Tom Besh (2001) | Hall of Fame

 A native of Anchorage, Besh’s accomplishments as UAA’s first full-time ski coach are ledgendary, a position in which he served from 1977-90. He moved on to serve as chair of UAA’s physical education department, a position he held until his untimely death in an airplane accident in 1993 at the age of 45.

As head ski coach at UAA for 13 years, his teams produced one national championship, 19 All-Americans and numerous top-10 NCAA Championship finishes. His 1979 women’s ski team captured the AIAW national ski championship. The AIAW was a women’s intercollegiate athletic association that later merged with the NCAA. Judy Ziemlak, a member of that national championship team, would later become Besh’s wife.

Besh received his bachelor’s degree in 1971 from Western State College in Colorado where he earned All-America honors as a skier. Besh earned his master’s of education degree from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1977 and also did graduate work at the University of Oslo in Norway.

A one-time member of the U.S. Ski Team, Besh frequently served as U.S. Ski Association’s Alaska Division coach and was an assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic Nordic team at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y.

Instrumental in the formation in many local events, including the Crow Pass Crossing, the Seawolf Triathlon and the Tom Besh Homestead Hill Run, Besh was a three-time winner of the Seward Mount Marathon race.

At the time of his death he was survived by his wife, Judy, and two daughters – Kendra and Leah.