| Headercolor: | green |
| Textcolor: | yellow |
| Beau Vernon | |
| Nationality: | Australian |
| Disability Class: | 0.5 (rugby) |
| Country: | Australia |
| Sport: | Wheelchair basketball |
| Club: | University of Queensland Club |
Beau Vernon (born 5 December 1988) is an Australian wheelchair rugby player. He has been selected to compete in wheelchair rugby at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.[1]
Vernon is from Phillip Island, Victoria. In June 2012, at the age of 23, his head was hit during a game of Australian football at Leongatha, Victoria and this resulted in him becoming a quadriplegic. He spent seven months Royal Talbot Rehabilitation Hospital in Kew, Melbourne. In 2023, he moved Sunshine Coast in Queensland with his wife Lucy and three - Layla, Joey and Ollie.[2] [3] He has completed a business degree at RMIT.
Prior to his football injury, he was a successful at state level athletics and basketball. He was the youngest player in Gippsland Power’s TAC Cup 2005 premiership team, playing alongside Scott Pendlebury, Dale Thomas and Xavier Ellis. In 2014, he was appointed coach of Leongatha Football Club in the Gippsland League and they went on to win the premiership in his third year of coaching. He has also coached Phillip Island Seniors to two premierships.[2] [4]
He was introduced to wheelchair rugby through Australian Paralympian Nazem Erdem, a gold and silver medallist.[2] Vernon is a 0.5 player and is a member of the University of Queensland Rugby Club. He was a member of Steelers that won the 2024 WWR Paralympic Qualification Tournament, Wellington, New Zealand and has been selected for the 2024 Summer Paralympics. [5]