Three Rivers coach Gene Bess receives Lifetime Achievement Award

It was a special moment for Gene Bess at the second annual Semoball Awards on Saturday at the Southeast Missouri State River Campus.

Bess was presented with the inaugural Harry Blackwell Family of Dealerships Lifetime Achievement Award, one of many accolades for the nation's all-time winningest men's college basketball coach.

The longtime Three Rivers College coach is a member of the Poplar Bluff Sports Hall of Fame, the Missouri Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame, the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and the National Junior College Hall of Fame but said Saturday night's award holds a special place in his heart.

"It's a fabulous thing. I've been inducted into a few hall of fames, but this ranks right up there with as good an honor as I've had," Bess said. "My family is here tonight, and my wife said to me, 'Did you think that you'd ever be in the position that you're in.' And I said, 'Never in a thousand years.'

"I'm extremely blessed with my career, and I'm blessed certainly for having an organization like this for the honors that they have given me tonight."

Bess, who was given a standing ovation by the sold-out crowd, has amassed a 1,208-352 record during his time with the Raiders and has led the program to two National Junior College Athletic Association national titles (1979, 1992).

Three Rivers has appeared in the NJCAA national tournament 17 times under Bess, during which he's led the Raiders to eight final four appearances.

"No one person can do what I've done, and Poplar Bluff is a great little community to excel in, too," Bess said. "It's been just really good for me and my family, and I just feel like I'm one of the most blessed people ever."

Bess is a two-time NJCAA Coach of the Year, 21-time regional coach of the year and a 19-time Missouri Community College Athletic Conference coach of the year.

He also won 250 games in 12 years while coaching while coaching at the high school level at Lesterville, Anniston and Oran.

"You know the old saying, 'You're no better than your next game,' and I'm already in the process of working toward next year," Bess said. "Every day I wake up, I have something exciting to do."