Hall of Fame
Though he only spent one season on the gridiron for Northwest, Jerry Beach made his presence known.
A native of Junction City, Ohio, Beach found his way to Northwest in 1965, first competing for the Rangers' track and field team. However, his most notable impact came as a member of the football team, when Beach helped Northwest and coach Bob Peterson to the program's first outright conference championship. The Rangers posted a 7-3-1 overall record, with a 4-0-1 mark in the MACJC North Division, earning the Mississippi Junior College Championship with a 6-0 win against East Mississippi.
Beach and the 1965 Rangers also made history, making the program's first-ever bowl game appearance. Although Northwest would lose a close battle to Kilgore College in the 1965 Shrine Bowl in Shreveport, La., the trip paved the way for a future legacy of championships and bowl games in the years to come.
As for Beach, he received All-State Honorable Mention accolades as a tailback and later signed with Mississippi State University, where he lettered in football and track. His pro career in football was a short one, as he was drafted into the United States Army just two weeks into camp with the Buffalo Bills. Beach served in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Infantry and was later transferred to the 159th Helicopter Battalion as a door gunner.
After his service in Vietnam, Beach returned to Mississippi State to finish his bachelor's degree. Later, he received his master's degree from Auburn University and had various coaching stints from 1972 to 2010 at both the high school and collegiate levels. His first college coaching position came at Jacksonville State University as the Gamecocks' defensive coordinator in 1978, before spending time at The Citadel, Auburn, Louisiana-Lafayette and Trinity Valley Community College.Â
Beach and his wife Libby have three children: Chad, Molly and Jake. The couple also has four grandchildren: Easton, Gunner, Beckett and Billy.
