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John Blihovde - Westby - Assistant coach

03/01/2009, 12:00am CST
By Wisconsin Sports Network

JOHN BLIHOVDE
Inducted in 2009

John graduated from Westby High School, Westby, Wisconsin, in 1961. He participated in football, basketball, and baseball, earning seven letters. John was co-captain of the football team, leading hitter on the baseball team and one of twenty baseball players in the state invited to try out for the Milwaukee Braves at Milwaukee County Stadium.

He attended UW-La Crosse for two years. He then transferred to Winona State College, participating in football and baseball, and graduated in 1966 with a B.S. Degree in Physical Education.

John started his professional career in the G-E-T School District in 1966, teaching high school physical education and coaching freshmen football. In 1967 he accepted a teaching and coaching position at Westby Area Schools. John taught elementary physical education in Chaseburg and Coon Valley and coached at the high school until his retirement from teaching in 2000 and football in 2005. In addition to coaching the varsity line for 38 years, John also coached basketball for 24 years (1 year freshmen - 19 years N - 4 years head), track 24 years (14 years assistant - 10 years head). His track teams won 8 conference championships, 2 regional titles, and 1 sectional title.

During John’s tenure as line coach under the leadership of head coaches Bill Terry, Bill Brehm, Neil Hoven, Art Brunje (Hall of Fame 2000), Neil Hoven (Hall of Fame 2004), and Mark Armstrong, the Norsemen compiled a record of 263 wins, 19 conference championships, 17 state playoff appearances, 3 state championships, and 1 as state runner-up. John wishes to extend his appreciation to the forementioned dedicated head coaches and also to coaches Mark Jacobson, Dan Nelson, John Hamilton, Dave Anderson, Mike Marr, Mark Anderson, and Chris Yanske for making coaching football special. The times they shared will never be forgotten.

This honor would not be possible if it were not for his family's loving support, patience, and understanding of how important it was for him to coach Westby football.

Lastly, John would like to thank all the dedicated athletes he has had the opportunity to coach. Their time and effort
made his career so rewarding and this award possible.

Tag(s): Hall of Fame