Former San Francisco 49ers first-round pick dies of apparent suicide

AUBURN, Ala. — Terry Beasley, a former 49ers first-round pick and Auburn star receiver-turned-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 declared dead at about 5:15 p.m. Wednesday.

Moody Police Chief Reece Smith said the case is being investigated as a potential 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 Thursday.

Beasley, who for decades suffered from the effects of an estimated 17 concussions during his playing career, paired up with Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Pat Sullivan and earned All-America honors in both 1970 and 1971. He still holds the school receiving records with 2,507 yards and 29 touchdowns in a three-year career.

Beasley was a first-round draft pick by the 49ers in 1972. He caught 38 passes for 570 yards during his three seasons with the 49ers before retiring in 1975 because of injuries. He later was a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the NFL on the effects of brain injuries. It was settled in 2016.

In the lawsuit, Beasley said he had suffered memory loss, headaches, anxiety and sleeplessness as a result of football-related injuries.

Beasley was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2002. His No. 88 is one of only three Auburn football jerseys to be 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 go was Beasley,” former Auburn athletic director and sports information director David Housel said. “He is an Auburn legend. He is the standard by which all other Auburn receivers will be measured.”