This column is a speech given at the November 15, 1991, Bluffton High School pep session by math teacher Bill Herr. Bluffton High School yearbooks may be viewed here.

By Bill Herr

Today, I want t o speak to you not as a teacher, but as a Blufiton High School alumnus. I graduated from Bluffton High School in 1957; yes, way back then. I have had the opportunity to see every football team at Bluffton High School since 1948. I would like to talk for a few minutes about Pirate pride.

Last Saturday night, as our fans formed a tunnel for the players to run through, the cheerleaders held up a sign that deeply impressed me. The words were very meaningful. They said, "Pain is temporary, pride is forever."

In 1975, my wife and I saw most of the football games of that great team, which won ten games and lost none. Among the younger players on that team was Tim Wenger's brother Chris, a sophomore then, and brother Ed, a freshman. 

I remember sitting in Harmon Field Stadium watching Mr. and Mrs. Wenger bring their young son Tim, then about two years old, to the games. I remember looking at Tim and wondering if he would also like football and play someday. 

Pirate pride starts at an early age. For Tim, it probably started then. For me, it started when I was in the third grade, and I watched my brother Don, Jeremy's father, score two touchdowns in 1948 to help defeat Ada High School. It was Ada's only loss during the season.

Last week, Jamie Van Atta showed me a letter written by a second grader from our elementary school named Mark Albrecht. In the letter, he wished Jamie and the team good luck and gave him a sticker that said, "awesome." As you may know, each of our football players was adopted by an elementary student who wrote a letter and gave him a sticker. Pirate pride starts at an early age. Pirate pride is forever.

Pirate pride is strong when our teams do well. The week before school started, I was at the Allen County Fair when our cheerleaders competed with other cheerleaders in the county and won the championship. Our cheerleaders are the champs. I have seen many cheerleaders, and ours are the hardest working and the best I have ever seen.

Two weeks ago, I went to Columbus and watched our young cross country team win sixth in the state after winning the Northwest Conference Championship. A week ago yesterday, I went to Kenton and watched our Academic Quiz Bowl group against a big school, Marion Harding. Two days later, we won the Northwest Conference Championship. Our football team not only won the Northwest Conference Championship, but they made school history as they are the first team to win 11 games.

Pirate pride is very high right now. This shows me that Pirate pride is strong when our teams do well. Pirate pride is forever.

I watched our volleyball team in a match earlier this year. They won the match, but what impressed me most was how they supported each other on every point, whether it was a winning point or whether it was after somebody messed up. This reminded me of when I was a senior football player.

As a junior, I didn't play one down in a game. But I learned a secret my senior year. Although I only weighed 140 pounds, I found out that I weighed more than any ball carrier from his knees down. I made the first team defense my senior year. We were undefeated and our next game was against Ada, our chief rival.

During the week we practiced against this one play where the Ada running back would come through the line, pretend to block the linebacker (me), and then go out for a long pass. I was praying that they wouldn't run that play because I wasn't very fast.

Sure enough, in the first quarter, they ran the play. It was just like in practice. The running back came toward me, faked a block, and went out for a pass. I went with him, step for step, but then he began to pull away. I looked back and here came the pass. At the last second, I jumped as high as I could, but the ball went over my outstretched fingertips into the receiver's hands and he scored. Ada led six to nothing. I was crushed.

I went back to the sideline with my head down. I didn't want to face the coach. He came up to me, put his hand on my shoulder, and said four words that I will never forget. He said, “You almost got it! You almost got it!” In that moment, he immediately restored my Pirate pride. He gave me words of encouragement. I loved him for that. His name was Pete Schmidt. He was an uncle to one of our elementary teachers, Mr. Steve Amstutz. He showed me that Pirate pride is strong even when we make a mistake. Pirate pride is forever.

At last Saturday night's football game, my wife and I sat beside Randy Spallinger's uncle Charles Spallinger and his wife. Charles was a defensive back on the BHS 1990 team that was undefeated. Several of his classmates on that team also sat near me. They talked about their senior season. When the kickoff took place, they were cheering louder than anybody for our team. Many players from the 1975 team that was undefeated were also at the game. This shows me that Pirate pride is strong after graduation.

Pirate pride is forever. Pirate pride begins at an early age. Pirate pride is strong when our teams do well. Pirate pride is strong even if we make a mistake. Pirate pride is strong even after we graduate. Pirate pride is forever.

Tomorrow night our football team will get a chance to drive another nail in their claim to greatness. We wish them luck.

Note: Jeremy Herr and TimWenger were two-way starters on the 1991 team.