Gene Bess, who built a hall of fame career coaching basketball at Three Rivers College for 50 years, died at his residence Friday morning in Poplar Bluff. He was 91.
Bess won more games than any college basketball coach at any level, earning him the honor of being inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023. His overall record of 1,300-416 over 50 seasons coaching the Raiders included two national championships in 1979 and 1992, while becoming the first college coach to reach 1,000 wins.
Born March 3, 1935 in Oak Ridge, Missouri, Bess earned a degree at Southeast Missouri State University and became a high school basketball coach. He spent 12 seasons coaching at Lesterville, Anniston and Oran where his teams were 237-95. In his 62 seasons, Bess coached in 2,048 games not counting the 1969-70 season when he was an assistant coach at Three Rivers under Bob Cradic. Bess took over the program the following year and told his wife Nelda not to unpack much in case things didn’t work out. The program was in its third season, coming off a losing year and didn’t even have a gym on campus for practice.
That first season the Raiders won their first region title and finished fourth in the nation. By the end of the decade, Three Rivers claimed its first national title. The Raiders won 23 region championships, won 20 or more games in 42 seasons, including 30 or more wins 16 times, made 17 appearances in the NJCAA National Tournament, reaching the championship game four times and the semifinal four more times. Bess is also in the Poplar Bluff Sports Hall of Fame, the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and the NJCAA Hall of Fame, among others.
Gene and Nelda Bess were married 65 years, she survives along with two children, Janell Hartmann and Brian Bess, who played for and was an assistant coach for 27 seasons with his father before taking over the program following his 2020 retirement; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Bess was preceded in death by his parents and a son.
“Coach Bess will be remembered for his record number of wins, two national championships and hall of fame career. He was also a teacher and mentor, a husband and father, and a friend and neighbor who was a devout Christian that shared his faith and love. His legacy will live through his family, friends, players, students and the Poplar Bluff community,” said Brian Rosener, president of the Poplar Bluff Sports Hall of Fame.
