- Beasley was a star receiver for Auburn during his storied college career
- After three professional seasons, he sued the NFL after retiring due to injuries
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Terry Beasley, a former Auburn star receiver and College Football Hall of Famer, has died of an apparent suicide, according to police. He was 73.
St. Clair County Coroner Dennis Russell said Beasley was pronounced dead Wednesday around 5:15 p.m.
Moody Police Chief Reece Smith said the case is being investigated as a possible suicide.
“We received a call at 5:20 (Wednesday) afternoon and officers found Mr. Beasley with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” Smith said Thursday.
Beasley, who suffered from a number of concussions over decades during his playing career, teamed with Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Pat Sullivan and earned All-America honors in both 1970 and 1971. He still holds the school records with 2,507. yards and 29 touchdowns in a three-year career.
Terry Beasley, a former Auburn star receiver and College Football Hall of Famer, has died of an apparent suicide, according to police
The 73-year-old, who sued the NFL over the effects of a brain injury after being forced into early retirement, was pronounced dead on Wednesday
Beasley was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2002. His No. 88 is one of only three Auburn football jerseys retired, along with Sullivan’s No. 7 and Bo Jackson’s No. 34.
“Pat Sullivan was the leader, the quarterback, the Heisman Trophy winner, but the guy who made that whole passing game happen was Beasley,” said former Auburn athletic director and sports information director David Housel. “He’s an Auburn legend. He is the standard by which all other Auburn receivers will be measured.”
Beasley also holds the Auburn record for consecutive games with a touchdown catch (8), along with 100-yard receiving games in a season (6) and a career (12).
Beasley was a first-round draft pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 1972. He played three seasons in the NFL before retiring in 1975 due to injuries and later was a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the NFL over the effects of brain injuries. This was resolved in 2016.
In the lawsuit, Beasley said he suffered from memory loss, headaches, anxiety and insomnia due to football-related injuries.