big league player, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 47, according to his agent.
Terry Beasley, an Auburn wide receiver who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, passed away at the age of 73 from what appeared to be a suicide, according to authorities.
Following Beasley’s death at 5:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Moody Police (Ala.) Chief Reece Smith told The Associated Press that the situation is being looked into as a possible suicide.
“We got a call at 5:20 (Wednesday) afternoon, and officers found Mr. Beasley with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” Smith said on Thursday.
Terry Beasley approaches a bench.
Terry Beasley, a wide receiver for the Auburn Tigers, is benched for the 1971 campaign. (USA Today Sports/Emmons)
Beasley’s football career has resulted in multiple concussions, which have affected him.
During his tenure with the Tigers in 1970 and 1971, he was an All-American and most noted for being the preferred target of Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Pat Sullivan.
During the 1970 season, Beasley ran for 95 yards and one touchdown while also catching 52 passes for 1,051 yards and 11 touchdowns. After that, in 1971, he recorded a career-high 12 receiving touchdowns and 846 yards.
According to a statement by Auburn honoring Beasley, “Pat Sullivan was the leader, the quarterback, and the Heisman Trophy winner, but the guy who made that whole passing game go was Beasley,” former athletic director and director of sports information David Housel said. “He is a legend from Auburn. He will serve as the benchmark for all other Auburn receivers.
After three years of play, Beasley’s 2,507 yards and 29 touchdowns are still school records.
“He would tell Pat, ‘You throw it, I’ll get it,'” stated Housel. That was the situation. He would dart beneath it and make incredible catches.”
“Terry’s hands were little, but he had this grip on the ball when it came close to him that he was going to get the ball one way or another,” said Terry Henley, a former teammate. It was not going to be taken from him by you.
Field general Auburn
On November 3, 2018, in Auburn, Alabama, before a game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn Tigers players circle around their emblem. (Getty Images / Michael Chang)
“I was astounded by his ability to blow up with only one step. He vanished with just one stride. It did not require two.
The San Francisco 49ers selected Beasley in the first round of the draft. He played for the Bay Area for just three seasons before retiring from football in 1975 as a result of injuries.
Subsequently, Beasley was a plaintiff in a 2016 settlement action about the NFL and the repercussions of brain injuries. Beasley said that his football-related injuries caused him to experience anxiety, migraines, insomnia, and memory loss.
Beasley received an induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2022. Auburn retired his jersey bearing his number 88. Only three numbers—Sullivan’s No. 7 and Bo Jackson’s No. 34—have been given that distinction.
