Family Ties: Plainfield football coach carries on third generation football legacy

By: Cameron Haughawout

Following the retirement of former Plainfield head footballcoach Brian Woodard in 2022, Ty ler Bless stepped forward to take the position. However, becoming head coach fulfilled one of Bless’s own personal victories: to keep a third-generation legacy alive and thriving.

“I have always had aspirations to be head coach,” said Bless. “I felt like it was a calling to put my stamp on our family name of being a head coach.”

That supposed “stamp” isn’t a simple aspiration, however. For Bless, becoming head coach honored the legacy of his father, uncles, and grandfather. They all, for one reason or another, held the title of head coach at various educational institutions throughout the state. For Bless, it felt natural to have an inclination toward a head coach position.

The Bless family legacy goes far beyond strictly familial achievements. Throughout the state of Indiana, the Bless family name has a fantastic reputation for accomplishments and awards.

“My grandfather, Bill Bless, who has since passed away, was the head football coach at what is now the University of Indianapolis,” said Bless. “He was the head coach there for about 20 years.”

Bill Bless was inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame in June 1994, just a year after his departure from coaching at the University of Indianapolis. Among other astounding recognitions, Bill Bless is most known for being the winningest coach in University of Indianapolis history.

Three of Bill Bless’s children would all follow a very similar route. Bless’s uncles, Tim and Scott, both played under Bill Bless and held head coach positions at the high school level. The same goes for Bless’s father, Mark Bless, who also finds himself in the Indiana Football Hall of Fame.

“My father was a high school head coach for 40 years,” said Bless. “I played for him at Mooresville, and then he coached at Avon High School. During the 2023 season, he took a year off, and we have since hired him onto our team.”

Looking at the Bless family and the reputation, it is no wonder why Bless felt inclined to follow in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps. After playing football under his father’s guidance at Mooresville High School and sub sequently graduating from Franklin College in 2013, Bless began his journey to head coach almost immediately.

Bless found himself at a plethora of coaching gigs near and far. Bless began climbing the ranks at local colleges, starting as a graduate assistant at Defiance College and moving to the University of Indianapolis and Butler University.

His career soon took him out of state to Kentucky, where he coached at Lindsay Wilson College during the 2017–2018 season. However, after Bless and his wife began expecting their son, they decided to move back home. It is here that Bless finally honed in on a potential head coach position.

After waiting for a year, Bless obtained the title of head coach at Plainfield High School in 2022 after coaching at Columbus North High School for a short period.

As Bless achieved his lifelong goal, he states that he felt little pressure to do so, even with such a reputable legacy.

“I think of it more as my turn to take on the family legacy,” said Bless. “I have to be myself. I can’t be my grandfather or father.”

In fact, Bless sees it less as a task and more as a way to connect with his family. Bless picked up several traditions and tactics his father and grandfather used in years past. Mark Bless, now a volunteer at Plainfield, helps Bless with practices and meets.

But, according to Bless, the biggest takeaway he has inherited from his family’s practice is to have a good work-life balance.

“I think the biggest thing that I’ve learned from my grandfather and my dad is that the most important title that we have is that of a husband and a father,” said Bless. “I’ve been thankful to watch my dad be a really good husband to my mom, and he’s been a great father to my sister and me.”

Just as the family legacy is important, Bless emphasizes the “family” aspect, especially now that he has been given the opportunity to take care of his own children. In a way, Bless accomplished much more than fulfilling a family legacy: He also paved a new legacy in the process.

“I have a wife, three kids, a home, and a goldendoodle,” said Bless. “The work is always going to be there, but the age that my kids are at is not cement and concrete. We have to enjoy the time that we’re in.