Auburn wide receiver and member of the College Football Hall of Fame Terry Beasley passed away on Wednesday evening at the age of 73.
Beasley remains Auburn’s all-time leader in both receiving yards and receiving touchdowns with 141 career receptions for 2,507 yards and 29 career touchdowns.
He was one of the best players in the history of the program with his time on The Plains coming from 1968-1971 and was the favorite target of Heisman trophy-winning quarterback Pat Sullivan.
A native of Montgomery, Beasley is just one of three players to have his jersey retired by Auburn alongside Sullivan and Bo Jackson.
Sullivan once described Beasley as way ahead of his time, calling him “as fast as anyone playing the game.”
He was a huge part of Sullivan’s Heisman campaign in 1971 during his senior year, catching 12 touchdowns along with nearly 900 yards after a junior season in 1970 where he had over 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns. Beasley was named a consensus All-American in 1971.
Currently, Beasley’s death, which occurred in his Moody home is being investigated as a possible suicide, according to Moody Police Chief Reece Smith.
“Officers were dispatched to his residence around 5:20pm tonight. He was found deceased inside the residence from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. This case is still under investigation and our thoughts are with the Beasley family at this time,” Smith said.
In 2013, Beasley was diagnosed with CTE as a result of at least 19 concussions throughout his playing career. After being a first-round pick for the San Francisco 49ers in 1972, Beasley played just four seasons in the NFL due in large part to his injuries.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP
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