Medical pioneer by weekday, Texans tailgating extraordinaire by Sunday morning.
Dr. David Beers does not possess the power to fly or have superhuman strength, but to call him a hero of sorts would not be too far off the mark. Beers, a neuro-immunologist at The Methodist Hospital Research Institute, studies neurodegenerative diseases such as Lou Gehrig's, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's and their effect on the human immune system. His research focuses on how to manipulate the immune system to prolong survival as well as improve the quality of life for patients with such diseases.
Come Sunday morning of a Texans home game, Beers becomes his alter ego, trading in his white lab coat for his Deep Steel Blue jersey and leaving the hospital behind in pursuit of his football sanctuary: the Reliant Stadium Yellow Lot.
Much like a Marvel comic book protagonist, Beers has a sidekick, Larry Hoffman, his tailgating partner and CEO of Tri-Tech Surveying Co., L.P., Global Surveyors Inc., and BEC-LIN Engineering, Inc.
"Larry and I set up tents, bring a huge smoker and grill and do a big breakfast for everybody out there," Beers said. "It's the whole nine yards: omelets, ribs, shrimp, scallops.
"We were (H-E-B) Tailgater of the Game in 2006, and we were runner up for the (H-E-B) Tailgater of the Year award."
The duo has high hopes to snag the H-E-B Tailgater of the Year title this season.
"We always go out there with that idea," Beers said.
A true Texans supporter, Beers says he became a fan "the day they said the Texans would be a football team," and he has been a PSL holder and a season ticket holder since 2002.
"I even have all the Gameday magazines from every home game," he said.
Originally from New York but raised in Utah, Beers attended the University of Utah, where he received his Ph.D. in neuroscience. He moved to Houston in 1990 to complete his graduate work. Three years later, he met Hoffman, whose father lives in the house next to Beers'. The two have been friends ever since, a bond strengthened by their common interest in Texans football.
"We always have a great time at the game," Beers said. "Larry's seats are just down from mine, in the same row. We all tailgate and have friends that sit in front of us. Sundays are special, and we all look forward to them."
Even when the Texans are on the road, Beers still upholds a Sunday afternoon tradition of watching at home with his wife and two golden retrievers, who he claims are also big Texans fans.
"The dogs sit on the couch with us and watch the game until they decide to roll around and beat each other up," he said, laughing.
When he's not back at Methodist searching for the cure to neurodegenerative diseases, Beers can be found firing up the grill and cheering on his Texans.
Dr. David Beers, Houston's very own "Superfan."
