ABOVE) Dennis Lee in 2000 with the girls Varsity Basketball page spread from the Buccaneer yearbook.The yearbook is online at BHS Wall of Fame

By Bill Herr

In my opinion, one of the greatest ever coaches in any sport at Bluffton High School is Mr. Dennis Lee. Coach Lee's parents were Gene and Sue Lee. His father was a full time farmer and his mother worked at a hospital. Dennis and his wife Cindy have two children, Matthew and Andrew.

Dennis grew up helping with all the things that go on at a farm: baling hay and straw, milking a dairy herd, chores. I am a farmer and also taught at BHS. When we would eat together, we would talk farming. When we met for my interview with him for this column, it was a wet, cool summer morning. The first thing he said to me was, "Not a good day for corn to grow, is it?"

Coach Lee's siblings have been or are still involved in coaching. Mike was principal and basketball coach at Minster, and is now boys' basketball coach at Pandora High School. Greg coached boys' basketball at Value and has been an official. Now he runs the golf course at Arlington. Kathy was the women's basketball coach at Adrian College in Michigan. ▶︎

When he was a student at Value, Dennis played quarterback and running back in football. He said that at a small school you learn to play several positions. In basketball the players were all about the same height, so he played at different positions. He was a pitcher in baseball. He went to a Cincinnati Reds baseball camp and was good enough to get called back. After graduation he went to Ohio Northern University and got a degree in history and physical education. He then taught those subjects at Bluffton High School and coached Pirate football and girls' basketball for 32 years. 

I asked who influenced him the most. He said, "Our parents were always there supporting us. And I was influence by Larry Shutler, who was a teacher at Vanlue and also coached basketball and football.” Since retiring from teaching history and coaching at Bluffton, he has continued coaching an additional 14 years as an assistant in football at Arlington High School, and he assists Chad Shutler, the head ladies' basketball coach at Bluffton University. He said his coaching career has come "full circle," having been coached by Larry Shutler and now assisting under Larry's son.

I asked Lee how he decided to become a coach. He answered, "In high school I wanted to become a teacher. I loved sports, I had been around them all my life. It was natural to be interested in coaching." When I asked which sport he liked the most, he replied, "It depended on the season." Asked which sport that he coached was the most fun, he gave the same answer. I asked Coach Lee what technique in coaching is most important. His answer was "preparing teams for games - physically and mentally." 

The next question was if he remembered anything humorous that happened. He said when the team arrived at Massillon for the State Championship football game in 1991, an official offered to provide special cleats for the Pirate players since they had never played on a turf before. Then he showed Coach Lee two rooms. The first room, he said, was for the offensive players to gather in, the second was for the defensive players. Large high schools and colleges usually have two such rooms. Coach Lee said we had eight or nine players that went both ways.

At BHS Dennis' wife Cindy assumed duties as Junior Varsity girls' basketball coach. I asked how that worked out. He said, "It worked out really well. I had confidence in Cindy. The biggest thing was when football season overlapped the basketball season, I could depend on her getting both varsity and reserves ready for the season. It was good to know that the kids were in good hands for the season." It should be noted that Cindy was an excellent point guard for the Pirate girls when she was in high school. 

Coach Lee's football and basketball teams were very successful. Retired legendary Cory Rawson football coach Spike Berry helped as an assistant in Pirate football for a time. He has often stated, "I gave Coach Lee the nickname, 'All's he knows how to do is win.'" 

In his 32 years of coaching at Bluffton High School, Coach Lee's basketball teams won 375 games, and were six-time Northwest Conference champions. His 2000 Lady Pirates were undefeated and lost only in the State Championship game to the South Euclid Regina Royals. In that game Bluffton's Division III Player of the Year in the State of Ohio, Caity Matter, injured her ankle in the first half and came back but was unable to move laterally. Bluffton fans can only wonder how the game might have turned out had that not happened.

