Plainfield’s new head football coach is a Bless-ing
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH)—Full disclosure, when it comes to local sports, I’m biased.
I live in Plainfield and my kids are athletes in the school district so I’m rooting for new Plainfield High School football coach, Tyler Bless, to be successful. That said, Bless’ path to being Plainfield’s head football coach intrigued me enough to write a story about it.
Spring 2022
Plainfield HS hires Bless as Head Coach … sort of. Bless was brought on to be the heir apparent to now retired Head Coach Brian Woodard.
“It was an unique opportunity to be on staff for the 2022 season as the head coach in waiting but it was without a doubt the right decision we all made and I think it is paying off for our program.” Bless said
He officially took the program over this season and so far, so good. The Quakers are off to a 2-0 start after defeating Harrison, High School out of West Lafayette in week two.
“We are 2-0 and taking it one day at a time. Overall, the transition has been very smooth and I have had tremendous support from our administration team, support staff, parents, players, and coaches.” Bless said.
Coaching in his blood
Bless graduated Mooresville High School and Franklin College and made coaching stops at Defiance College in Ohio, the University of Indianapolis, Butler University and Lindsey Wilson College in Kentucky before coming back to central Indiana to take over the Plainfield job. His dad recently retired as the head coach of Avon, his uncle is the head coach at Bloomington North, and his other uncle was the head coach of Columbus North before retiring.
Bless said, “There’s been a Bless coaching football since the 1960’s and I am a proud third generation football coach. Throughout my coaching career, I have always used my resources around me. Whether that’s asking questions to my dad or uncles or grandpa when he was alive. But most of what I learned was by watching them work their own craft with their programs. I think the best way to learn is by watching and I have had a front row seat to watch some amazing men lead their programs in a positive way.”
Bless told me that he knew he wanted to be a football coach as early as the seventh grade, and his goal for the program is clear: to mold good, young men.
“Obviously we want to win just like any other program but if we are not building complete men for our society, we are failing them as coaches. I would love to have players come back in five, 10, 15 years and see how they are living a life that is right, that is their best, and showing people they care by trust, love and commitment.”
Win the day
Bless has already started planning for the future by getting involved in Plainfield’s youth football program.
“We want to build a program for sustainable success and that has to start in the youth program in grades K-6 and keep developing them in their middle school years so by the time they come to us in 9th grade they are already up to speed with our terminology and our expectations.” Bless said “We tell our team to go 1-0 each day in school, practice and life and then go 1-0 on Friday nights in the fall and enjoy that.”
Objectivity?
I’ll save it for when I do the news.
On Friday nights, I’ll root for Bless and our Plainfield Quakers.
Good luck, coach.