Obituary: Ex-Acadiana High hoops coach & UL fan Bobby Beene dies – September 27, 2014

Kevin Foote, The Advertiser, September 30, 2014

Ex-Acadiana High basketball coach Bobby Beene is shown here posing for a photo with his son Stephen during his Rams’ early days in the early 1980s.(Photo: Advertiser file photo)

His friends remember all the laughs he gave them.

His coaching opponents still remember all the frustration he gave them with his strategies on the basketball court.

Longtime Acadiana High boys basketball coach Bobby Beene died on Saturday after a six-month battle with mesothelioma at his home in Destin, Fla. He was 70.

There will be a local memorial service in his honor at East Bayou Church on Kaliste Saloom at 11 a.m. Friday with visiting hours between 9 and 11 a.m.

Beene coached at Acadiana High from 1981 until retiring after the 2005 season. He went out in style by going a perfect 14-0 to win the district championship his final season with the Wreckin’ Rams.

Prior to arriving at Acadiana High, Beene coached at L.B. Landry in New Orleans and Catholic High of New Iberia.

"He was a very nice guy and a heckuva of a basketball coach," said Scott McCullough, who coached at Acadiana High throughout Beene’s stint there. "He was one of the funniest guys you’ll ever meet. He was one of those guys who could tell you jokes for an hour and just keep you laughing. He was hilarious.

"As a coach, it was amazing how he could get those kids to play so hard. He didn’t always have the best talent, but he always got the most out of his kids. It was amazing how he’d get those kids to play so hard."

Current Acadiana High coach Dwayne Searle replaced Beene after his retirement in 2005.

"He was always a good Xs and Os guy," Searle said. "He was always a very likeable guy. His teams played hard, but when the game was over, he was always a gentleman."

Acadiana head football coach Ted Davidson remembers Beene’s demeanor being a treat during a long school year.

"He was always an easy-going guy with a great sense of humor," Davidson said. "He was a pleasure to work with. He made each day fun."

While his coaching adversaries, on the other hand, may have had fun talking with Beene before and after the game, it rarely was much fun during the game.

"I always really enjoyed coaching against him, because it was a challenge," veteran coach Berwick Hamilton said. "You always had to be prepared when you were going against coach Beene. If you weren’t prepared, he would eat you alive. He was just a real heady coach. He really understood the game. He brought out the best in you."

Hamilton said he enjoyed talking basketball with Beene off the court.

"He was one of those guys where you’d ask him one simple question and you might be there all day," he said. "I’ve noticed that you don’t get that much anymore. I miss that camaraderie we had with coaches like Coach Beene."

St. Thomas More coach Danny Broussard said he remembers Beene both as a coach he refereed games for as well as one he matched wits against.

"What a good guy," Broussard said. "He’s one of the true gentleman of the game and one of the best coaches. The thing I’ll remember about him is I don’t think I ever coached against a guy who changed defenses as much as Bobby did. He never wanted you to get comfortable against a certain defense, even if it was working."

While Beene was often impatient by design on defense, he could be extremely patient on the other side of the floor.

"He’d run that double high post (stall) that you don’t see very much any more and just grind it out and wait until you made a mistake," Broussard said. "He was never afraid to stall it on you."

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Obituary, Bobby Beene (1944-2014) Published in The Advertiser, Oct. 1, 2014

LAFAYETTE – A Memorial Service will be celebrated Friday, October 3, 2014 at The Bayou Church in Lafayette, LA. Visitation will be held from 9-11 and memorial service to follow at 11:00 a.m. in the Café Auditorium. Bobby Beene died on Saturday September 27, 2014 at his residence in Santa Rosa Beach.

Reverend Michael Walker, will officiate the service.

Survivors include his beloved wife of 51 years, Jane Harris Beene: two children Stephen Allen Beene and his wife Kathy their three girls Caroline, Hannah, and Erin. Bonnie Beene Perry and husband Scott Perry, one son Hudson. Two sister in laws and one brother in law. Jim and Clare Harris of Livermore, California, Shirley and John Georgieff of San Jose, California. Charlotte and Howard Bash of Fort Wayne, Indiana; Numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Thurman and Bonnie Beene, his mother in law and father in law, Paul and Genevieve Harris.

Bobby was born on May 31, 1944 in Tupelo, Mississippi. His family moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana. He attended Fort Wayne Central High School. Then went on to graduate from the University of Mississippi in 1974

He then started his teaching and coaching career. He worked at L.B. Landry in New Orleans, La, Covington High School, in Covington, LA; Notre Dame High School in Crowley, La; Catholic High School in New Iberia, La; He worked at Acadiana High School for 23 years and retired from there.. He was the head basketball coach. Bobby and his wife Jane retired to Santa Rosa Beach, Florida.

Bobby enjoyed playing golf, watching sports, and meeting with friends at the Santa Rosa Golf and Beach Club. Bobby was a loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather, and friend. His sense of humor was truly one of a kind.

A very special thank you to Darlene Stewart and Frank Dole of Emerald Coast Hospice, also to all the doctors and nurses at Sacred Heart Hospital in Santa Rosa Beach Florida.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to:

Emerald Coast Hospice 340 Beal Parkway NW Suite C Fort Walton Beach, Florida 32548 in Bobby Beene’s memory.

Published in the The Advertiser on Oct. 1, 2014

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Athletic Network Footnote by Ed Dugas: Click here for the AN profile of Stephen Beene, Men’s Basketball 1985-88. Bobby was a pleasure to have in a graduate class and he was a good friend of the AN, and UL athletics. A true gentleman on and off the court, had an awesome mind for basketball and athletics, keeping his athletes foremost in his actions.