Christopher Beatty (born June 19, 1973) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

coach and former

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

who is the wide receivers coach for the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He recently served as the interim

offensive coordinator An offensive coordinator (OC) is a Coach (sport), coach responsible for a gridiron football team's offense (American football), offense. Generally, the offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator represent the second ...

for the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

. He has previously served as the wide receivers coach for the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...

from 2021 to 2023. Beatty played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

East Tennessee State University East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is a public research university in Johnson City, Tennessee. It was historically part of the State University and Community College System of Tennessee under the Tennessee Board of Regents, but since 2016, ...

as a

and played in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

for two seasons with the

Baltimore Stallions The Baltimore Stallions (known officially as the "Baltimore Football Club" and previously as the "Baltimore CFL Colts" in its inaugural season) were a Canadian Football League team based in Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States, which played ...

and

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home game ...

. He previously served as an assistant coach for the

, the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...

University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD i ...

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Ins ...

Northern Illinois University Northern Illinois University (NIU) is a public research university in DeKalb, Illinois, United States. It was founded as "Northern Illinois State Normal School" in 1895 by Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld, initially to provide the state with c ...

and

Hampton University Hampton University is a private, historically black, research university in Hampton, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1868 as Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, it was established by Black and White leaders of the American Missiona ...

Early life

Christopher Beatty was born in 1973 in Topeka, Kansas, but grew up in

Centreville, Virginia Centreville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. It is a suburb of Washington, D.C., the nation's capital. It had a population of 73,518, making it the most-populous community in Fairfax County as of t ...

. Beatty attended Chantilly High School in

Chantilly, Virginia Chantilly is a census-designated place (CDP) in western Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 24,301 as of the 2020 census. Chantilly is named after an early-19th-century mansion and farm, which in turn took the name of an ...

, where he graduated in 1991. Upon his graduation, Beatty attended East Tennessee State. From 1991 to 1994, he was a starter at

where he earned All-Southern Conference honors his senior season. He ended his career as the school's all-time leader in receiving yards with 1,813 yards on 125 receptions.

Playing career

Following his graduation of ETSU with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in 1995, Beatty moved on to play professional football in the

with the

. In

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

, Beatty played for the CFL's

before retiring from his playing career.

Coaching career

High school

Chris Beatty began his coaching career in 1998 with North Stafford High School in Virginia as the school's

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

. Beatty coached the Wolverines football team until 2000, when he moved on to Salem High School in

Virginia Beach, Virginia Virginia Beach (colloquially VB) is the most populous city in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in southeastern Virginia. It is the sixth-most populous city in the ...

. After compiling a 38-16 record at North Stafford HS and Salem HS (and leading both schools to the state playoffs), Beatty moved on from Salem following the 2002 season. From 2003 to 2006, Beatty coached Landstown High School in

Virginia Beach Virginia Beach (colloquially VB) is the List of cities in Virginia, most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in southeaster ...

. During his three-year tenure, Beatty led the team to three straight state championship games and a 40-2 record. The 2004 team won the Virginia 3-A state championship and earned a No. 9 national ranking with a 14-0 record, led by future

and

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

player

Percy Harvin William Percival Harvin III (born May 28, 1988) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida Gators, who won the BCS National Champ ...

. During his tenure at the high school ranks, Beatty compiled a 78-18 record at three different high schools. Beatty was named the 2004 Virginia High School League AAA Coach of the Year for his state championship team with Landstown High. Also during his prep tenure, he coordinated offenses that produced the top four passers in Virginia High School history and led the only two teams in state history to have a 3,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard receiver, and a 1,000-yard rusher in the same season.

Hampton University

Chris Beatty left Landstown High School for the

and

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

coaching position at Virginia's

in 2006. Beatty only stayed at Hampton for the 2006 season, but his team produced a 10-2 record and lost to

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

41-38 in the first round of the

FCS playoffs The NCAA Division I Football Championship is an annual post-season college football game, played since 2006, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). From 1978 to 2005, the game was ca ...

. The team also won the

Mideastern Athletic Conference The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC ) is a collegiate athletic conference whose full members are historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the Southeastern and the Mid-Atlantic United States. It participates in the Nation ...

championship with a 6-1 conference record. Boasting the No. 7 scoring offense in the FCS at 34.2 points per game, the 2006 team also produced a player drafted in the

2007 NFL draft The 2007 NFL draft was the 72nd annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draf ...

and six players who signed contracts with

teams, four being offensive players coached by Beatty—including Dereck Faulkner, Onrea Jones and Marquay McDaniel.

