What do the years 1956, 1966, 1976 and 1996 mean to BHS football fans?
Where have the football seasons gone?
There's something very special about Bluffton High School football seasons that end with a "6."
Take the teams of: 1996, 1976, 1966 and 1956, as examples. Each of these teams won a Northwest Conference football title.
THE 1996 TEAM PHOTOS IS BELOW - The team will be recognized Friday night at Harmon Field.
Alex Hanna, BHS athletic director, told The Icon that each of those teams will be recognized during home games this season.
"This season we would like to recognize some past NWC champion football teams here at Bluffton," he said.
"Players and coaches of the recognized teams will get free admission to the game. We will have the team members take the field just before kick off, immediately following the National Anthem."
Here are the dates and the teams recognized:
Sept. 9, Fort Loramie game - 1996 NWC Champions - 20 years
Oct. 7, Spencerville game - 1976 NWC Champions - 40 years
Oct. 14, Ada game - 1966 NWC Champions - 50 years
Oct. 28, Columbus Grove game - 1956 NWC Champions (First ever NWC championship for Bluffton) - 60 years
Stories Posted This Week
Sunday, September 27, 2026
Saturday, September 26, 2026
- Ada Icon headlines, September 26
- September 26 Bluffton Schools athletics lineup, streaming
- State Patrol investigates serious injury crash involving ambulance
- Weekend Doctor: What is a DO?
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- October Business Collective with Bluffton Food Pantry
Friday, September 25, 2026
- Ada Icon headlines, September 25
- Clay, community, and the classroom
- Pirate volleyball loss vs. Crestview
- Pirate girls soccer win vs. Allen East
- Janine Elizabeth (Minnich) Millager, 87, was a lab technician
- Send October 2026 calendar events to the Icon
- New time for Planning and Bluffton Beyond Tomorrow meetings, Sept 29
- Pirate boys golf 10th at sectionals
- Fall Festival activities are all over Bluffton, Sept. 26
Thursday, September 24, 2026
- Marilyn Florence (Brunn) Osting, 94, was a nurse
- Paul Richard Wingate Jr., 79, worked for the Lima Ford Engine Plant
- Ada Icon headlines, Sept. 24
- Roundabouts celebrated for crash reduction
- Scarecrow competition for Bluffton businesses
- Hello, Goodbye: Diphenhydramine for allergies
- 5th Annual MHCO Gala will Roll Out the Red Carpet
- Funeral notice for Mary Louise Reddick
- ODNR urges caution during fall wildfire season
- Nursing student to share clinical research at First Tuesday in the Library
Wednesday, September 23, 2026
- Chamber members take a lesson from Jacomet's Martial Arts
- Proud of your pie? Sept. 26 apple pie baking contest
- Save November 6-7 for Holiday Open House
- Friends of the Library book sale, Sept. 24-26
- Pirate girls golf places 6th at sectionals
- Pirate volleyball outlasts Grove
- Bluffton tennis wins on consecutive nights
- Pirate boys soccer edged by Liberty Center