View source for Tom Bettis

{{Short description|American football player and coach (1933–2015)}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| image        = Tom Bettis - 1955 Bowman.jpg
| caption      = Bettis on a 1955 Bowman football card
| name         = Tom Bettis
| birth_date   = {{Birth date|1933|3|17|mf=y}}
| birth_place  = [[Chicago]], Illinois, U.S.
| death_date   = {{Death date and age|2015|2|28|1933|3|17|mf=y}}
| death_place  = [[Katy, Texas]], U.S.
| position     = [[Linebacker]]
| number       = 58, 65
| high_school  = [[St. Mel High School|St. Mel]] (Chicago)
| college      = [[Purdue Boilermakers football|Purdue]]
| draftyear    = 1955
| draftround   = 1
| draftpick    = 5
| pastteams    = * [[Green Bay Packers]] ({{NFL Year|1955}}–{{NFL Year|1961}})
* [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] ({{NFL Year|1962}})
* [[Chicago Bears]] ({{NFL Year|1963}})
| pastcoaching = * [[Kansas City Chiefs]] (1966–1974) DB
* [[Kansas City Chiefs]] (1975–1976) DC/DB
* [[Kansas City Chiefs]] (1977) IHC/DC
* [[Arizona Cardinals|St. Louis Cardinals]] (1978–1984) DC
* [[Cleveland Browns]] (1985) DC
* [[Houston Oilers]] (1986–1987) DB
* [[Kansas City Chiefs]] (1988) DB
* [[Philadelphia Eagles]] (1989–1990) DB
* [[Los Angeles Rams]](1991) DB
* [[Houston Oilers]] (1993–1994) DB
| highlights   = ;As coach
* [[List of Super Bowl champions|Super Bowl champion]] ([[Super Bowl IV|IV]])
;As player
* 2× [[List of NFL champions (1920–69)|NFL champion]] ([[1961 NFL Championship Game|1961]], [[1963 NFL Championship Game|1963]])
* First-team [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] ([[1954 College Football All-America Team|1954]])
* 2× First-team [[List of All-Big Ten Conference football teams|All-Big Ten]] ([[1953 All-Big Ten Conference football team|1953]], [[1954 All-Big Ten Conference football team|1954]])
| statlabel1   = Interceptions
| statvalue1   = 1
| statlabel2   = Fumble recoveries
| statvalue2   = 6
| statlabel3   = Games played
| statvalue3   = 106
}}
'''Thomas William Bettis''' (March 17, 1933 – February 28, 2015) was an American professional [[American football|football]] player and coach in the [[National Football League]] (NFL). He played for nine seasons as a [[linebacker]].

Bettis played [[college football]] for the [[Purdue Boilermakers football|Purdue Boilermakers]], earning first-team  [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] honors in 1954.  He was selected by the [[Green Bay Packers]] in the first round of the [[1955 NFL draft]] 5th overall.  He played nine seasons for the Packers, the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]], and the [[Chicago Bears]]. After his playing career, Bettis went on to coach in the NFL for 30 years, including for the 1969–70 Super Bowl IV champions and the 1966–67 AFL champions, the [[Kansas City Chiefs]]. Bettis served as interim coach of the Chiefs in 1977 after the firing of [[Paul Wiggin]]. In seven games as [[head coach]], Bettis compiled a 1–6 record, ending a 12-year stint as a coach of the Chiefs. He returned in 1988 to be the defensive backs coach of the Chiefs. He was inducted into both the Purdue University Athletic Hall of Fame and the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BettTo20.htm|title=Tom Bettis Stats - Pro-Football-Reference.com|work=pro-football-reference.com|access-date=December 19, 2016}}</ref>

Bettis died on February 28, 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/03/04/former-packers-no-1-pick-tom-bettis-passes-away-at-81/|title=Former Packers No. 1 pick Tom Bettis passes away at 81|author=Mike Wilkening|date=March 4, 2015|work=nbcsports.com|access-date=December 19, 2016}}</ref>

==Head coaching record==

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"|Team !! rowspan="2"|Year !! colspan="5"|Regular season !! colspan="4"|Postseason
|-
!Won!!Lost!!Ties!!Win %!!Finish!! Won !! Lost !! Win % !! Result
|-
![[1977 Kansas City Chiefs season|KC]]* ||[[1977 NFL season|1977]]
|| 1 || 6 || 0 || {{winpct|1|6|0}} || 5th in AFC West || — || — || — || —
|-
! colspan="2"|Total || 1 || 6 || 0 || {{winpct|1|6|0}} || || 0 || 0 || .000 ||
|}
<small>* – Interim head coach</small>

==See also==
* [[1954 College Football All-America Team]]
* [[Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{1955 NFL Draft}}
{{Green Bay Packers 1955 NFL draft picks}}
{{Green Bay Packers first-round draft picks}}
{{1961 Green Bay Packers}}
{{1963 Chicago Bears}}
{{1966 Kansas City Chiefs}}
{{Super Bowl IV}}
{{Kansas City Chiefs coach navbox}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bettis, Tom}}
[[Category:1933 births]]
[[Category:2015 deaths]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Chicago]]
[[Category:American football linebackers]]
[[Category:Purdue Boilermakers football players]]
[[Category:Green Bay Packers players]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh Steelers players]]
[[Category:Chicago Bears players]]
[[Category:Coaches of American football from Illinois]]
[[Category:Kansas City Chiefs coaches]]
[[Category:Kansas City Chiefs head coaches]]
[[Category:St. Louis Cardinals (football) coaches]]
[[Category:Cleveland Browns coaches]]
[[Category:Houston Oilers coaches]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Eagles coaches]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Rams coaches]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]


{{linebacker-1930s-stub}}