| Respected Coweta baseball coach,
ex-Brave remembered Rick Behenna realized he was more infamous than famous during his brief pitching career with the Atlanta Braves. As a part of one of the most reviled trades in club history, the Newnan resident often humored a new face who initially recognized Behenna's last name as part of the trade that sent Brett Butler among a package of young major league prospects to Cleveland for pitcher Len Barker in 1983. And Braves fans certainly recall how that turned out. But Coweta County, however, eventually benefited the most out of the swap. Behenna's major league career encompassed a 3-10 record and a 6.12 ERA with 36 strikeouts from 1983-85, breaking in with the Braves in 1983, before the trade to the Indians. Yet his impact locally as a coach and teacher on local baseball diamonds became immeasurable. Behenna, who died Tuesday night at 51 following an extended bout with cancer, chose to make Newnan the home of his family with wife, Kimberly, and sons Bowen and Brandon, both grown. The Miami native was remembered as the ultimate competitor, even through the last years of his life battling the disease. A full obituary appears in today's Newnan Times-Herald. Funeral arrangements are by McKoon Funeral Home at 38 Jackson St., Newnan. Visitation will be Friday evening, Feb. 3, between 6 and 8 p.m. The memorial service will be on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 3 p.m. at Sonrise Baptist Church, 6 Shenandoah Blvd. Online condolences may be expressed to the family at www.mckoon.com . "There have been some bad times, but you do the best that you can and God will make the ultimate choice," Behenna said last summer. Among his guidance, baseball players throughout the area blossomed into youth, high school and even college standouts. It began innocently enough. With his boys also growing up loving baseball, Behenna assisted on some of his sons' youth baseball teams in Sharpsburg's league, including one coached by Andy Willis. The two would eventually become friends as their sons continued on to play in East Coweta's varsity program. More recently, Behenna and Willis put together the Newnan Braves wood-bat league team that allowed recent high school graduates and college players to compete closer to home in the summer. "He was full of competitiveness and compassion and he loved his family and friends. The words that come out to me when I think of Rick are courage number one with how he's handled his illness. Strength. Valor. Honor. Integrity. And character." Due to his declining health, Behenna was unable to continue managing the Newnan Braves team for a third consecutive year this summer, not wanting to let down his players should he be unable to carry on during the season. "There was uncertainty about both things and I didn't want players to commit to me and be forced to shut down during the season," Behenna told the paper. "My heart and mind were willing but I wasn't sure about my health to keep it going." East Coweta head baseball coach Franklin DeLoach, who arrived at the school prior to the 2000 varsity season, was immediately faced with rebuilding the program almost from scratch. He inherited one assistant coach that already had plans to move on before finding himself on gamedays sharing baseball philosophy with a stranger along the third-base fence. DeLoach soon became introduced to Rick Behenna. "When I got here in the fall of 2000, the program was in bad shape. The program hadn't won a whole lot of games and there wasn't much as far as facilities or a coaching staff." DeLoach said, adding of his introduction to Behenna, "We'd talk about pitching and how to condition. He knew so much about it. Of course, I didn't realize who I was talking to." Behenna, who returned to the Atlanta area to begin a 26-plus year career with FedEx's operations at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, offered to volunteer his time with ECHS's pitchers even for no pay from 2001-06. "A head coach without a pitching coach is like a surgeon having no nurses," DeLoach said. "He used to come out to the games and we got to talking a lot about pitching and such. I didn't even realize who he was at first. He said 'I'd love to help.' I gave him complete control of our pitchers. Rick was a competitor. That son of a gun loved to compete. He helped put EC pitching get on the map." In Behenna' six years at East Coweta, the team made the state playoffs five times, including trips to the Class AAAAA state finals in both 2003 and 2004. The two seasons might have been his finest efforts according to DeLoach, who remembers looking at a depleted pitching staff returning following 2002. The young arms of a group including Brett Butts and Jamie Spear helped lead the Indians to the first of back-to-back appearances in the Class AAAAA state finals. From 2001-06, East Coweta produced 30 college baseball players with Butts currently in the Atlanta Braves farm system. He stepped away from the East Coweta program shortly after the arrival of colleague and former Cy Young winner Steve Bedrosian, while simultaneously watching son Brandon earn a scholarship. The elder Behenna also became involved in the prestigious Home Plate youth program in Peachtree City as a coach. During summer months after his son has finished college seasons, Behenna noticed that area players struggled to find a suitable place to play and train. The thought would be to field a wood-bat team here in Coweta County that could keep athletes close to their own homes. Behenna helped establish the Newnan Braves wood-bat team with Andy Willis, a longtime youth coaching colleague, friend and fellow ECHS, whose son Cam was also moving on to play college baseball. Braves teams comprised outstanding college and former high school players dominated by Coweta and Fayette schools, but also including the twin sons of Atlanta Braves general manager Frank Wren. Still, Behenna's influence also went beyond baseball's boundaries. "He knew what baseball had taught him and he understood how it could impact their lives," Willis said. "We lost money every year we did it. But it never was about that." Willis described Behenna as someone who remained steadfast in his love for not only his family, but a passion for strong opinions about baseball and politics. "He stood by his words. He once told me, when you make an opinion half the people will love you and half the people will hate you." Willis said. "So why not speak your mind? Speak the truth." |
| Mr. Richard Kipp Behenna Mr. Richard Kipp Behenna, a devoted husband, exemplary parent and a kind and compassionate friend, left this world peacefully on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2012, and entered into the presence of his Heavenly Father, now in a world of no more pain and suffering. He was born in Miami, Florida, and lived in Cutler Ridge. During those years as a Ridge Rat he played baseball, football and soccer. Rick graduated from Miami Southridge in 1978 and signed with the Atlanta Braves Baseball organization. He was traded to the Cleveland Indians in 1983 and continued his baseball career. In 1984 he met his wife of 27 years, Kimberly Smith, who fell madly in love with him and devoted her life to his dreams and goals. He used his God-given talent, skill and knowledge of baseball to share with the community. Rick's passion for baseball drove him to coach at East Coweta High School for several seasons and give private lessons to up-and-coming baseball players in surrounding communities. He also developed and organized a summer college baseball league for local college players. Rick always gave back all of the knowledge he developed as a professional baseball player in hopes that it would help young men achieve their dreams. Most of all, his desire was to instill good work ethic, discipline, character and integrity in the development of all whom he came into contact with. Rick will forever be remembered as a great leader, coach, friend, father and husband. Surviving Mr. Richard Kipp Behenna are his wife, Kimberly, and his children, Bowen & Brandon. His family, mother Marlayne, brothers, Mark, Scott, and Gregg, his sister Nancy and many nieces and nephews. The family wishes to acknowledge Piedmont Newnan Hospital, Dr. Joseph Parks, Dr. Assikis and Dr. McAlpin for their faithful, loving care he received during this journey that God had called him on. Thank you for never giving up on the diagnoses and thinking outside the box. Thank you for willing to use your skills and knowledge when others wouldn't take the opportunity to take on the challenge. Funeral arrangements are by McKoon Funeral Home at 38 Jackson St., Newnan. Visitation will be Friday evening, Feb. 3, between 6 and 8 p.m. The memorial service will be on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 3 p.m. at Sonrise Baptist Church, 6 Shenandoah Blvd. In lieu of flowers, Mr. Behenna's memory may be acknowledged by memorial contributions to BAT www.baseballassistanceteam.com or Pink Posse www.pinkposseofga.com and follow the prompts to make a donation. |
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