Hall of Fame Basketball Coach Gene Bess Dead At 91

Gene Bess, legendary junior college basketball coach with the most wins in college hoops history, has died at 91.

Bess’ son Brian broke the sad news on Friday, writing, “This morning at 4:00am my dad went to be with Jesus. We are making arrangements and will let you know when we will celebrate.”

Coach spent a staggering 50 seasons as head coach of Three Rivers College in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, racking up an insane 1,300-416 record over his 5 decades on the bench, making his the most winning coach across all college basketball, topping men’s and women’s D1 legends like Mike Krzyzewski and Geno Auriemma.

Bess’ squads made the NJCAA national tourney 17 times, reaching the Final Four 8 times, and winning the whole thing twice, in 1979 and 1992.

He was also a runner-up on two occasions.

Bess, twice named National Coach of the Year, put down his clipboard and walked away from the bench in 2020.

In 2023, Gene received the ultimate honor … he was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. He’s also a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association Hall.

Among the thousands of players he coached was retired NBA star Latrell Sprewell, who spent two seasons with Bess at Three Rivers, and had a deep respect for his coach.