{{Short description|American gridiron football player (born 1953)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2021}} {{Infobox NFL biography | name = Autry Beamon Jr. | number = 27, 24, 23 | position = Safety | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1953|11|12}} | birth_place = Terrell, Texas, U.S. | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 1 | weight_lb = 190 | high_school = Kaufman (TX) | college = East Texas | draftyear = 1975 | draftround = 12 | draftpick = 311 | pastteams = * Minnesota Vikings ({{NFL Year|1975|1976}}) * Seattle Seahawks ({{NFL Year|1977|1979}}) * Cleveland Browns ({{NFL Year|1980|1981}}) | highlights = * First-team Little All-American (1973) | statlabel1 = Interceptions | statvalue1 = 13 | statlabel2 = Interception yards | statvalue2 = 132 | statlabel3 = Fumble recoveries | statvalue3 = 8 | statlabel4 = Sacks | statvalue4 = 1 | statlabel5 = Safeties | statvalue5 = 1 | pfr = B/BeamAu20 }}
'''Autry Beamon Jr.''' (born November 12, 1953) is an American former professional football player who was a safety for three teams in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the East Texas Lions.
==College career== Beamon played college football at East Texas State University (now East Texas A&M University) and is in the university's Athletic Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://lionathletics.com/honors/a-m-commerce-athletic-hall-of-fame/autry-beamon/8 | title=Autry Beamon (1985) - A&M-Commerce Athletic Hall of Fame }}</ref> The Hall of Fame citation says that at age 16 he was the youngest college player in the country in 1970.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://lionathletics.com/honors/a-m-commerce-athletic-hall-of-fame/autry-beamon/8 | title=Autry Beamon (1985) - A&M-Commerce Athletic Hall of Fame }}</ref>
He is still the only player in his college's history to be a four-time first team All-Lone Star Conference selection.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://lonestarconference.org/hof.aspx?hof=45 | title=Autry Beamon (2012) - Hall of Honor }}</ref>
He is in both the Lone Star Conference Hall of Honor and the Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://lonestarconference.org/hof.aspx?hof=45 | title=Autry Beamon (2012) - Hall of Honor }}</ref>
==Professional career== In the 1975 NFL draft, the Minnesota Vikings chose Beamon in the 12th round (draft pick 311 overall).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-01-28 |title=Autry Beamon Past Stats, Statistics, History, and Awards - databaseFootball.com |url=http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=BEAMOAUT01 |access-date=2024-12-17 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128112250/http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=BEAMOAUT01 |archive-date=January 28, 2015 }}</ref> He was on the Vikings team that played in Super Bowl XI, losing to the then Oakland Raiders in January 1977.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://lonestarconference.org/hof.aspx?hof=45 | title=Autry Beamon (2012) - Hall of Honor }}</ref>
In the course of his seven-year NFL career Beamon made 13 interceptions for 132 yards including a career best six picks in the 1977 season for the Seattle Seahawks.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-01-28 |title=Autry Beamon Past Stats, Statistics, History, and Awards - databaseFootball.com |url=http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=BEAMOAUT01 |access-date=2024-12-17 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128112250/http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=BEAMOAUT01 |archive-date=January 28, 2015 }}</ref> The following season he had four interceptions for the Seahawks.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-01-28 |title=Autry Beamon Past Stats, Statistics, History, and Awards - databaseFootball.com |url=http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=BEAMOAUT01 |access-date=2024-12-17 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128112250/http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=BEAMOAUT01 |archive-date=January 28, 2015 }}</ref> Only two players in the NFL — Rolland Lawrence of the Atlanta Falcons and Mario Clark of the Buffalo Bills — had more interceptions in each of those two seasons, 1977 and 1978.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NFL.com {{!}} Official Site of the National Football League |url=https://www.nfl.com/stats/player-stats/category/interceptions/1977/post/all/defensiveinterceptions/desc |access-date=2024-12-17 |website=NFL.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=NFL.com {{!}} Official Site of the National Football League |url=https://www.nfl.com/stats/player-stats/category/interceptions/1978/REG/all/defensiveinterceptions/desc |access-date=2024-12-17 |website=NFL.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
Beamon had at least one fumble recovery in all but one of his seven NFL seasons for a career total of eight: three for the Vikings, three for the Seahawks and two for the Browns.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BeamAu20.htm | title=Autry Beamon Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College | website=Pro-Football-Reference.com }}</ref>
In 1977 Beamon scored his only NFL touchdown, returning a blocked punt in a Seahawks home game against the Baltimore Colts.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Autry Beamon NFL Stats and Bio - Pro Football Archives |url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/playerb/beam00400.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230518192520/https://www.profootballarchives.com/playerb/beam00400.html |archive-date=2023-05-18 |access-date=2024-12-17 |website=www.profootballarchives.com |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2021/SEA.pdf. See p. 268 under Blocked Punts Returned for Touchdowns</ref><ref>Video of Beamon’s touchdown is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N33f7PADfE</ref> His only other points in the NFL also came from a blocked punt for the Vikings in a home game against the New York Jets in 1975, resulting in a 2-point safety.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Autry Beamon NFL Stats and Bio - Pro Football Archives |url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/playerb/beam00400.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230518192520/https://www.profootballarchives.com/playerb/beam00400.html |archive-date=2023-05-18 |access-date=2024-12-17 |website=www.profootballarchives.com |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.dailynorseman.com/2014/12/4/7333855/a-brief-look-at-jets-vikings-history | title=A Brief Look at Jets/Vikings History | date=December 4, 2014 }}</ref><ref>Video of Beamon’s blocked punt safety is at 5:41 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYZd-noybkU</ref>
In both the 1978 and 1979 seasons he was the special teams captain for the Seahawks.<ref>https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2021/SEA.pdf. See p. 303 under Captains/Special Teams</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}} {{Vikings1975DraftPicks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beamon, Autry}} Category:1953 births Category:Living people Category:Players of American football from Kaufman County, Texas Category:American football cornerbacks Category:Seattle Seahawks players Category:Minnesota Vikings players Category:Cleveland Browns players Category:East Texas A&M Lions football players Category:People from Terrell, Texas Category:20th-century American sportsmen