SANTA CLARA – There was big news in the Beathard Family on Friday.
And it had nothing to do with the announcement from 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan that rookie C.J. Beathard would be the second quarterback to enter the team’s nationally televised game Sunday night against the Minnesota Vikings.
Former long-time NFL executive Bobby Beathard, C.J.'s grandfather, was announced as a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Beathard was nominated by the contributors committee. If Beathard receives 80-percent approval from the 48-member selection committee in February, he will be inducted as part of the Class of 2018.
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“I was excited because I know he’s been on the ballot for quite a few years now,” C.J. Beathard told reporters in the 49ers’ locker room at Levi’s Stadium. “If anybody is more deserving of that . . . he’s just the best person you can be around, the best grandfather and role model for me and anybody else.
“I started realizing that when he got to high school, how big of a deal he was in the NFL and the Super Bowls he went to and won, and his impact on the NFL. Everyone I know who knows my grandpa has good things to say about him.”
Bobby Beathard, who lives in Franklin, Tennessee, is experiencing the early stages of dementia, his grandson said. C.J. Beathard said his grandfather’s mind is sharp when he recalls some of the events of his past.
"There’s nothing I love more than football,” Beathard told the Hall of Fame by phone upon being informed he's a finalist. “I feel like I’ve gone through life without a job and got paid for it.”
San Francisco 49ers
Bobby Beathard served as an executive on teams that won 10 division titles, seven league or conference championships and four Super Bowls (Miami in Super Bowls VII and VIII; and Washington in Super Bowls XVII and XXII).
C.J. Beathard will take over for 49ers starter Brian Hoyer on Sunday night. Shanahan said it is not an indication that Beathard has won the backup job over Matt Barkley, though.
”I’ve seen Barkley play in the NFL before, I’d like to see C.J. do it a little bit more,” Shanahan said.
C.J. Beathard has completed 14 of 23 pass attempts for 211 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in the first two exhibition games.
“It’s just another opportunity to get better, to go in there and try do my best, make the most of the plays I’m given,” Beathard said. “Whether, it’s second, third or fourth whatever, all you can do is your best when you go in there.”