- "Big Goats on Both Sides in Big Game". 16 November 2010. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
- "CAL NOTEBOOK / Passing game misses mark". 5 October 2003. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
- "1986 BIG GAME / 20 years later, upset is still hard to believe". 27 November 2006. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
- "1988 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2023-09-23.
- "Chargers Get Receiver Bedford From Cowboys". Los Angeles Times. July 1988. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
- Hewitt, Brian (24 August 1988). "Chargers Settle on a Starter : Saunders Chooses Laufenberg to Be No. 1 Quarterback". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
- "NFL Transactions". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
- "Transactions". Retrieved March 23, 2019.
- "Transactions". Retrieved March 23, 2019.
- "Transactions". Retrieved March 23, 2019.