ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. – On Thursday night, 2012 Presbyterian College graduate and 12-year National Football League veteran Justin Bethel made Blue Hose history by becoming the first PC athlete to be inducted into the Big South Conference Hall of Fame.

Joining Clayton Almeida and Mark Cooke (Winthrop men's tennis and softball, respectively) in the class of 2024, Bethel is just the third football player all-time to be enshrined in the league's Hall of Fame since its creation 21 years ago.

Held at the Wild Dunes Resort in Isle of Palms during a special ceremony, Bethel's induction adds another trinket to his illustrious PC career that included numerous FCS All-America nods, the 2011 Big South Defensive Player of the Year honor, and a spot on the conference's 2010-19 All-Decade team.

Bethel has been a mainstay in the NFL since being drafted in New York City on April 28, 2012, spending time with five different franchises and competing in exactly 200 professional games.

The South Carolina native is currently under contract with the two-time Super Bowl champion Miami Dolphins, signing an extension in March 2023 to continue his polished pro resume.

The Big South Hall of Fame – created in 2003 – now totals 81 former student-athletes, coaches, administrators, and contributors with the addition of the 2024 class.

On the professional stage, Bethel has missed only two games in his decade-plus career. He has appeared in every bout through each of the past five campaigns, putting together 293 tackles, five interceptions, 180 INT-return yards, five forced fumbles, eight fumble recoveries, and three touchdowns.

He was invited to the Pro Bowl as a special teamer in three straight seasons while competing for the Arizona Cardinals, a feat that had not been achieved by that franchise since the 1980's.
 
 
College Accomplishments
To this day, Bethel still holds the Big South record with nine blocked kicks during his time in Clinton, ranking number one in PC's Division I history with seven interceptions and 129 INT-return yards.

He collected 279 tackles for Presbyterian, becoming the first student-athlete in the history of the Big South to register two blocked punt return TD's (a statistic that has since not been equaled).

As a senior in 2011, Bethel was named a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, given each year to the "most outstanding defensive player in FCS football".

In addition to his record-setting numbers, Bethel accumulated 14 tackles for a loss at PC next to two-and-a-half sacks, four forced fumbles, and 16 pass breakups. He was chosen for postseason all-league honors in each of his final three years in college, later having his number 31 jersey retired by Blythewood High School – his alma mater – in 2015.

Bethel's name persists on Presby's campus since departing, as he provided donations for a hydrotherapy facility inside the Kemper D. Lake sports medicine center, named in his honor. A state-of-the-art enhancement to the Blue Hose athletic training wing, the facility was dedicated four years into his NFL tenure.

 
Arizona Cardinals (2012-17)
After notching the highest half-inch vertical leap of any defensive player in the NFL Draft Combine that year (39 ½ inches), Bethel was taken by the Cardinals with the 177^th pick of the 6^th round. He was the first Presbyterian player to be selected since 1969, leading to a four-year rookie deal that was inked less than one month later.

Bethel started 16 contests with Arizona while ramping up to Pro Bowl status, landing 196 tackles and four picks over his six seasons in Glendale.

The former Blue Hose was spotlighted by the league with an NFC Special Teams Player of the Week award in November 2014, closing the regular season by gaining NFC Special Teams Player of the Month recognition in December.

He transitioned into a starting role in the Cards' secondary while appearing in the Playoffs twice, roaming the field for a squad that captured the NFC Western Division championship in 2015 and later advancing to the conference title game for the second time in franchise history.

 
Falcons, Ravens, & Patriots (2018-21)
Suiting up in 99 games for the Cardinals, Bethel's pro path led him to the Atlanta Falcons in the 2018 campaign before moving on to the Baltimore Ravens organization the following year.

Parting ways with the Ravens in the middle of the '19 stretch, Bethel found a new home with the six-time Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. Over four seasons with three squads post-Arizona, he logged 64 stops while pouncing on six fumbles.

 
Miami Dolphins (2022-Pres.)
Bethel enjoyed a career resurgence while remaining inside the AFC East albeit with a Pats rival, chronicling 26 tackles in 2022 (his most in a five-year span) while competing with the Dolphins.

He snared his fifth big-league pick during his debut season in South Beach, recording his first NFL sack in game one with Miami versus the Los Angeles Chargers. Bethel notched 19 more tackles last fall after being announced as a Big South Hall of Fame inductee in June, scooping a pair of TFL's en route to his sixth career playoff appearance.

 
Career Accolades

Big South Hall of Fame – Class of 2024
NFL 2x First Team All-Pro (2013 & 2015)
NFL 3x Pro Bowl (2013, 2014, & 2015)
NFC Special Teams Player of the Week (Nov. 2014)
NFC Special Teams Player of the Month (Dec. 2014)
Big South 2010-19 All-Decade Team
NFL Draft Selection: 2012 (6^th Round, 177^th Overall – Arizona Cardinals)
FCS All-America – 2011 (Associated Press, College Sporting News, College Sports Journal, FCS Football Network, Phil Steele Magazine, The Sports Network)
Big South Defensive Player of the Year (2011)
All-Big South First Team (2011)
Buck Buchanan Award Finalist (2011)
National Defensive Performer of the Week (Week 3 – 2011)
FCS Elite Punt Returner Award (2011)
Preseason All-Big South (2011)
Orangeburg Touchdown Club All-State College Team (2009 & 2011)
All-Big South Second Team (2009 & 2010)
Big South Special Teams Player of the Week (Sept. 2011 & Oct. 2011)
Columbia State All-South Carolina Team (2009)
Big South Freshman of the Week (Nov. 2008)