Quick Facts
Biography
Marsha Beasley is an American sport shooter.
In the summer 2016, Beasley became the women's head rifle coach at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss).
Beasley is the former head coach of the West Virginia University rifle team and a former student athlete. After 16 years, and as of 2005, Beasley's career record at WVU as head coach is 149-16. Eight of her 16 losses came in a single year (2004) after the school's rifle program was abruptly dropped by the university and then picked back up again the following year. As a competitor in riflry, Beasley won several national championships, set 65 national shooting records, and was an international gold medalist.
Over her career, Beasley has coached her teams to 14 winning seasons (2 undefeated), 8 NCAA Rifle team championships, 1 second-place finish, and two third-place finishes. She has also had the opportunity to coach 28 athletes who have earned over 120 All-American awards, 8 individual NCAA champions, and 3 Olympians, one of which made the US Olympics Team while still a WVU student.
Aside from her career at West Virginia University, Beasley has also served as an assistant competition manager for shooting during the 1996 Olympic Games, Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association Treasurer and Secretary for 6 years, a member of the Board of the Civilian Marksmanship, and director of shooter development for the United States Shooting Team. She is also a certified International Shooting Sport Federation shooting sports coach.
Beasley was awarded the 2003 Distinguished Service to Collegiate Shooting Sports Award and has also won several "Coach of the Year" awards throughout her career by the following organizations:
- National Rifle Association Coach of the Year in 1993
- West Virginia Coach of the Year in all sports in 1996
- United States Olympic Committee Coach of the Year in 1997
- West Virginia College Coach of the Year in all sports by the West Virginia Girls and Women in Sports Association in 1998
Beasley graduated summa cum laude from East Tennessee State University with a bachelor's degree in psychology in 1978, and received a masters degree from West Virginia University in sports management in 1992.