Career
At the time of his retirement, he was the only active player who played for the now defunct Wichita State football program He played defensive tackle for Willie Jeffries at Wichita State University, and then for thirteen seasons in the National Football League (New Orleans Saints 1984-1989, Washington Redskins 1990-1993, Atlanta Falcons 1994-1995, and Denver Broncos 1996). At 6" 7" and 290 pounds he was a forceful pass rusher, famous for his "forklift" rush, in which he picked up his blocker and carried him to the quarterback.
Despite bad knees later in his career, Geathers played well into his 30"s, unusual for a defensive tackle.
He retired with 62 sacks in 183 games. Geathers attended Choppee High School located in Georgetown, South Carolina.
Geathers has four nephews in the NFL: Robert Geathers, who plays defensive end for the Cincinnati Bengals, Kwame Geathers, who plays nose tackle for the San Diego Chargers, Clifton Geathers, who was drafted by the Cleveland Browns, and Clayton Geathers who was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the 4th round pick 109 as a safety after playing football for the UCF Knights football team from 2010 through 2014.