THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 24, 1994 TAG: 9411240822
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Long : 101 lines
Hear the name Hans Beene and thoughts of a strapping, blond-haired lad skating across a frozen pond come to mind. Or maybe the younger set thinks of Hans and Franz, clapping their hands and shouting, ``We're here to pump you up!''
It's nothing new to Hans Beene.
``Being African-American I have had a lot of people, when they first meet me, say, `Isn't that a German name?' '' Beene said. ``There was a time when I didn't like it much. Now I like it a lot. It's unique.
``My mom wanted to name me John, which means God's gracious gift, but she wanted to be a little different. So she went with Hans, the German name for John.''
On this Thanksgiving, Beene has many gifts he appreciates.
High on the list is the opportunity to play football for Kempsville High.
Three years ago, Beene was uprooted when he and his mother moved to Kentucky, where she was pursuing a doctorate in occupational training at the University of Louisville.
Unhappy with his surroundings, Beene went from extrovert to introvert. If he'd remained there he says there is a good chance he would ``have ended up selling drugs or doing something I wasn't supposed to.''
``I'd go out and try to make friends, and one of the first things someone would say was, `Let's go steal something,' '' Beene remembers.
At first his mother didn't understand his dilemma. She saw a reasonably affluent school and a nice neighborhood.
``But you can't always go by appearances,'' Flora Beene said. ``He didn't want to go outside. There were times when I actually forced him to go outside. Then one day he sat down and told me what was going on.''
She remembers now the times she'd pass the door to her son's bedroom and see him praying. In a household that encourages prayer, it wasn't out of the ordinary.
``I prayed every night that we'd move back to Virginia Beach,'' Hans Beene said.
After nine months in Louisville, Flora Beene decided it was time to go back.
South Hampton Roads isn't their original home. Hans was born in Michigan and moved here so his mother could pursue a master's degree at Regent University.
It was during that first stay that Virginia Beach came to represent to Hans the things that mean home to most people: friends, happy memories, a sense of belonging.
Moving back was a blessing.
``The change in his mood was almost instantaneous,'' Flora Beene remembers.
Once back, Hans Beene rejoined the cast of players he'd played youth football with when they were the Woodstock Rams. But this time they were the Kempsville Chiefs.
Three games into his freshman season, Beene was starting at nose guard.
After back-to-back 6-4 seasons, the Chiefs are 10-1 this year as they head into Friday night's Eastern Region Division 6 championship game against Indian River (8-3). Game time at Kellam High is 8 p.m.
The 5-foot-9, 215-pound junior will be giving up over 100 pounds when he lines up against 350-pound Indian River center Kareem Coleman.
But Kempsville coach John Bowles feels Beene has the makeup to make the best of any situation.
``Very little shakes this kid,'' Bowles said. ``I remember when he flew home from his grandfather's funeral last year. His mother stayed behind in Michigan for a couple extra days and when I took Hans to drop him off, his house was dark. The electricity had been cut off.
``He just shrugged his shoulders and said, `It's OK, I can handle it.' He was ready to stay there, even though I kept telling him he could sleep over at our house. Finally a neighbor came by and told him he could stay with them. Hans just looked at me and said, `Go home, coach. Spend some time with your family.' ''
With his mother working three jobs - she counsels for the Society for the Aid of Sickle Cell Anemia, teaches at Commonwealth College and is a wedding coordinator - Beene has developed a sense of independence few can match.
And rather than sit at home during idle time, Beene works at K-Mart. During the season, his hours are limited to Sundays.
Beene has never seen his father, who lives in California, although he was on hand for his birth. And when he talks to his father on the telephone, Beene doesn't harbor any hopes of one day meeting him.
``If you asked me if I'd want a father or the situation I have now, I'd choose what I have now,'' Beene said. ``My coaching staff, even my teammates, to a point, serve that father-figure role.''
He said his gathering of family today will be small; it will include his mother and possibly an aunt who lives in Virginia Beach. But his extended family is large and will most assuredly be in his thoughts.
``I'll thank God for letting me live another day, thank Him for giving me great teammates and ask Him to bless my mother,'' Beene said.
``You know, my goal in life is to play pro football. If it doesn't happen, then God didn't want it to happen. But I know God has always found a way to help me through.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Hans Beene says his coaches and teammates at Kempsville are part of
his family now.
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