Willie Bethea
Born:(1938-07-21)July 21, 1938
Trenton, New Jersey, U.S.
Died:January 5, 2024(2024-01-05) (aged 85)
Career information
CFL statusAmerican
Position(s)HB/FB
Height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight190 lb (86 kg)
CollegeRider
Career history
As player
1963–1970Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Career highlights and awards
  • CFL East All-Star (1967)

Willie Bethea (July 21, 1938 – January 5, 2024) was an American professional football player who was a running back for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He won the Grey Cup with them in 1963, 1965 and 1967.[1]

Bethea was born in Trenton, New Jersey, on July 21, 1938,[1] He was an All-American in football in high school, and attended Rider College on a scholarship to play basketball. They did not have a football team. Bethea played semi-pro football with the Paterson Miners, and secured a trial with the National Football League's Baltimore Colts in 1962. He joined Hamilton in 1963.[2]

Bethea was inducted into the Tiger-Cats Wall of Honour in 2012.[3] He died on January 5, 2024, at the age of 85.[4][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Willie Bethea". statscrew.com. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  2. ^ "'I've a couple of years left'". The Hamilton Spectator. October 1, 1970. p. 17. Retrieved January 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Bethea, Krouse To Be Added To Wall of Honour". ticats.ca. April 26, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  4. ^ "Former Ticats star running back Willie Bethea dead at age 85". Canadian Press. January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 6, 2024.


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