When the Poplar Bluff Sports Hall of Fame inducted Three Rivers College basketball coach Gene Bess in 1983, he had 370 wins. As decades passed and Bess kept setting records, the irony of the outdated bronze tribute was not lost on the Poplar Bluff community.
“Every time coach Bess would eclipse another plateau ... Mr. Hoover would always laugh and say, ‘On his plaque in the Hall of Fame, there are only 370 wins on it,’” Vice President of the Poplar Bluff Sports Hall of Fame Chris Rushin said.
The Hall of Fame had to wait until Bess retired to have a new bronze plaque with Bess’ lengthy list of accolades permanently etched. Rushin presented the new plaque to Bess on Saturday at a ceremony in his honor at Mt. Calvary Powerhouse Church.
“I don’t think when they inducted him back in 1983, they thought it was going to be a full 36 years later,” Rushin said.
Bess won more games than any college coach at any level during his 50-year tenure leading men’s basketball at Three Rivers College, the plaque reads. He finished with a career record of 1300-416, won the NJCAA National Championship in 1979 and 1992, finished second in 1994 and 2010, reached the final four eight times, went to the national tournament 17 times, won 23 Region XVI titles and reached the region championship 33 times.
Three Rivers won 20-plus games in 42 seasons. Bess was a two-time NJCAA Coach of the Year, and including a season as an assistant, coached the Raiders in 1,746 games with a winning percentage of .756.
He was also the assistant coach of the United States National Team that won the World University Games.
Three Rivers President Dr. Wes Payne added that Bess was more than a coach; he was a teacher.
“He brought notoriety, he brought fame, he brought championships, but that’s not the important thing that he brought to our school,” Payne said. “He brought honor. He brought a dedication that was an example to everyone that works there or walked through the doors as a student. He brought courage, he brought direction, he brought an example that was worthy to follow.”
Delayed a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bess received Saturday the first of two planned ceremonies honoring his career. While Three Rivers is planning its own event in the spring, Saturday’s ceremony was designed to celebrate Bess’ coaching accomplishments and his impact as a Christian man.
Bishop Ron Webb, the pastor of Mt. Calvary Powerhouse Church, played for Bess and has included many former players as part of his congregation over the years. When the team would return from a road trip late Saturday night, or sometimes early Sunday morning, before players got off the bus, Bess would remind them to get up and go to church.
“I had the wonderful privilege of going by the family home for Christmas,” Webb said. “He invited me over to just say a prayer for the family. It was a moment in time because Coach Bess loves his God. He loves his family, and he loves his grandchildren. And that will be a day that I will never forget as long as I live.”
Dozens of players attended the event, with each given the opportunity to speak, tell a funny story, and let Bess know how he impacted their lives. Many from the championship teams were in attendance, including Milton Woodley, Dale Purnell, Alan Barnett, Robert Kirby and Mark Guethle from the 1979 team, and Anthony Beane and Eric Schweain from the 1992 team.
Those who couldn’t make it and sent congratulatory video messages included Justin Wimmer (91-93), Justas Furmanavicius (14-16) and Jake Coddington (13-15).
Woodley remembered how the 1979 team went to church before leaving Kansas after winning the national championship.
Sam Weaver remembered the old dorms that used to be a funeral home … and the spooky noises he heard. Lennis McFerren remembered playing against Bess back when Bess was a high school coach at Oran.
There were fishing stories, breakfast stories, championship stories and recruiting stories.
But Bess got the last word.
“I am thankful to have a relationship to Jesus Christ,” he said. “That’s the most important thing that anyone can do. I try to make sure every player who comes in knows how important that is.”
Scott Borkgren - Daily American Republic