On Sunday in the early afternoon, I was watching the Carolina Panthers at Minnesota Vikings game. It was a game between two teams that were on the same competition level. Both teams had similar records and needed this game to stay in the playoff hunt. It was a game that went back and forth with multiple lead changes. The story line was Teddy Bridgewater coming back to Minnesota for the first time. The city that drafted him years ago. Bridgewater was the story, but redemption had nothing to do with the Panther quarterback in this one. Punt returner Chad Beebe went from goat to hero in this game and amended a mistake late in the game that could have cost his team the win and perhaps the playoffs. Chad Beebe, former Huskie from the University of Northern Illinois, fumbled a fair catch late in the game for the Minnesota Vikings that put the team in a deep hole. Chad Beebe then, as a wide receiver, catches a ten yard pass from Kirk Cousins with 46 ticks left in the game that tied the game and with the extra point the Vikings took the lead.

The last name Beebe may sound familiar to some. Chad Beebe’s father, Don Beebe, was the fastest white guy in the game when he played during the 1990’s. Don Beebe was a wide receiver just like his son Chad, and a guy that set speed and agility records in the NFL combined that helped him get drafted in the third round by the Buffalo Bills. Don Beebe came from a small college and was working construction installing aluminum siding for a few years, before he made it to the NFL. Don Beebe had the heart of a lion and determination off the charts. Beebe played in six Superbowls and has six rings, even though five of those are championship rings to one Superbowl ring. Brett Farve of the Green Bay Packers said if it was not for Don Beebe that year, the Packers would not have won the Superbowl. Beebe one of the fastest guys in NFL history to ever lace up the spikes. Beebe may be remembered most for chasing the hot dog, Leon Lett, who scooped up a fumble and was running towards the end zone while show boating. In a game the Bills were being destroyed by the Cowboys in the Superbowl. If you were a player on the Bills, you probably packed it in late in the second half. Not Don Beebe who showed grit and determination as the game was not over, as he chased down Lett knocking the ball out of his hands before he hit pay dirt. Lett would be humiliated when Don Beebe showed you the play is not over until the whistle sounds.

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On Sunday, Chad Beebe who is mostly a special teamer for the Minnesota Vikings, showed you flashes of his old man. Beebe was getting more playing time with Vikings star receiver Adam Thielen unable to go as he landed on the Covid list during the week. Beebe’s first punt he fielded of the day, he got drilled by a Panther player, but held on to the ball. Penalty flag was thrown as Vikings would get more yards due to Beebe not making a football move and was still a defenseless receiver according to the rules. Not sure if Chad Beebe remembered that hit from the beginning of the game because at the end of the game he called for the fair catch and muffed the punt. Panthers recovered in the red zone close to the goal line and were up by 3 points over the Vikings at the time. A Panther touchdown makes this a two score game and puts the game out of reach for the Vikings with only minutes left on the clock. Vikings defense holds and Panthers settle for a chip shot field goal and go up by six points. Then Kirk Cousins and the Vikings drive down the field. Chad Beebe made some catches in the final drive. Beebe’s last catch was a ten yard pass that tied the game up. Redemption from the mistake that Chad Beebe made only minutes ago as the game was not over and he was able to make the key play to help his team. The extra point was good and Vikings had the one point lead. Teddy Bridgewater drove the Panthers down and got them into field goal range. It was a 54 yarder try off the leg of Panthers’ Joey Slye, which he missed as the Vikings win at home.

Chad Beebe came into the league in 2018. Beebe’s contributions are mostly on special teams for the Vikings in his third year as a pro. Chad Beebe came into this season with six catches. Beebe had his best game of his career so far at the wide receiver position; he caught 7 balls for 63 yards with the touchdown that tied up the game versus the Panther. This game gives Beebe 14 catches for the year with a grand total of 126 yards and the lone touchdown. Chad has a long way to go to catch up to his father’s stats. Don had 219 grabs in his entire career with 23 touchdowns and massed over 3,416 yards. That does not count his old man’s playoff stats as well. Don Beebe, after his playing days, has written a book called Six Rings from No Where. Plus he is head coach of the local college team where he lives, Aurora University, in the state of Illinois. You can tell his son Chad is a hard worker and has the same kind of heart and mentality Don had. Don Beebe helped coach his son and then took on the head coaching job at the high school level and turned it into a promotion to college. Don Beebe also had a speed camp to improve your time in the 40 yard dash where he helps many athletes. The way the Beebes play, it shows you how in a game you can be a goat to hero if you don’t give up on yourself. Chad Beebe did that within minutes, but it shows if you never give up you are not out of anything. It’s the Beebe way.