Anthony Becht, 32, Drexel Hill
Tight end, Arizona Cardinals; Monsignor Bonner High School alum (1995)
» Books on his nightstand: I’m more of a magazine guy. I read Money, SmartMoney and Men’s Fitness.
» iPod artist on repeat: Beyoncé. She’s got a good beat. I’ve been rocking her songs for a while.
» Restaurant of the hour: When I come home, I go to Anthony’s Ristorante in Drexel Hill. That’s my go-to Italian restaurant.
» Personal heroes: I wasn’t really someone who idolized athletes or anything when I was growing up. I’d have to say my parents, because I came from a very disciplined house. My Italian mom set the foundation for me as far as being a responsible, accountable person. My dad worked a lot of hours—a blue-collar guy—and he always provided for me. It taught me what to be as a father and husband. They fashioned me for the person I am today.
» One thing he knows for sure: Football doesn’t last forever—for me, at least. That’s something I hear a lot, although I keep putting more years on.
» Very own vici: Graduating college was No. 1. The second thing is being drafted into the NFL. I never really had aspirations of being a football player until late in my college career, and it all just came together for me.
» Zen destination: My family and I are beach bums. If you don’t catch me in the Bahamas with my family, you’re gonna catch me on the Gulf Coast somewhere in the off-season. I’ll be at the Shore every July 4th weekend.
» If he had an extra hour each day, he would: Spend more time with my kids. You wish you had a little more time before they went to bed or when they wake up in the morning. Especially playing on a team far from home, a day, an hour, anything you can get, is huge.
» Life view: chance or fate? I think everything’s fate. There are always windows [of opportunity] for people—and if they take them, they’ll be successful.
» Most marked characteristic: I’m a pretty sarcastic person. I like to bust chops a lot.
» Quality he admires most in others: Loyalty. To be able to trust someone in good or bad— someone who’ll be loyal to you no matter what—is a quality that’s very hard to find. If you find two or three people who have that quality, you’ll lead a very good life.
» Mantra: Everything you do in life, you have to earn it.
» True or false: You grew up an Eagles fan: True. Absolutely.
