Bibler Hopes To Make Difference In New Career
AKRON – Scott Bibler has spent the last 25 years making a difference in the lives of young people as a football coach and educator at Tippecanoe Valley High School.
He hopes to continue that impact as he trades in his coaching whistle for a new career.
Bibler has resigned as the Valley football coach and will begin a new chapter in his life come Monday.
Bibler has accepted a job with CrosssWinds, an in-home family counseling company based out of Fort Wayne. He will remain in the area to work with organizations such as schools and youth groups in Kosciusko, St. Joseph, Elkhart and Marshall counties as the Director of Business Development for the company.
“It was hard and a tough decision, but I feel good about it,” said Bibler in a phone interview Thursday morning. “I wasn’t looking for another career, but I feel this is a calling for me. I think that I’m doing the right thing for myself and the community and that I can help make a difference for a lot of people.”
Bibler, who has been at TVHS since 1990, has been weighing the change for a couple of months. The process started when CrossWinds CEO Mark Terrell, who was a former football teammate of Bibler’s from his college playing days, came to speak at Valley. That started discussions for Bibler, who served as part of a Mental Task Force Committee at Valley in his role as a guidance counselor there.
“We started talking about it and I discussed it with my family and it went from there,” noted Bibler. “What really helps is that I will still be active in this community and still be working in this community. Valley will be one of the schools that I deal with and try and help in my new job.”
The 50-year old Bibler took over for his second stint as the head coach at Valley for the 2014 season after serving as an assistant coach under Jeff Shriver, who resigned following the 2013 campaign. Shriver was an assistant coach this past fall for the Vikings.
The personable Bibler was the Vikings’ head coach from 1990-2005 before resigning in March of 2006 to spend more time with his family, including his two daughters. He was 98-68 during his first stint, including leading Valley to its last sectional championship in 1992.
The Vikings had a tough season this past fall. Valley, with a young roster, finished just 1-9 overall and 1-6 in Three Rivers Conference play. The one win was the lowest total in the history of the program, which dates back to 1975. Valley was 5-5 overall and 5-2 in the TRC in 2013, but graduated record-setting quarterback Ben Shriver and All-State receiver/defensive back Tanner Andrews from that team.
Bibler is a 1982 Valley graduate and was a sophomore member of the 1979 state championship team. He played football for four years and baseball for two at Taylor University.
Bibler’s overall coaching mark at Valley is 99-77 and he is the winningest coach in program history.
“The relationships with the kids and the coaches is what coaching is all about,” said Bibler. “That’s what I will miss.”