re: RIP to Auburn and SEC Legend Terry Beasley

One of the greatest AU players ever, God speed Terry.

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RIP. He was the reason Sullivan won the Heisman.


He was certainly a big part of that. Only one could win that award, but Auburn considered them of equal greatness.

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The sad reality is that if Beasley had played in this decade, his career would almost certainly have been cut short by the concussions. After about his 3rd or 4th concussion, he would have been finished. Also, Auburn probably wouldn't have won at Tennessee in 1971, because they likely would not have won without Beasley's second half performance...no doubt he would have been in concussion protocol.

"But on the seventh play against Tennessee, Terry Beasley, Auburn's exciting split end, leaped for a Sullivan pass, was flipped by Majors and came crashing down on his head. "I remember that and I remember coming to in the dressing room," Beasley said. "In between, nothing."

In between, he ran a fly pattern while unconscious and shortly was led to the dressing room. "I knew he was hurt," said Majors. "When he got up his eyes were glazed. And he hung around our defensive huddle for a moment before wandering over to his own side."


"While Beasley was out of the game, the best Sullivan could manage was two completions in 12 attempts for nine yards. "I think it was the worst half I ever had," he said later. "The ball was just slipping off my hand. I had no control."

Beasley was worrying more about an upper front tooth broken in half against Chattanooga than he was about any double-or triple-team tricks Tennessee might be planning. He had elected not to have the tooth fixed until after the Tennessee game, perhaps not until the end of the season. "The doctor said he'd have to give me Darvon or something," said the chunky redhead. "I said no. You take anything like that, even an aspirin, and it'll slow you down. And nobody ever accused me of being good-looking anyway."

"But at halftime the kid with the broken tooth was just waking up and discovering that his team was behind 6-0. And that he had this terrible headache. When he tried to walk, he found out he had injured his left big toe. He didn't know how, just that it was swollen and painful. About then, across the room, Sullivan, as team captain, stood up. "I just want to tell the defense," Sullivan said, "that if they continue to hold them, we'll get the points we need." Beasley stood up, decided his head felt fine and that his toe didn't hurt. With the team, he limped out onto the field."

"With Beasley in there," Schmalz said, "all the pressure is on him. A blind man could get open. And that Sullivan is something else. Twice I break my pattern and twice he finds me."

Zap. Zap. Line drives to Beasley and Schmalz picked up 30 yards and Auburn was at the five. Everybody was thinking fumble. Except Sullivan. He handed off to Tailback Harry Unger, who scored. Jett's kick made it 10-9, which was how it ended a few minutes later.

"That Sullivan, he never gives up, never loses his cool," said Beasley, flashing a happy 31½-tooth grin. "He was an All-America out there. And so was Schmalz. And our offensive line. And our defense. Everybody but me. I was lousy."

But across the way, a Tennessee player had a more realistic appraisal. "Damn that Beasley," he muttered. "Why did he have to come to?"

LINK

It's sad that our child hood heroes who brought us so much excitement and gave us much to be proud of end up suffering so much later in life because of that fearless play that they gave us. Terry Beasley certainly isn't the only one to suffer, but this probably hits all of us who grew up watching him harder than the rest. Such a sad ending to the life of one of the most courageous players to ever play the game.

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Any idea what demons may have been going on?

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uhh, probably a slow and painful death from concussions.