The Beaner

Valley icon calls it a career

By CASEY RESSLER

Valley Life editor

The names on the back of the jerseys show that only three "Beans" have played high school sports in the Valley. But ask just about any player off any team, and they'll likely tell you they are one of Doug Bean's kids.

Bean's three children -- Nicky, P.J. and Jesse -- all have played high school sports while their father, clad in cargo shorts regardless of the weather, was on the sidelines, either as a coach or the athletic director. But Bean treats every student who has suited up during his 20 years in the Valley as one of his own, and for that, many are appreciative of his efforts.

Now, after serving as the athletic director at Wasilla High School for five years following a four-year stint in the same capacity at Colony, Bean is retiring. Just don't tell his colleagues, because they don't plan to let him sit around the house.

"He is going to be sorely missed. I can't tell you how much he has done for kids," said Palmer High School athletic director Jim Simmons. "But he's going to be around. We're going to use him every chance we get. Now he's a volunteer instead of an athletic director. That's the only difference."

Trying to quantify Bean's effect on Valley athletics is impossible. From hosting steak feeds as a fund-raiser for in-need students so they can afford to pay rising sports fees to putting on tournaments that many in the state consider to be the very best, Bean always has one group of people in mind -- the kids.

"Doug has a lot of compassion and a lot of room for young people. He goes to the extreme to make good things happen for them. That's his legacy in my eyes," said Dwight Probasco, the principal of Wasilla High School and Bean's longtime friend. "When anything is being discussed, foremost in Doug's mind is 'What are the kids going to get out of it.'"

Bean arrived in the Mat-Su School District in the mid 1980s, teaching first at Snowshoe Elementary School. There, he dubbed students with nicknames while playing football at recess. His former students remember Bean -- and those Nerf football games -- fondly.

There are numerous incarnations of a guy everyone calls "The Beaner." The most visible Bean is the tournament or game host, the guy with the salt and pepper mullet who does everything from sweep the floors to organize the housing and the transportation for other teams.

"If you don't think guys like Doug Bean aren't important, just look at tournaments in Anchorage," said Wasilla High School administrator Dan Michael. "They aren't half as fun, or half as organized, as what Doug does."

That version of The Beaner is the fun-loving guy everyone knows and recognizes. As he struts around the gymnasium, bad knees and all, you're hard-pressed to catch him without his signature ear-to-ear grin. Talk to him a few seconds, and you're bound to hear one of his gut-busting laughs. That's the Beaner that has endeared himself to students over the years.

Another version of The Beaner is that of Region III advocate. He has been on the Alaska School Activities Association board as the Region III rep, and his work has not gone unnoticed.

"The big thing is that Doug has always been able to look at the big picture, look at things beyond the four walls of the schools he was at," said longtime Soldotna High School athletic director Al Howard. "When you can look at things beyond your own four walls, you are accepted more. Doug's vision over the years has really allowed Region III to become more accepted throughout the state.

"I've been around athletics for a lot of years, and Doug's professionalism is just unquestioned," Howard said. "When Doug is organizing something, you know all the bases are covered."

John Andrews is another colleague at the ASAA level. Andrews worked at Skyview High School and now in the ASAA office, and he said Bean's conviction is a style all its own.

"Doug calls it like he sees it, and that's it," Andrews said. "He's one of the most honest, sincere guys you can ever work with. When he says he's doing something, he's doing it, and you can depend on it."

A less visible version of the Beaner is that of mentor. Other athletic directors, and coaches working under Bean, credit him for helping them along.

"He emulates what you want in and need in an athletic director and coach," said Jamie Smith, the Houston High School athletic director who coached WHS football with Bean in 1990 and 1991.

Andrews said Bean demands that his young coaches run the program the right way.

"He brings a cheery and positive perspective, and you can see his attitude show up in the coaching staffs," Andrews said. "He's very dedicated to making sure the coaching staffs play by the rules, that discipline gets enforced and that academics are first."

Michael said working with Bean has been a rewarding experience.

"He has mentored me a lot," Michael said. "He has a way about him that he can tell people what they don't want to hear, and they don't get mad. He's a good communicator, and he doesn't always get credit for that."

Another unheralded version of The Beaner is that of salesman.

The role of an athletic director has changed in the last decade, and now, getting out and recruiting sponsorships and working with businesses is important.

"He's always on the lookout for sponsors, always talking to people in the community and trying to drum up some support for us," Michael said. "He's so respected and so positive. He's good at getting out there and beating the bushes to get volunteers."

Of course, The Beaner many see is that of a friend.

"He's a unique individual and I believe every story he has ever told," Probasco said with a chuckle, alluding to the fact that Bean has a story for every situation -- some of which seem to get bigger and bigger through the years.

Above everything else, though, The Beaner is simply a fan, and that's why nobody expects him to fully use the red and white recliner Wasilla High School gave him as a retirement present.

Chances are, he'll still be on the sidelines, still be organizing events and still involved with students.

"There have been weeks where he's worked five, six nights in a row, and we have a day off and he'll go watch Colony play Palmer," Michael said. "He's a great friend. A great fan."