Eric Beverly (born March 28, 1974, in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

) is an American former 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 ...

player who was a

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

for the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

and the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

in 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 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 ...

for the

Miami RedHawks The Miami RedHawks are the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Miami is a member of the Mid-American Conference ...

On the field

Beverly signed with the Lions as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in 1997, and played for Detroit for seven seasons before signing with Atlanta in 2004. He was released by Atlanta after the 2006 season. He returned to the Lions before the 2007 season, but abruptly announced his retirement during the first week of training camp. Beverly spent his first seven years as an

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line ( ...

, and was only switched to tight end when he went to Atlanta. He caught the only pass of his career in his final game.

Off the field

Beverly demonstrated his value on and off the field during his time in the NFL and has many off-season professional experiences to speak of. In 2000, Beverly was a corporate purchasing intern for Kmart Corporation and from 2001 - 2003 he served as an elected team representative with the NFL Players Association. He also had an internship with the NFL league office working to enhance the Player Development Brochure and sections of the Player Development Operations and Procedures Manual. Beverly also completed the Harvard Business School's NFL Business Management and Entrepreneurial Program in 2006.

Volunteer work and charity

Embracing the community through volunteerism and philanthropy, his charitable efforts have included the

American Red Cross The American National Red Cross is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Humanitarianism, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. Clara Barton founded ...

Gilda's Club ] Gilda's Club is a community organization for people with cancer, their families and friends. Local chapters provide meeting places where those who have cancer, their families, and friends can join with others to build emotional and social suppor ...

of Metro Detroit and Atlanta, City Mission (Detroit, MI), and Crossroads Ministries (Atlanta, GA). Beverly has received numerous honors for his athletic success, humanitarianism, and aggressive efforts in the fight against

breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...

. The Eric R. Beverly Family Foundation is a non-profit organization working to promote breast cancer awareness while raising money for programs supporting breast cancer survivors. The mission of the foundation is to provide programs and activities that unite both men and women in promoting education, increasing awareness, and providing support and resources for families who have been touched by breast cancer. Beverly and his wife, Danielle Beverly, a breast cancer survivor, reside in the Atlanta, Georgia area. He currently works for the University of Georgia Athletic Association in Athens, Georgia Beverly is a graduate of Bedford High School in

Bedford, Ohio Bedford is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 13,149 at the 2020 census. It is an eastern suburb of Cleveland. History The area that is now Bedford and northeastern Ohio was originally inhabited by Native America ...

, the same school as NFL players

Chris Chambers Christopher J. Chambers (born August 12, 1978) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a wide receiver for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Wisconsin Ba ...

and Lee Evans, and actress

Halle Berry Halle Maria Berry ( ; born Maria Halle Berry; August 14, 1966) is an American actress. She began her career as a model and entered several beauty contests, finishing as the first runner-up in the Miss USA pageant of 1986 and also placing six ...

References

External links

*
Beverly Family Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beverly, Eric 1974 births Living people Harvard Business School alumni Players of American football from Cleveland American football tight ends Miami RedHawks football players Atlanta Falcons players Detroit Lions players