Meet Bonnie Beachy, Basketball, Posthumous. She is one of several individuals being inducted into the Curbstone Coaches Hall of Fame this Spring. City of StruthersStruthers City Schools
An area basketball standout from Struthers High School, she would go on to star collegiately at Kent State University and is one of two hardwood inductees in this year’s hall of fame class.
Born June 25, 1960, she played scholastically for the Wildcats – she graduated in 1978 – where she earned 11 total letters while participating in basketball, tennis and track & field.
Often referred to as the “Struthers version of Wonder Woman” because of her athletic prowess, she led SHS to the 1978 Ohio Class AAA state championship and for her efforts was voted Associated Press “Player of the Year.”
She was “Most Valuable Player” of that championship squad and was named to both the AP and United Press International wire service all-state first-teams in 1978.
An honorable mention Parade Magazine All-American selection, she was also an all-Steel Valley Conference pick in both basketball and track & field.
She scored 1,448 total points during her Wildcat career, scoring 610 points as a senior, individual and career records that still stand atop both the boys and girls ledgers 48 years after they were set.
An outstanding softball player, she competed in state and national tournaments and was inducted into SHS Athletics Hall of Fame in 1988.
Upon graduation from Struthers, she received a full scholarship to Kent State University where she became arguably the top female athlete in Golden Flash athletics history.
She went on to earn seven more letters at KSU, four in basketball and three more in tennis.
In her four varsity seasons at KSU, she set 23 total records and scored 2,071 career points, the latter placing her atop both the men’s and women’s career scoring list.
A three-time team ‘Most Valuable Player’ selection (1980-81 to 1982-83), she was named to the Kodak all-Region team during both her junior and senior campaigns.
She finished her career by averaging 17.1 points per game (second all-time), made 908 total field goals (first all-time), her 51 percent field goal percentage ranked third all-time, she hauled in 823 rebounds (fourth all-time) and registered 303 total steals (third all-time).
The team captain as a senior, she is the only woman in KSU history to have her jersey (No. 13) retired.
In tennis, she was selected ‘Most Improved Player’ as a freshman and that same year earned its ‘Rookie of the Year’ award in basketball.
She was also named ‘Most Valuable Player’ of KSU’s tennis team.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in physical education from KSU in 1982 and in 1988, was inducted into the KSU Varsity “K” Hall of Fame.
To this day, she remains the Golden Flashes all-time leading scorer for women’s and men’s basketball with 2,071 points.
One of her favorite quotes came from William Barclay who noted, “there are two great days in a person’s life, the day we are born and the day we discover why.”
Upon graduation, she discovered that she wanted to dedicate her life to education and that teaching and coaching were her lifelong dreams.
She began her education career at Depelchin Children’s Center, a foster care and adoption agency, which serves the most vulnerable children in Texas to help break the cycle of abuse and neglect.
Her teaching and coaching career commenced at Webster Junior High in Clear Lake, Texas, continued at Cypress Falls High School (1992-1997) then continued at Cypress Springs High School (1997-2004).
She later earned her MA degree is administration from Prairie View A&M and began her career in administration as an assistant principal at Arnold Middle School (2004-2009), lastly at Smith Middle School (2009-2017) in Texas.
An admired leader in her community, she was well-respected by co-workers, parents and students while at-risk and special needs students all loved her.
She was a very passionate, hardworking and caring coach, teacher and administrator, even when doctors confronted her with her dire health diagnosis.
She passed away October 13, 2017, in Cypress, Texas after a courageous 12 year battle with ovarian cancer.
Her legacy of excellence on and off the court continues to inspire athletes across generations.
She was preceded in death by her father, Jack W. Beachy and at the time of her passing, was survived by her mother Carole and stepfather William Bogan, brothers William, Robert and Rick, and sister Jacqueline. brothers William, Robert and Rick, and sister Jacqueline. Her legacy of excellence on and off the court continues to inspire athletes across generations.
