Early Career
Beverly grew up in Wildwood in southern New Jersey. He attended Wildwood High School, where he won the state long jump championship. He attended junior college in Trinidad, Colorado, where he was a junior college All-American. He later attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, where he played football. At Colorado State, he returned a kick-off for 99 yards.
Considered too small to play professional football, Beverly was passed up in the 1967 NFL Draft. He signed with the Jets as rookie free agent in the fall of 1967. He received a signing bonus of $500 and a one-year contract of $12,500. In 1968, Beverly became the starting cornerback of the Jets. The team went 11-3, winning the American Football League East division. They defeated the Oakland Raiders in the AFL Championship game and faced the Baltimore Colts of the National Football League in Super Bowl III.
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