By Shirley Shuman
Longtime Braxton County High School coach Sterling Beane has been selected for induction into the Glenville State University Hall of Fame. According to the university’s announcement, the ceremony for induction into the 2023 Induction Class of the Curtis Elam Athletic Hall of Fame will be held Sept. 30.
Beane, a four-year starter for the Glenville Pioneers football team, explained how he came to play on the team. “I wanted to play football in college, but I wasn’t recruited. Our Gassaway High School football coach, Jack White, took some of us to the college to see the facilities and all, but nothing ever came of that trip,” he said. “So I decided to write a letter to Coach Jesse Lilly, the head football coach. He wrote back to me and told me if I was interested in playing on his team I needed to be there on the day they were giving out uniforms and fitting helmets. I went, and I was on the team.” Not only was he a starting offensive tackle on the football team for four years, but he was also a successful starter on the Glenville State College wrestling team. As a heavyweight, he placed fourth in the WVIAC Tournament.
After his graduation in 1970 with a degree in education and majors in physical education, social studies, and driver education, Beane joined the West Virginia National Guard. He chose this as a way to begin teaching while serving his country. He accepted a teaching position at Braxton County High School where he taught 37 years.
Beane began the BCHS wrestling program during the 1972-73 season. He has coached the Eagles’ wrestlers for 51 years, a state record for West Virginia. During that time, his teams have amassed over 800 dual meets. During his time as head wrestling coach for the Eagles, his teams have won 15 regional championships and finished second in 21 regional tournaments. . Under his tutelage, his teams have won 16 conference championships and produced 106 state placers with five state champions and 21 state runners-up. In addition to his team’s many honors, Beane has been named Coach of the Year numerous times… for the region, the conference and several others. He was also inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2022 with a “Lifetime Service to Wrestling Award.”
In addition to coaching wrestling, Beane coached football for 37 years – 28 years as an assistant and nine as head coach. During that nine years, his team made the state playoffs twice and earned the first playoff win in the school’s history. He also coached baseball for 18 years.
During his busy coaching career, Beane still managed to place his family first. He and his wife Judy were married 48 years and had one son, Sterling Beane, Jr., married to Dr. Monica Beane, and one grandson, Sterling “Price” Beane III. Anyone interested in attending the GSU Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Sept. 30 may contact Dustin Crutchfield of the GSU Alumni Association at 1-304-462-6116 for tickets and/or information.
