A former 49ers first-round pick, Auburn great receiver, and College Football Hall of Famer has died of an apparent
suicide, according to authorities. He was 73.
According to St. Clair County Coroner Dennis Russell, Beasley was certified dead at 5:15 p.m. on Wednesday.
Moody Police Chief Reece Smith stated that the situation is being examined 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 told reporters on Thursday.
Beasley, who had suffered from a series of injuries throughout his playing career, teamed up with Heisman Trophy-
winning quarterback Pat Sullivan and earned All-America accolades in 1970 and 1971. He still retains the school
receiving record, with 2,507 yards and 29 touchdowns in a three-year career.
Beasley was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2002. His No. 88 is one of only three Auburn football
jerseys that have been retired, along with Sullivan’s No. 7 and Bo Jackson’s No.34.
“Pat Sullivan was the leader, quarterback, and Heisman Trophy winner, but the guy who made that whole passing
game go was Beasley,” said David Housel, former Auburn athletic director and sports information director. “He’s an
Auburn legend. “He is the standard against which all other Auburn receivers will be measured.”
Beasley also holds the Auburn record for consecutive touchdown catches (8), as well as 100-yard receiving games in
a season (6) and career (12).
The San Francisco 49ers selected Beasley in the first round of the 1972 draft. He played three seasons in the NFL
before retiring in 1975 due to injuries, and he later became a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the NFL about the impact
of brain injuries. It was decided in 2016.
In his case, Beasley claimed that football-related injuries caused memory loss, migraines, anxiety, and sleeplessness.
