Terry Beasley

Terry Paul Beasley (born February 5, 1950 in Montgomery; died January 31, 2024 in Moody) was an All-American and College Football Hall of Fame wide receiver for the Auburn Tigers football team and a three-year member of the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League.

Beasley grew up in Montgomery and graduated from Robert E. Lee High School. He accepted an athletic scholarship to Auburn University and lettered from 1969 to 1971. He was married to the former Joanne Teel in April 1970.

As a favored target for Heisman-winning quarterback Pat Sullivan, Beasley set team records of 2,507 yards receiving and 29 receiving touchdowns which still stand. In 1970 he led the Southeastern Conference with 52 receptions for 1,051 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was recognized as am All-American after his junior season. Beasley considered dropping football in favor of training for the U.S. Olympic team as a sprinter. He offered to help coach Auburn's young receivers as well, but head coach Shug Jordan convinced him to stick with football.

Beasley returned as a senior and continued to excel, earning All-America honors a second time in 1971.Along with Sullivan and Bo Jackson, Beasley is one of only three Tigers football players to have had their jersey number (88) retired. He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1986 and into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2002.

Beasley was selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the 19th overall pick in the first round of the 1972 NFL Draft. He agreed to a $42,000.year contract with a $30,000 signing bonus. In three years with the team he amassed 570 yards on 38 receptions with 3 touchdowns. Due to injuries, he retired from football after the 1975 season. He later worked as a sales associate.

By his own later estimation, Beasley suffered more than 19 concussions while playing football, affecting his ability to concentrate and remember things even while still in college. The damage to his brain led to more serious health problems later in life. He suffered from daily migraine headaches, anxiety and sleeplessness and also experienced frequent blood clots and seizures.

In 1992 Beasley suffered a nervous breakdown and sought medical treatment for sleeplessness and anxiety. Doctors diagnosed him with clinical depression and schizophrenia, and he underwent two courses of electroconvulsive therapy with no improvement. It was later believed he might have a brain tumor. During this time he was married a second time, to his psychiatric nurse, Marlene. She helped him to re-learn how to read and write.

After studying the brain of former NFL linebacker Junior Seau, who died from suicide in 2012, medical researchers expanded their understanding of the risks of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) faced by football players. Beasley spent most of the month of May 2013 in intensive care at Brookwoood Medical Center. He joined a class-action lawsuit against the National Football League, which was settled in December 2016.

Beasley was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home in Moody, on January 31, 2024.

References

• Wood, Ryan (July 4, 2013, updated September 19, 2017) "A Costly Legacy: Auburn's greatest receiver Terry Beasley paid a price for hall of fame career." Opelika-Auburn News
• Lee, Ainsley; Matt Cohen & Carol Robinson (January 31, 2024) "Terry Beasley, Auburn’s record-setting receiver, dead at 73." AL.com
• Stephenson, Creg (February 1, 2024) "‘A real loss for the Auburn people’: Friends, teammates remember Terry Beasley." AL.com