Coach Lee's football teams won 176 games and were seven-time Conference champions. In 1991 they were undefeated through 13 games, and lost the State Championship game to powerhouse Newark Catholic. In that game, running back Tod Fleharty, 2nd team All-Ohio, suffered a concussion in the third quarter and was lost for the remainder o f the game. Coach Lee told me once that he might be the only coach in Ohio to coach in the State Championship game in two different sports, and lost a great player in each game to injury.

I asked some of his players in both sports what they thought of Coach Lee. Mac Davies was a Division V All-State tackle on the 1991 team. He said, "I had a unique experience. I played for Coach Lee and then was an assistant coach for him from 2009 to 2012. He trusted his players to do the right thing on the field. When I coached with him, I understood more how much he cared about his players. He would make comments behind the scenes, concern for their health and well-being. Were they doing well in school? He knew about us as persons."

Jeremy Herr was a defensive back and wide receiver on the 1991 team. After college he coached girls' basketball and taught at McComb High School. At present he is the superintendent there. He said, "There are two kinds of coaches, the 'Yellers' and "Those that give you the look.' I once fumbled a kickoff return and when I came back to the sideline, Coach Lee gave me “the look.” He knew that I knew what I had done wrong. He didn't need to talk to me about it." Later Jeremy recalled that in the second game of the season against Paulding, a nail-biter that went into overtime, Bluffton led in overtime but Paulding was threatening when Jeremy intercepted a pass, ending the game in Bluffton's favor. Coach Lee ran out onto the field and gave Jeremy a hug.

Abbie (Fett) Meyers was a starter on the 2000 basketball team. She shared that Coach Lee always had us well prepared for each team that we played. "He knew our strengths, and the other team's strengths and weaknesses. He would use that against our opponents as we prepared for the game that week. He worked us hard in practice, but made it fun. We never dreaded practice. Every practice was different. He knew us, how we played,we were a close team. I have had some experience coaching young girls. It takes a special person to coach, to see the game, to know his players.

Caity (Matter) Henniger was the leader on a special Bluffton girls basketball team that left unforgettable memories on the hardwood. In their four years they won 91 games, losing only 11. They went to the State Tournament twice. Talented at every position, Caity was the leading scorer. She scored 2,274 points in her career with an average of 22.3 points per game. I asked Coach Lee if he knew what was coming up from the 8th grade when that class appeared. He said, "Yes, when Caity came in as a freshman, we had a shootout. After two weeks, I had seen enough."

Caity and her husband now own the thriving business Rogue Fitness. They sell athletic equipment all over the world. I asked her to share her thoughts on Coach Lee. These are her words: "In his career coaching football and basketball, his success speaks for itself. There were championships, and the student athletes he has impacted have been successful. To me this speaks volumes over any championship he has had.

“My four years under him are some of the funnest times of my life. Dennis always kept us grounded. He made it fun for us. When we stepped over the court lines it was all business. He kept it fun for us. There was a lot of pressure but he mixed up drills or made a joke. I don't think we made it fun for him. We were all different personalities but he managed us, allowed us to be individuals, but put it together to make us the best. He became my coach and mentor. He helped me through the college process. He became a member of my family. He knew my parents well, and I don't think I'm the only athlete that pertains to. I would do anything for him. He had a large impact on the Bluffton community."

Mr. Dennis Lee, Coach Lee, respected his players and built relationships with them. He always had his teams prepared to do well against their opponents. He showed emotions in supporting them and stood up for his teams during games. He organized practices to let his teams have fun. He treated his kids right and cared deeply for their well-being. His influence on them will always be with them in their lives.

That is why I choose him as one of the greatest coaches ever of any sport at Bluffton High School.

Bill Herr taught high school mathematics and science for 32 years.
After retiring from teaching, he began a nursing home ministry. He served as chaplain at a nursing home for 24 years. He has since written columns relating to sports memories from high school experiences and columns relating to experiences at the nursing home.