MSU Blue Line Club

Amo Bessone, 1916-2010

Click here for a video tribute, courtesy Michigan State University

Amo was born November 22, 1916, in Sagamore, MA, and raised in West Springfield, MA, where he attended West Springfield High School. He later played hockey at Hebron Academy and the Kent Hills School in Maine. He earned a degree from the University of Illinois in 1943 where he lettered in hockey and baseball. He moved onto an AHL career, cut short due to his service in World War II. He began his coaching career at Westfield (MA) High School in 1946, and made his move into the college ranks at Michigan Tech two years later. He spent three seasons as the head coach at MTU (1948-51) before joining Michigan State College in Fall 1951.

Bessone's 1966 Spartan team won the national championship. At mid-season, MSU owned a 4-9 record, but went 12-4 in its final 16 games. MSU finished the Western Collegiate Hockey Association regular season in sixth place, then beat Michigan 3-2 in the WCHA playoff semifinal. The Spartans then beat Michigan Tech 4-3 in the WCHA playoff championship. They beat Boston University 2-1 in the NCAA semifinal, then beat Clarkson 6-1 in Minneapolis for the NCAA championship (game-winning goal by Bob Brawley). Bessone was named the "Spencer Penrose Coach of the Year" that year. He brought the Spartans back to what today we call the Frozen Four in 1967 and finished third.

Bessone coached 814 games behind the Michigan State bench, second only to Ron Mason (974). Bessone was Michigan State's longest-tenured hockey coach and was instrumental in building the Spartan hockey program, progressing from a 7-13 record in his first season (1951-52) to four consecutive campaigns of 20+ wins (1973-76). Along the way, he tutored three Olympians (Gene Grazia, Weldon Olson, and Doug Volmar) and 12 All-Americans.

He retired in 1979 with a career record of 367-427-20 at Michigan State. In 1992, Bessone was inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame and the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame.

One hallmark of Bessone's tenure was giving back to the community, a tradition and responsibility that continues to this day within the walls of Munn Ice Arena. Bessone is credited with helping establish the Greater Lansing Amateur Hockey Association (GLAHA) by donating used equipment and encouraging his varsity players to help coach in the youth hockey circuit. GLAHA started with three players in 1953. By Bessone's retirement from coaching in 1979, the organization had grown to 450 players. Today, GLAHA has 23 teams for boys and girls from mites to midgets. Bessone was acknowledged for his community work when he received the John MacInnes Award in 1983 which recognizes an individual who has shown great concern for youth hockey and amateur programs.

In tribute to his efforts over the years, several awards now bear his name. At Michigan State, one player each year since 1980 has been named recipient of the Amo Bessone Award which recognizes athletic and academic achievement as well as community participation. Each year, GLAHA's Coach of the Year receives the Amo Bessone Award as well. In his hometown of Springfield, MA, the Amo Bessone Award is given to the top high school player in Western Massachusetts.

Amo once wrote, "Spartan hockey allowed me to meet and become friend with so many great people. Fellow coaches, my players, university officials, fans and even referees. It is the people that have made Spartan hockey great as well as the entire sport of college hockey. I have been blessed to have been associated with so many great people."

Amo passed away January 9, 2010, in Santa FE, NM, at the age of 93. Amo was a loving father, grandfather, uncle, and mentor to so many. He served in the US Navy in World War II as a Captain on a PT boat, was involved in the invasion at Normandy on D-Day, and also served in the Pacific. Later he spent over 30 years as a college hockey coach, 28 of them at Michigan State where his Spartans won the 1966 NCAA Championship and he was voted National Coach of the Year. He shares a podium in the US Hockey Hall of Fame with his brother Peter Bessone. Amo was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Mary; and is survived by his son, John; daughter-in-law, Lisa; and his two wonderful grand children, Mary and Peter.

A note from Amo's son John...
Friends, a sad day when Amo passed away. We took him home from the hospital that Wednesday. He was under hospice care and passed peacefully that Saturday with my cousin Toni and me by his side. A great man who lived a wonderful life, which is what we should and will remember. Here in Santa Fe, we had a memorial for him at a chapel around the corner from where he lived. Then we had an open house at our home where we hoisted a glass to Amo and celebrated his life, not mourn his death. We later took his cremains back to Massachusetts so he could be buried with my mother, his beloved Mary. We had a memorial service on January 31, followed by a reception that evening. He will be missed, but never forgotten. A man who gave so much to so many.

