A three-sport standout for Bluffton in the early 1960s, Dennis Bishop ’63 enters the Hall of Fame with an impressive credential list.
A four-year track performer, Bishop’s junior year he was a member of the mile relay squad that turned in a 3:27.7 effort, good for a new Bluffton and MOL record that would stand until 1969. Joining Dennis on that record setting relay were Terry Marshall ’64, Dale Schiffke ’64 and fellow 2000 Bluffton Hall of Fame inductee Larry Copeland ’65. Individually, for four years Bishop won or placed high in nearly every 880 yard race he entered and also turned in very impressive times in the 440 yard dash.
On the football field, Dennis was a member of two MOL championship teams coached by Ken Mast. A valuable weapon at both offensive and defensive end, he averaged 25 yards per catch as a senior as the Beavers turned in a 7-2 campaign for the MOL title. Bishop also lettered two years in basketball where he was one of the team leaders in rebounds.
Dennis received the A.C. Burcky Award as a senior and graduated with a degree in biology. He held teaching stints at Liberty Center High School, Findlay High School and Hagerstown Junior College in Maryland before founding a real estate management company in Findlay. He went on to become part owner of a plastics company and for the last 14 years has farmed 2,400 acres of land north of Findlay.
In 1996 Dennis became involved with Global Resources Foundation, which led him to aid Christian farmers and business people in the Ukraine, and has now teamed up with The CoMission, which reaches out to the educational system in Russia.