Northern Illinois University

Following his 2006 stint at Hampton University, Beatty was offered and accepted the position as Northern Illinois' running backs coach for the 2007 season. Beatty's Huskies had previously had a player rush for over 1,000 yards in the previous eight seasons before his arrival, including the school leader and third-round

NFL Draft The NFL draft, officially known as the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reve ...

selection,

Garrett Wolfe Garrett Wolfe (born August 17, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Chicago Bears in the third round of the 2007 NFL draft. He played his c ...

, who departed the team the season before Beatty's arrival. In Beatty's only season at NIU, the Huskies posted a 2-10 record. However, sophomore running back Justin Anderson rushed for 1,245 yards and 8 touchdowns in the season under Beatty. The 1,000-yard performance extended the school's record to nine consecutive seasons.

West Virginia University

After his season at Northern Illinois University as the team's running backs coach, Beatty was offered the same position at

for new head coach Bill Stewart. Beatty accepted the offer and entered the spring coaching the running backs, led by sophomore

Noel Devine Noel Devine (born February 16, 1988) is an assistant coach at West Virginia University and former American football running back. Devine played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers and holds the record for career-all purpose yard ...

, and the slot receivers, led by sophomore Jock Sanders. Devine rushed for more than 3,600 yards under Beatty's guidance, and twice earning All-Big East Conference honors. The fleet-footed Devine concluded his Mountaineer career with more than 4,000 rushing yards, ranking fourth all-time in Big East Conference history. Devine also finished as West Virginia's all-time leader in all-purpose yardage. Sanders ranked as one of the Big East's most productive receivers, catching 195 passes with Beatty as his mentor. Sanders concluded his career as West Virginia's all-time leading receiver - and second all-time in the Big East. He also posted a reception in 41 consecutive games. The Mountaineer rushing attack also ranked among the Big East's best during all three of Beatty's years with the program.

Vanderbilt University

In January 2011 Beatty was hired as wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at Vanderbilt University by new head coach James Franklin.

University of Illinois

On January 3, 2012 it was announced that Beatty was hired as assistant coach at the

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United States. Established in 1867, it is the f ...

by new head coach

Tim Beckman Timothy David Beckman (born January 19, 1965) is a former American football coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Toledo from 2009 to 2011 and at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign from 2012 to 2014, comp ...

. On January 5, 2013, it was announced that Beatty would not be retained for the coming season.

University of Wisconsin

February 14, 2013 First-year Wisconsin head coach

Gary Andersen Gary Lee Andersen (born February 19, 1964) is an American football coach who was most recently head football coach at Utah State University. Andersen has also been the head football coach of Southern Utah (2003), Wisconsin (2013–2014), and O ...

hires Chris Beatty as the Badgers' wide receivers coach.

University of Virginia

On January 14, 2015, Beatty became the running backs coach at the University of Virginia. He was recently promoted to assistant head coach for offense.

Maryland

In 2016, Beatty joined the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...

as their wide receivers coach. In 2017, he was promoted to associate head coach and in 2018, to co-offensive coordinator.

Pittsburgh

In 2019, Beatty joined the

as their wide receivers coach.

Los Angeles Chargers

In 2021, Beatty was hired by the

as their wide receivers coach under head coach

Brandon Staley Brandon John Staley (born December 10, 1982) is an American professional football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the head coach of the Los Angeles ...

Chicago Bears

In 2024, Beatty was hired by the

as their wide receivers coach under head coach Matt Eberflus. On December 2, 2024, Beatty was promoted to interim offensive coordinator under interim head coach Thomas Brown. On January 23, 2025, the Bears announced that they would not retain Beatty for the 2025 season.

Las Vegas Raiders

On February 6, 2025, the

hired Beatty as their wide receivers coach.

Coaching tree

Former prominent players coached

College

Personal life

Beatty and his wife, Kris, have a son, Aaron.

References

External links

Chicago Bears profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beatty, Chris 1973 births Living people African-American coaches of American football American football wide receivers Baltimore Stallions players Canadian football wide receivers Chicago Bears coaches Coaches of American football from Kansas East Tennessee State Buccaneers football players Hamilton Tiger-Cats players Hampton Pirates football coaches High school football coaches in Virginia Illinois Fighting Illini football coaches Los Angeles Chargers coaches Maryland Terrapins football coaches NFL offensive coordinators Northern Illinois Huskies football coaches People from Centreville, Virginia Pittsburgh Panthers football coaches Players of Canadian football from Kansas Sportspeople from Fairfax County, Virginia Sportspeople from Topeka, Kansas Virginia Cavaliers football coaches West Virginia Mountaineers football coaches Wisconsin Badgers football coaches 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen