Jeff Richards will be offered a contract as head varsity football coach at Bluffton High School during the Jan. 11 Bluffton school board meeting.
 
He is a 2004 Bluffton High School and 2008 Bluffton University graduate and played football for both the Pirates and Beavers. His father, Mike Richards, was a previous BHS football coach.
 
Richards currently teaches third grade at Bath Elementary. He is also head wrestling coach at Bath.
 
Richards is familiar to many Pirate and Beaver sports fans, as he played center for both BHS and university football teams.
 
He is a two-time NWC all-conference mention in football and was named to the second team all-district as a senior. As a player at Bluffton University he was named honorable mention as an HCAC player.
 
After college, Richards coached tight ends two seasons and three springs at Bluffton University. He also coached wrestling at Bluffton Middle School.
 
He and his wife, Melissa, then moved to Louisville, Kentucky. There he taught elementary and was offensive line coach two seasons at Louisville Dupont Manual High School, a Division 6A school, equivalent to a Division I Ohio school.
 
Melissa is a 2005 Bluffton HS grad and is also a Bluffton University graduate. She is presently a fourth grade teacher at Liberty Benton.
 
If approved by the Bluffton school board, Richards will replace Kyle Cutnaw as BHS coach. Cutnaw resigned after coaching two seasons for the Pirates.
 
Other board action involves several 2016 reorganization items. Several bits of action include:
• Swearing in for Jeremy Scoles and Renee Smith
• Election of officers
• Several annual housekeeping authorizations
• Appointment of board members to various committees
 
In other action, the board will act on the resignation of Brandie Stackhouse as head high school track coach.
 
Also on the agenda is the anticipated appointment of Carrie Phillips to a new seven-year-term as a Bluffton Public Library board member. Her term is from January, 2016, through Dec. 31, 2022.

THE ENTIRE JANUARY AGENDA IS AN ATTACHMENT AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS STORY.