By Bill Herr
Did a legendary sports figure once appear in a Bluffton school? The answer is yes. I know because I sat behind him at a basketball game in our gym. His name is Rufus Brassell. He was originally from Lima. In the late 1970s he moved his family to the Bluffton area to live. His kids went to Bluffton schools.He was a Lima legend in two ways. This column is his story.
Rufus was born in Mississippi to Freeman and Carrie Ward Brassell, Jr. They moved to Lima. Rufus had no siblings.He attended South High School and graduated from Lima Senior High School in 1963.
He became interested in boxing while in junior high. He liked it and became very skilled. ▶︎