Justin Bethel ’12: A musician. An athlete. A Blue Hose.

Justin Bethel missed tryouts for middle school band, so he tried out for football instead. That wasn’t the end of his interest in music, but it was the beginning of a sports career that would take him to the NFL via Presbyterian College. He was named to the Big South Conference All-Conference Second-Team Defensive squad and would become the first Blue Hose to be drafted into the League since 1969. Since 2012, Justin has been a hard-hitting cornerback and special teamer for the Arizona Cardinals.

It was an unlikely path to the NFL. “I didn’t grow up liking sports. My family and I were always into music,” Justin said. “I didn’t really start watching football until my senior year in college.” He also had an interest in cooking and in track. But when his high school coach Jeff Scott moved to PC and recruited him for the football team, Justin was happy to have found his place. “I wanted to go to a school where I could get a good education while playing football,” he said.

At PC, Justin’s multiple passions flourished via his liberal arts education. While he practiced as a fighting Blue Hose on the football field, he also played drums in jazz and pep band while pursuing a degree in Business Administration.

“One of my best memories is playing a little concert outside on the steps of the music building,” he said. “I really enjoyed playing the drums in jazz band and the other bands, and it let me meet more people at the school outside of my personal bubble.”

On the field, Justin focused on excelling. “I always wanted to work harder, be the best I could be,” he said. One day, Coach Ford told him if he kept playing the way he was, he had a chance to make it to the League. That support and confidence in his success bolstered him to work even harder on the field.

Although his family watched more cartoons than football during his childhood, these days they’re his biggest supporters. “They come 
to every home and away game they can,” he said. And Justin tries to go back to PC when he can. “I like to say hey to everybody, talk to the all the coaches and players,” he said. All in all, PC has given him grounding in his newfound success. “My time at PC taught me to keep working hard for the things I want—no matter what the circumstances—to never stop. To keep playing, no matter what.”

Be a Blue Hose.

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