Well, it's a little after 1:00 and I still can't believe this. I do not want to believe it! How do you function on a day like today? B-B-E is a very closely-knit school district and community. We take immense pride in how hard we work, how hard we play and how much we help one another when times are tough.
Luckily, we don't suffer tragedies like this as often as they can happen in larger towns/cities. The downside is, when tragedy strikes, it strikes a thousand times harder because everyone literally knows everyone.
Coach Vos's wife Beth and her family have long ties to B-B-E, as she is a B-B-E graduate and a former Jaguar athlete as well. They have two young children, making the tragedy seem a thousand times worse.
Make no doubt, the B-B-E community will respond with an outpouring of prayers to guide the Vos and Lieser families through this.
A large number of touching tributes have been posted on Facebook by current and former B-B-E students.
A few of them read:
Today
we lost a teacher, father, husband, best friend, and a coach. Prayers
go out to Zoey, Clay, and Beth. So many tears today from everyone, but
just remember he is up there watching over us and the good times you
had with him.
Forever in our hearts ♥ RIP Mr. Vos - best teacher ever.
Stomachs
sank, tears shed, and hearts hurting is a feeling we all know today. A
great teacher and a genuine hearted man. Mr. Vos you never gave up on us
and we'll always remember you. Rest easy and know a community mourns.
...it
is incredible how many posts i have read so far today about mr. vos and
his family. it just proves how great of a man he was and how much he
touched our community. prayers go out to the vos and lieser families. we
love you and we miss you rich. rest in peace. ♥
R.I.P vos we will miss u forever u always new how to make math class fun and I always liked math when u taught it! :(
Stay
strong BBE..although we've lost a great person, teacher and coach, he
leaves behind a great legacy and an amazing amount of lives touched. To
read through the many posts is proof of this. Forever in our memory
Coach Vos.
Thoughts and prayers to all my friends and associates in the BBE
Community today. I'm truly sorry for your loss. Rich Vos was, to me, a
great wrestling coach and motivator, plus a wonderful spokesperson for
your school district. His impact will continue to be felt. Rich's
contributions, both as a coach and an educator, will always be
remembered. Condolences to Beth and the Vos family.
RIP
Mr Vos... You always knew the right things to say to me, always dealt
with my bs, you were a great teacher, coach, father, husband. Your love
for your children was so amazing. You are inspiring. I wish I would've
listened to you more. Prayers go out to the Vos family ♥
I've gathered by other news reports that the accident occurred close to the intersection of Kandiyohi County Road 34 and U.S. Highway 71 approximately one-third of a mile south of Crow River Lutheran Church.
Below is an example of the legacy of Coach Rich Vos. It shows the B-B-E Jaguars wrestling team during the Section 5A quarterfinal match last February at Osakis. The 5th-seeded Jaguars beat the 4th-seeded Silverstreaks by a wide margin. The team had a great season, finishing with a winning record with a young lineup. They return two of three state qualifiers from last year's team in 2012-13, including most of the varsity lineup.
I am confident that this year's version of the Jaguar Wrestling team will make Coach Vos proud.
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| All but one of the athletes in the above photo return to the 2012-13 wrestling team this season. |
Rest in peace, Coach Vos! You got the most out of your students and student-athletes and built the B-B-E wrestling program from the ground up. You coached with class and dedication and built a reputation of having wrestlers who always displayed good sportsmanship and a rock-solid work ethic. It will not be easy to replace you at B-B-E.
