BCC losing more than just an assistant coach as Casey Bess takes head football job at Canton

Battle Creek Central coach Casey Bess works with players ahead of their upcoming postseason games at C.W. Post Field on Monday, Oct. 24, 2022.

There aren’t a lot of stories written about assistant coaches who are switching schools or leaving a program in high school sports. Assistants are usually behind the scenes and many come and go with no fanfare.

But Casey Bess isn’t your normal assistant coach. And him leaving the Battle Creek Central football program isn’t your normal story.

On the surface, the news is that BCC is losing an assistant football coach. The school announced Monday Bess is taking the head football coaching job at Canton High School.

But the real story is that the Bearcats are losing one of the pillars of their football program and their school, even as the BCC family congratulates Bess on his new opportunity.

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“Casey leaves a large void at Battle Creek Public Schools,” BCC head football coach Lorin Granger said. “I wish him nothing but the best and am hopeful that his future success will be fulfilling.”

Bess did far more for BCC than just coach football. Bess, a former quarterback at BCC and the son of former Bearcat head coach Doug Bess, has been a part of the program his entire life.

His passion for his players led to the Enquirer honoring him with a George Award in 2018 for his organization of weekly team dinners at Clara’s On The River called “Tuesday’s With Coach Bess”. Bess raised money from the BCC community so that his players could get an experience many of them don’t often, if ever, get to enjoy — a sit-down meal at a formal restaurant.

And Granger said that is just one example of his impact at the school. Bess is seen at most events, even outside of football, in support of all the students that roam the halls at Battle Creek Central.

“Casey has been committed to doing anything needed to insure his students and players enjoy the Bearcat experience, even more than he did,” Granger added. “His countless hours of volunteerism with respect to that goal should be well recognized.

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“I’m confident Battle Creek is a better place because he was here.”

Battle Creek Central assistant football coach Casey Bess works with players during a drill.

Bess, who is also a teacher at the high school and a former head varsity baseball coach, said it was a hard decision to leave BCC after 12 years as a football assistant.

“I spent my whole life growing up in Battle Creek and Battle Creek is home and always will be,” said Bess, a 2004 graduate. “We say, once a Bearcat, always a Bearcat.

“It’s been a tough couple of days trying to make this decision. It’s been really hard to tell young men that I have created great relationships with that I will be leaving.”

Driving the decision to go to Canton is an opportunity to get head-coaching experience. Canton went 3-6 last fall but had been in the playoffs every season from 2008-2021 prior to that.

“I have had aspirations of being a head coach for awhile now and, maybe, one day coach college football,” Bess said. “Saw this job became open. Knew it was a great job, went in for the interview and here we are.

“Canton is a big-time program and a great opportunity and I’m excited to be starting something new there.”

On the football side, BCC is losing its offensive coordinator after a season in which the Bearcats competed for a league title, made the playoffs and set passing records.

But, again, that’s only a small part of the void that will be left.

“All of the stuff I have done outside of football, that was just stuff that has been instilled in me from when I was growing up playing for Battle Creek,” Bess said. “Growing up and playing for Coach (Al) Slamer and my dad, we were always doing community service stuff. And that has never changed at Battle Creek, even under Lorin. It remains important, the job we can do to teach our kids to be quality young men outside of football.

“That’s important to me and that’s what I am proud of from my time at Battle Creek.”

Bill Broderick can be reached at bbroderi@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on Twitter: @billbroderick.

This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: BCC losing more than a coach as Casey Bess takes Canton football job