In 1964, Bethea began his college career at North Carolina A&T as an offensive lineman and defensive player. He was a three-time All-American, having played defensive end, lineback, middle linebacker, offensive guard and offensive tackle.

Bethea told ESPN that he never dreamed he would one day be a pro football player. Then in 1968, the Houston Oilers drafted him as an offensive guard and later he would play defensive end. Bethea’s NFL accomplishments include playing 210 games through 16 years; 137 consecutive games from the opener in his first year, 1968 to 1977 (third-longest streak in franchise history); 105 career sacks, a franchise record four decades later, along with his record 16 sacks in one season (1973). He was the Oilers’ team sacks leader in six seasons, and he owns the franchise record for most games (26) with more than one sack. His 691 recorded tackles (not counting additional stats before 1974) remain near the top of Oilers/Titans statistical history. He was named to the Pro Bowl eight times.

Bethea has publicly said that it was A&T football coach Hornsby Howell and the entire coaching staff that taught him the principles of discipline, teamwork, sacrifice and self-motivation.Following his football career, he penned a book, Smash Mouth: My Football Journey from Trenton to Canton, which chronicle of his ascension from poverty to his enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Bethea, whose No. 65 jersey was retired by the Houston Oilers immediately after the close of his NFL career, was inducted in 2013 into the Black College Football Hall of Fame, and was named to the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.

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