Special to Long Beach Breeze
The Board of Trustees of the Long Beach School District recently voted unanimously to hire Jacob Massey as the new varsity head football coach for the Bearcats.
Massey comes to Long Beach from Petal, where he served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Prior to Petal, Massey served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Amory High School and Desoto Central High School, as well as wide receivers coach for a year at Desoto Central.
When it comes to his coaching philosophy, Massey has clear expectations for his team.
“As head coach of the Long Beach High School football team, I want to create positive relationships with the players, coaches and the community,” Massey said. “Teamwork, discipline and accountability will be fundamental principles guiding our program. Embracing hard work will be the identity of our football program, and we will relentlessly pursue success on and off the field.”
His goals for the Bearcats are not only to provide a competitive and winning environment every day within the program, but to extend beyond the field of play and create a winning atmosphere in the classroom, the community and the football field.
“I want to prepare our players to be outstanding members of society and make positive contributions toward our community,” said Massey. “I want the Bearcats to positively impact the Long Beach School District and the Long Beach community.”
“My expectations for the players are to get one percent better every single day, to bring a positive attitude to work, to be good teammates and to put in relentless effort in the pursuit of success.”
Superintendent Dr. Talia Lock says she looks forward to great things from Coach Massey.
“I am so excited to welcome Coach Massey into our Bearcat family and community. After meeting with him, it became quite obvious he would be the perfect fit for Long Beach,” Lock said.
“Not only does he bring extensive knowledge of the game, but he generates a level of excitement that our players really deserve and need,” said Lock. “I am confident he will contribute much to the success of our student athletes on and off the field through his commitment to create a positive culture and climate for them. He values the importance of building our players as well-rounded people who do better today than the day before. I can get on board with that any day!”
Massey replaces coach Ryan Ross, who retired from coaching the Bearcats at the end of 2021.
Massey played football at Union High School in Union, Mississippi, before going on to play at the collegiate level at East Central Community College and Louisiana College. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Mississippi. He is married to Courtland Merideth from Amory, Mississippi, and they have one son, Gray.