Amo was honored posthumously at the 2010 MSU Hockey Awards Banquet as recipient of the Distinguished Spartan Award. Accepting the award on behalf of the Bessone family was Tom Ross (MSU 1972-76), MSU's all-time leading scorer.

Amo will be missed greatly by the Spartan hockey community.

Rick Comley, MSU Hockey Coach - I'm saddened by Amo's passing for sure, but I was thrilled to know him as a young coach and continue that relationship as I joined the Michigan State program. Amo is part of that group of coaches who made NCAA hockey what it is today... Amo, Murray Armstrong, John MacInnes, John Mariucci. He also impacted the Michigan State program in so many ways, not the least of which is a commitment to being involved in the community, which continues today. He is a legend, and he will be missed.

Ron Mason, former MSU Hockey Coach and Director of Athletics - This is a big loss for all of us connected to him. Our thoughts go out to his family, and we are all greatly saddened by this loss. He is the true father of MSU hockey. He built this program, making the best of what he had when he first got here. Even after he left, he continued to support it after he retired.

Lyle Miller, former MSU player (father of former MSU and NHL players Kelly, Kevin and Kip) - He was a great person who really cared about his players. Amo made college hockey special. He recruited kids out of Canada, got the best players out of Detroit. And once you got here, Amo was the guy. Whenever we had reunions, the guys would come back to see Amo. He was a legend. Everyone in the game knew him. After Saturday games here, Amo would invite the opposing coach, his staff and the referees over to his house for a party. He lived a great life. And what was great was that up until a few years ago, he was getting around pretty well. He loved Michigan State and got back every chance he could.

Tom Ross, former MSU player (two-time All-America) - It's a sad day in my life for sure. I had a special relationship with Amo. He was quite a guy and had a great family. We were still very close. I talked with him about every three or four weeks to see how he was doing. Amo was a real mentor and shaped the lives of a lot of players. He did that for me. He made me a man. As a player, you play for yourself and your team, but Amo was one of the few coaches that I wanted to do well for him. We all played hard for him. He did so much for me. He believed in me, and put me in situations in which I could succeed. He did that for a lot of guys. He was one of a kind.

Tom Brown, Huntsville OH - When Joe Mitch gave me MSU hockey to cover for the campus newspaper The State News back in Fall 1967, he said he didn't know if I liked hockey, but he promised I'd love Amo Bessone. He was right!

Jimmy Constandt, Eagle MI - I met Amo in the mid-1970’s when I was on the staff of the Detroit Junior Wings Hockey Club, and he would come down to scout our players. Then in 1976 when I came to Lansing to work for the State of Michigan, I asked Amo if I could be of some assistance. He took me under his wing and said, while chewing on his cigar, "Jimmy, you take notes on the game and we'll compare notes between periods." I was surprised and pleased that he would consider my input because, after all, he knew way more about hockey than I ever would. The last time we talked was in November when I called him on his 93rd birthday. There are very few people who truly impact a person's life, but Amo was one such individual to me. I feel blessed and honored to have known him. He was a very special person, a precious friend and mentor whom I dearly admired.

Barb Soper, East Lansing MI - When Amo and my father [Bill Burgess] started the MSU Blue Line Club, they used to bring it up during all the hockey banquets that the Club "started in a phone booth." What a joy Amo was and is for the world of hockey, and for those of us who were taught by him to first love the people around the sport and then the sport.

Jack Zatirka, Redford MI - I arrived on campus in 1974 when Munn Ice Arena was just opening. I was fortunate to get a job as an usher. I had a great view of the ice and the MSU bench. It was also a great location to hear Amo whistling to the guys to change lines. Compared to coaches today, I thought Amo was rather animated on the bench. He didn't stand in one place, he was always moving around. I also remember visiting Miami, FL, for an MSU football game against the Hurricanes in the early 1980's. Amo and a friend drove a motorhome to the game from the gulf coast, but they forgot to put water in it for cooking, washing, etc. So I offered them the use of my shower at my hotel. While visiting, we shared a couple beers together. What an enjoyable visit!

Bob Nelson, Lansing MI - My first college hockey game was the one that sold me on Spartan hockey. It cost 25¢ to get into Demonstration Hall in the early '70s, and it was the night we upset Wisconsin who came into the game ranked #1 nationally. I can almost hear him now... Amo and that unique whistle of his, signaling his players for the next line change. I last saw him in St. Louis in 2007, cheering on his Spartans to their third national title.

Our thanks to the Santa Fe New Mexican, the Lansing State Journal, Michigan State University, and Amo's son John whose articles were adapted for this tribute. Some articles and comments have been edited for brevity and clarity.