Bob Bessoir

Robert M. Bessoir (December 29, 1932 – December 30, 2020) was an American college basketball coach. He spent his career at his alma mater, the University of Scranton, where he won 552 games and won two NCAA Division III national championships.[1][2]

Bob Bessoir
Biographical details
Born(1932-12-29)December 29, 1932
Jersey City, New Jersey
DiedDecember 30, 2020(2020-12-30) (aged 88)
Glenburn Township, Pennsylvania
Playing career
1951–1955Scranton
Position(s)Forward
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1958–1972Scranton (assistant)
1972–2001Scranton
Head coaching record
Overall552–263 (.677)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
2 NCAA Division III Tournament (1976, 1983)
14 Middle Atlantic North/MAC Freedom regular season (1975, 1976, 1978, 1980–1985, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1993, 2000)
Awards
NABC National Coach of the Year (1983)
4× Middle Atlantic North/MAC Freedom Coach of the Year (1983, 1985, 1993, 2000)

Biography

Bessoir was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, and played prep basketball at William L. Dickinson High School.[3] He earned a scholarship to Scranton to play for coach Peter A. Carlesimo. A 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) forward, he played for the Royals from 1951 to 1955, scoring 1,066 points in his career (then in the top-ten in Scranton history) and set a school record with 43 rebounds in one senior-year game.[3] Following his graduation, Bessoir joined the United States Army, serving in the Korean War.

He returned to his alma mater in 1958 as an assistant basketball coach and in a variety of other athletic roles, serving as head golf coach, head baseball coach for the 1968 season and as sports information director. He received a master's degree from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania in 1968 and served as boys coach for South Catholic High for a time. In 1972, Bessoir was named head coach, replacing Nat Volpe who resigned mid-season.[4]

“Coach Bess” would lead the Royals for 29 seasons and a new level of basketball success for the program. When the NCAA split their “college division” into Division II (which would offer athletic scholarships) and Division III (which would not), Scranton became one of the top teams in Division III. Bessoir's 1974–75 team qualified for the first Division III men's basketball tournament, then the following year won the National championship, defeating Wittenberg 60–57 in overtime in the final.[5] Bessoir's Royals would win another national title in the 1982–83 season with his son Bill as the team's star. Bessoir was named NABC National Coach of the Year for Division III that year.

At the beginning of the 2000–01 season, Bessoir announced that he would retire at the conclusion of the campaign.[6] Bessoir finished his 29-year career with a record of 552–263. His final game as coach was played on February 24, 2001, with a close 86–81 loss to Wilkes University.[2] Bessoir was succeeded by Royals coach Carl Danzig upon his retirement.[2]

Bessoir became the first inductee into the newly created Middle Atlantic Conference Hall of Fame in 2012.[2] He was also inducted into six other basketball halls of fame, including the Chic Feldman Foundation Hall of Fame, the Luzerne County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, the Pennsylvania State Hall of Fame, the University of Scranton Wall of Fame, and William L. Dickinson High School hall of fame.[2] In 2016, the University of Scranton awarded him the Peter A. Carlesimo Award for contributions to athletics and Catholic education.[2]

Bessoir died on December 30, 2020, at age 88.[2][7][8]

References
  1. "Robert M. Bessoir obituary". tributearchive.com. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  2. Walsh, Scott (2020-12-30). "Legendary basketball coach Bob Bessoir dies at 88". The Scranton Times-Tribune. Archived from the original on 2021-01-11. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
  3. "Press Release: Bessoir appointed head basketball coach", University of Scranton, dated May 21, 1972. Accessed January 4, 2021. A native of Jersey City, and a graduate of Dickinson High, Bessoir is one of the U. of S. all-time basketball big men. In three seasons of varsity play he scored 1066 points. He is one of nine players in U. S. history to score over a thousand points. In his senior year the 6'7'" Bessoir set a record at Scranton by collecting 43 rebounds in a single game."
  4. "Bob Bessoir named U of S basketball coach". Scrantonian Tribune. May 21, 1972. p. 58. Retrieved January 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  5. Pileggi, Sarah (November 28, 1977). "A biggie among the smalls". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  6. "Bess makes it official". The Scranton Times-Tribune. September 30, 2000. p. 21. Retrieved January 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  7. O'Reilly, Hanna. "Legendary University of Scranton basketball coach passes away at 88". fox56.com. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  8. "Legendary Scranton coach dies at 88". Times Leader. 2020-12-30. Archived from the original on 2021-01-06. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
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