Beeler Headed To West Liberty University Hall of Fame
Presented By Atomic Speedway
(Above Photo and article contributions: Courtesy of West Liberty University Athletic Department website)
(West Liberty, WV) — A Ross County man is one of eight people being inducted into to the West Liberty University Athletic Hall of Fame on October 2nd.
Chillicothe High School graduate Clay Beeler (2007), is being honored for his grid-iron days at West Liberty, where he was a three-time NCAA Division II All-American and key figure on West Liberty’s first NCAA playoff team. Beeler still ranks among the Hilltoppers’ all-time leaders in several defensive categories, including tackles-for-loss, career tackles, and single game tackles and quarterback sacks.
In 2008, Beeler ranked among the Top 20 nationally in tackles and tackles-for-loss to earn All-America and Linebacker of the Year honors from Don Hansen’s Football Gazette. He was charted with a team-high 113 tackles for the 2009 WVIAC championship team that won a school-record 11 games and advanced to the NCAA D2 national quarterfinals.
The 2010 WVIAC Defensive Player of the Year, Beeler earned multiple All-America awards as a senior and closed out his career by playing in the NCAA Division 2 All-American Bowl and Dixie Gridiron Classic.
During Beeler’s high school career, he was an All-SVC selection in 2004 and 2005, including SVC Defensive Back of the Year in ’05 with 1,000 yards rushing and 227 tackles at Huntington High School. After a transferring to Chillicothe High School he was a selection for All-SEOAL, All District and Honorable Mention All-Ohio with the Cavaliers’ playoff team in 2006, recording 186 tackles.
Beeler graduated from West Liberty in 2011 with a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Physiology and is currently employed as a technical operator for the DuPont Corporation in Circleville, Ohio.
Clay resides in Chillicothe, Ohio with his wife, Brittany, and their daughter, Brynleigh.