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| Rigo Schmelzer | Rich Baldwin | Paul Weltha | Alan Kuchefski |
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| Mark Becicka | Joe Lewis | Kevin Bollman | Ron Bass |
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| Erick Simple | Tyler Noonan | Jamie Codron | Josh McWhorter |
| Rigo Schmelzer - Varsity Head Coach/QB Coach/Offensive Coordinator/Defensive Ends Coach |
| Coach Schmelzer is entering his 28th season as a coach of the Purple Raiders. Before becoming head coach in 1993, he had served 11 years as varsity line coach and defensive coordinator. In his fifteen years as head coach, the Raiders have qualified for the playoffs every season, finished as state runners-up in 6A in 2002, 2003 and 2004 reached the 6A semifinals in 2001, the 4A quarterfinals in 1994, and won the Big 12 West Conference in 1993, 94, 95, 97, 98, 00, 01, 02, 03, 04, 05 and 08. His 152-35 record gives him a winning percentage of .812, the best in Purple Raider history. Click here for a complete summary of Rigo's record as head coach. Rigo teaches social studies at BHS. He is a graduate of Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana where he played defensive line and threw the javelin in track. His wife, Linda, is a music teacher in District 87 at Stevenson Elementary. They have two children, Emma, who is completing a master's program at Boston University, and Charlie, a sophomore on the football team at Butler University in Indianapolis, IN. |
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Rich Baldwin - Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Line/Running Backs Coach |
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Coach Baldwin is entering his 16th year as a member of the Purple Raider staff. Prior to becoming defensive coordinator, Rich served as head freshman/sophomore coach for eleven seasons. Previous football coaching experience included one season as the head JV coach at Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School in Orangeburg, South Carolina, and one season as a JV coach at Momence High School in Momence, Illinois. In addition to football, Rich is also an assistant track coach at BHS. Rich serves as head of the social studies department. His teaching responsibilities include American history and American government. Rich is a 1992 graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University where he played defensive line, and a 1999 graduate of Illinois State University with a master's degree in educational administration. His wife, Chris, is a kindergarten teacher at Stevenson Elementary. They have three children, Allison, Lucas and Curtis. |
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Paul Weltha - Varsity O-Line Coach |
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Coach Weltha is entering his 16th year as a member of the Purple Raider staff. This will be his thirteeth year as varsity offensive line coach. Prior to this, Paul was an assistant freshman coach for 2 years and spent 1 year as varsity defensive line coach. He teaches physical education and driver's education at BHS. Paul is a graduate of Western Illinois were he played offensive line. He also has a master's degree in school administration. He has three children, Austin, Ellie and Jack. |
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Alan Kuchefski - Varsity Receivers Coach and Special Teams Coordinator |
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Coach Kuchefski is entering his 14th season on the Purple Raider staff. After serving as the head sophomore coach for the past four seasons, Alan returns to the varsity staff in a full-time capacity. He teaches literature and journalism classes in the English department at BHS, as well as sponsors the school newspaper The Aegis. In addition to football, Alan also serves as the weight coach for the boys track team. He is a 1996 graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University where he played tight end. Alan and his wife Tara have two children, Loralei and Hayden. |
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Mark Becicka - Varsity DB Coach |
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Mark is entering his 13th season as a coach of the Raiders. He is a 1989 graduate of Bloomington High School and a 1994 graduate of ISU where he played defensive back for the Redbirds. Mark is an employee of State Farm Insurance. He and his wife, Heidi, have two sons, Brett and Boden. |
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Kevin Bollman - Sophomore Head Coach/Varsity Linebacker Coach |
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Coach Bollman is entering his 8th season as a coach for the Purple
Raiders. This will be his first year as the head sophomore coach
as well as the varsity linebackers coach. For the past 3 seasons,
he served as the sophomore defensive coordinator and assistant varsity
linebackers coach after previously volunteering for 4 seasons at the
freshman level. In addition to coaching, he has served as the
teams off season strength coordinator. Kevin is a physical
education teacher at Sheridan Elementary School, and taught drivers
education at Bloomington High School during the summer. |
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Ron Bass - Sophomore Defensive Coordinator/Varsity Defensive End Coach |
| Coach Bass is entering is fourth year on the Purple Raider staff. After serving as the freshman defensive coordinator for three seasons, he will serve in the same role with the sophomore team this season. He played college ball in the defensive secondary at Blackburn College. He is a physical education teacher at Bloomington Junior High School. He and his wife Laura have two sons, Noah and Josh. |
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Joe Lewis - Freshman Head Coach |
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Coach Lewis is entering his 8th season as a coach for the Purple Raiders, and his fourth as the head coach of the freshman team. He served the four previous seasons as an assistant at the freshman level. Joe teaches AP American History and Government in the Social Science Department. In addition to football, he also coaches boys basketball at BHS. Joe is a 1997graduate of the University of Wisconsin where he earned a bachelor's of science in History. He then served in the army as a Korean translator from '97-'01. He is currently working on a master's degree from Illinois State University. Joe is a 1992 graduate of Ottawa Township High School. He and his wife, Sung-Suk, are the proud parents of a new born baby girl, Jocelyn. |
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Eric Simple - Freshman Receiver and Secondary Coach |
| Coach Simple is entering his fouth season as a freshman coach. He played college football in the defensive secondary at Illinois State University with Coach Becicka. He is originally from Galvaston, Texas. He and his wife, Jennifer, have two children, Erika and Darius. |
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Tyler Noonan - Freshman Offensive and Defensive Line Coach |
| Coach Noonan is entering his fourth season as a volunteer coach at Bloomington High School, his alma mater. Tyler played right guard on the '01 6A semifinalist and '02 6A state runner-up teams. He played three seasons at Illinois Wesleyan University before injuring his shoulder. He is a recent graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University with a degree in history, and is currently taking education courses at Illinois State University.. |
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Jamie Codron - Freshman Defensive Coordinator |
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We would like to welcome back Coach Jamie Codron who is rejoining the Purple Raider staff after a three year sabbatical. He had previously served as an assistant freshman coach and sophomore defensive coordinator. Jamie teaches driver's education at Bloomington High School. He is a graduate of Eastern Illinois University and is currently working on a master's degree from Illinois State University. He and his wife Angie have a son, AJ. |
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Josh McWhorter - Freshman Receiver and Secondary Assistant Coach |
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Coach McWhorter is returning to his alma mater where he graduated from in 2003. He was a defensive back on the Purple Raider state runner-up team of 2002 and semi-final team of 2001. After high school, he spent four years in the U.S. Army and is currently a junior at Illinois State University majoring in leadership communications studies, with minor in sociology. Welcome back Josh. |