By REED DESALVO
The Natchez Democrat
NATCHEZ — Kenneth Beesley Sr. spent 45 years as a teacher and coach at Cathedral High School.
He’ll now be etched in state history after being named an inductee Monday in the Mississippi Association of Coaches’ Hall of Fame.
Beesley joins Herman Sanders, Gina Skelton, Larry Weems and Ricky Woods as the 2016 inductees.
Beesley said he was shocked when he received the informative phone call from former Cathedral coach Roy Garcia, who was inducted in 2003.
“It’s a great honor. I had no idea,” Beesley said. “I know several years ago I was nominated and had forgotten about it. Then the other day, Coach Garcia called me … It shows the culmination of the work I’ve put in and the longevity that I’ve had as a coach.”
Beesley coached junior varsity football, boys and girls basketball and football at Cathedral.
He also brought back the baseball program in 1972 after the school had previously dropped the program, serving as the head coach for 20 years.
But it was in football where Beesley left his mark.
Beesley spent 28 years serving as the school’s head football coach, guiding the Green Wave to a 203-112-1 record. He recorded seven district championships, a Capital Athletics Conference title in 1980, which resulted in a River City Bowl appearance, and a 1993 appearance in the state title game.
Beesley played baseball at Mississippi State from 1964-1968 before arriving at Cathedral.
“I’m kind of surprised that I stayed at Cathedral for that long,” Beesley said. “I started teaching there right out of (college), and I stayed there my whole career.”
In addition to his accolades in the sporting community, Beesley was equally as effective in the classroom as he recorded Star Teacher awards on nine separate occasions.
“I wasn’t just a coach,” Beesley said. “I’m just as proud of that as I am honored to be in the Hall of Fame.”
Beesley remained as an assistant on the baseball staff until the 2010 season, when he called it quits as a coach.
Yet he would remain in the classroom as a calculus teacher for the next three years before retiring.
“Cathedral is a special place,” Beesley said. “I just felt at home there. It’s a small school, and everybody knows each other. It has a family atmosphere, and I just love it.”
A banquet recognizing the inductees will take place June 24 at the Hilton Hotel in Jackson.