The Blissfield Hall of Fame has released the inductees for the class of 2013. Being inducted are Denny Thompson (class of 1969, coach from 1973-2013), Steve Cannon (1978), Bonnie Brown (1985), Rob Henning (1988), Corey Horky (1993), Juanita Navarro (1999) and Mike Melvin (2002). The Hall of Fame weekend will be September 13-14 with the Induction Dinner held on Saturday September 14.

Denny Thompson: Could have gone into the Hall of Fame strictly on his accomplishments as an athlete. Add in his 40 years of coaching and we need to open a new wing. During his 40 years, Denny coached the following: middle school, freshman, JV, varsity assistant, and head varsity football; 7^th grade boys, 8^th grade boys, 7^th grade girls, freshman boys and JV boys basketball; freshman, JV, and assistant varsity baseball; and middle school track. Added all together and Denny coached over 100 different sport seasons.

Steve Cannon: There were some great athletes roaming the halls at Blissfield during the mid-1970’s, very few were better than Steve. 1^st team all-league, all-County and all-State his senior year in baseball. Steve earned all-league honors in football on his way to winning the Burgermeister Award for being the top senior athlete in his class.

Bonnie Brown: Played basketball, volleyball and ran track, earning 2^nd team all-LCAA honors in basketball and volleyball while also serving as team captain in both sports. It was on the track where Bonnie excelled, LCAA champion in the 110 hurdles, county champion in the 300 hurdles, state qualifier in her junior and senior years, school record in the 300 hurdles (still), team captain and MVP. Winner of the Kohler-Bliesner Award as the top senior female athlete.

Rob Henning: Considered one of the best hitters in Blissfield baseball.  Still holds the career batting average record at .445.  2x all-LCAA as well as being named 1^st team all-state 2x as a 1^st baseman, Rob also excelled on the football field and basketball court, earning all-LCAA honors in both sports.

Corey Horky: During Corey’s time at Blissfield, he was “The Man”. He earned a total of 6 All-LCAA awards, 3x state qualifier in track, 2x MVP in football, MVP in track, team captain a total of 4 times. Winner of both the Burgermeister Award and the Lisa Taylor Coaches Award.

Juanita Navarro: One of the greatest distance runners in the history of Blissfield High School. 4x all-LCAA (first team), 4x all-County (first team), 4x all-Region in cross country. 9x all-LCAA (first team), 10x all-County (first team), 11x all-Region, 7x all-state in track. Winner of the Kohler-Bliesner Award.

Mike Melvin: A 4 year varsity starter for both football and baseball, along with earning 2 varsity letters in basketball.  Mike excelled on the baseball field, as the starting centerfielder on the 1999 state runner-up team as a freshman, as well as the 2000 and 2002 state champion teams. Mike still holds the single season homerun record at 12 along with the single season RBI record with 61. 

What is the definition of  "Tradition"? According to Webster it is: "An inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior" . What about "Excellence"? Again, according to Webster, it is: "The quality of being excellent". What happens when you put the two words together: "Tradition of Excellence"? Answer: You get Blissfield Baseball.

There has been a mention or two about Blissfield's 19 straight league championships (1994-2012), which is very impressive, but if you were to dig deeper, the numbers are even more staggering. The Royals have won 36 of the last 40 league championships. 2013 marks Coach Larry Tuttle's 46th year (1968-present) as head coach of the Blissfield Royals. Granted, his first few years weren't all that impressive as Coach Tuttle didn't win his first league title until 1973, but in the 40 years since, take a look:

36 league championships / 26 districts / 16 regionals / 2 state runner-ups / 7 state championships

Since 1968, the Royals have a 1130-335 record, for a winning percentage of 77.1%.  This averages out to 23 wins per season for 45 years. Over the last 13 years (2000-12), the Royals have averaged an amazing 33 wins per season.

That is a definition of "Tradition of Excellence" 

For those who have not seen the link for our Sports Medicine page are encouraged to look on the left side of the web page under the Athletic Tab.  Take a few minutes and explore everything we have to offer regarding Sports Medicine with an emphisis on concussion education.  We would like to highlight the following items for you to notice:

1) Return to Competition Guidelines

2) Concussion Education (Michigan Neuro Sport On-line Course)

3) Concussion Fact Sheet (Right side of the page)

4) MHSAA Concussion Protocal

The ImPact test located on the right side of the Sports Medicine page is the pre-season baseline concussion test our athletes take to assist us in knowing when it is safe to return to action following a concussion. 

We believe there is some outstanding information available to assist you.