Larry Besse

Builder (1996)

Softball

Larry Besse has managed men's softball teams at 14 Canadian championships, seven world championships and two other international tournaments.

Larry grew up and played softball in the Thornton district, played senior men's softball with the Clippers and Burnells and was team manager with Burnells in 1972. He was approached to launch the Saskatoon Jacks in the Western Major Fastball League and was owner-manager for five years until the team folded.

In 1978 when the K & K Olson team changed ownership to become Saskatoon All-O-Matics, Larry became its manager. The All-O-Matics went to the nationals five times, winning silver medals in Saskatoon in 1980 and Victoria in 1983. During Larry's years with the team, they made trips to Japan in 1981 and to New Zealand in 1983. Larry helped secure a new sponsor, Molsons, for the Saskatoon team in 1984 and they went to the Canadians where they won a silver medal. He was also part of the Canadian team that went to the world championships at Midland, Michigan in 1984.

Larry's team amalgamated with Rempel Brothers in 1985 and it was the beginning of one of Saskatoon's most successful teams ever. Rempels won the Canadian championship at Calgary in 1987 and at Saskatoon in 1994. Larry usually drove the team bus to Canadian finals as far away as Kelowna, Sarnia and Charlottetown and to the tournaments in the United States.