Michigan State Football: Top 50 players of all time
35. Larry Bethea
Although personal issues marred the end of his career and ultimately led him out of the NFL and into the USFL, Larry Bethea should be known for his major contributions to Michigan State football from 1974-77. He was known as a sack artist during his time with the Spartans who found his way into the backfield on a regular basis.
Bethea finished his career as Michigan State’s all-time sack leader with 33, a record that has stood for about 40 years now and he’s also fourth in terms of tackles for loss with 43. It’s rare to see such a mark stand for so long, especially since passing wasn’t exactly a major part of the game until recent years
The big defensive end earned a wealth of awards during his time with the Spartans, such as Big Ten MVP in 1977, first-team All-Big Ten in the same year and second-team All-Big Ten in 1966.
Shilique Calhoun has been approaching his sack record, but he would need to have a mammoth end to the 2015 season for that to happen, so it looks like Bethea’s record of 33 over a career will hold up for at least a few more seasons.
Bethea was drafted 28th overall in 1978 by the Dallas Cowboys, playing six seasons in the NFL before switching over to the USFL. Drug and personality issues may have overshadowed the end of his playing days.
Next: 34. Morten Anderson