Bruce Wasem ’68 was inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame for achievements in football and track and field, as well as achievements in collegiate coaching. A four-year member of the football team and a two-year member of the track and field team, Wasem earned the A.C. Burcky award at Bluffton in 1968.
A history and political science double major, Wasem is an instructor of physical education University of Virginia’s College at Wise.
Wasem has a successful history as a football and baseball coach. He coached football at the University of Virginia’s college at Wise for eight seasons. In 2006, Wasem was named Mid-South Conference coach of the year. That same year, his team received the NAIA Champions of Character award.
Quote: “Work hard to be the best person you can be at everything. Work hard to be the best student, work hard to be the best athlete, but most importantly, work hard to be the best person you can be. People will remember you more for who you were as a person than how many touchdowns you scored.”
For two straight years, Wyant was named Division II Northwest District Coach of the Year. Along with her coaching career, she also served as a high school volleyball official for the past 20 years.
Joining head football coach Carlin Carpenter’s staff as a strength and conditioning coach in 1988 in a voluntary capacity, Denny Phillips ’79 was promoted to assistant coach the following year. He dedicated 25 years to Beavers football and completed his final season in 2013 as the defensive backs coach. He also served as the special teams coordinator.
At Jackson Township High School in Hoytville, Ohio, he was a three-sport letterman who captained his baseball and basketball teams and was president of the senior class.
orr was a two-sport athlete at Bluffton. Knorr played football all four years and was named honorable mention all-conference in 1955. He was co-captain in 1956, when Bluffton won a conference title with Knorr starting at both fullback and defensive end. He also played baseball for the Beavers and was a two-year letter winner.
ball teams of the early 1970s. In 1972, the four-year letterman helped lead the Beavers to a conference championship and was named first-team all-NAIA District 22. He also lettered one year each in basketball and baseball. A high school coach from 1973-87, he returned to Bluffton as offensive line coach from 1988-2006 and is now the Beavers’ running backs coach and director of academic support. He has been an adjunct instructor at Bluffton as well.
education from Bluffton and, in 1983, a master’s degree in educational administration from the University of Dayton. He and his wife Melanie live in Ottawa, where he also taught at Ottawa-Glandorf High School from 1979-2005 and was athletic director for three years.
selection in both sports. He is already in the Bluffton Hall of Fame as part of the previously inducted 1965-66 basketball and 1967 baseball teams. Eighth on the career basketball scoring list with 1,414 points, he averaged 17.2 points per game and scored at least 20 points in 39 of his 82 games. He is still first in career free
throws made, with 424, and second in attempts (550). As a junior in 1966-67, Froning was named second-team NAIA District 22 as well as first-team all-MOC.
in opponents’ batting average (.216) and shutouts (tied, with nine); third in wins (38), strikeouts (365) and complete games (finishing all 64 games she started); and fourth in earned run average (
2.47). Also second on the fielding percentage list (.991) and a .286 hitter during her four years, Baker was named first-team all-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference in both 1999 and 2000; Most Valuable Player of the 1999 HCAC tournament, won by Bluffton; and conference MVP during the Beavers’ second-place season in 2000.