A two-year two-position first team all-conference performer for the Bluffton football team in the late 1950s, the late Joe Urich now takes his place in the Bluffton Athletic Hall of Fame. Perhaps the best indication of just how good an athlete Urich was for Bluffton is to look at the two positions he played: quarterback and middle linebacker.
Urich was Bluffton's starting QB and middle linebacker in 1958 and 1959 and was named first team Mid-Ohio Conference at both positions both years. Urich helped Coach Ken Mast's teams capture the Mid-Ohio Conference championship both years.
In an era when the passing game was rarely used and with Hall of Famer Elbert Dubenion '59 in the backfield, Urich wasn't called on to throw the football very often. When he did, however, the results usually brought the fans at Harmon Field to their feet. His career pass efficiency rating of 162.74 still stands as the highest in school history, although he doesn't have enough attempts to rank him in the official Bluffton record book. His play at middle linebacker was equally impressive; as his ability to track down opposing ball carriers was second to none.
Urich is still the only Bluffton quarterback to average more than 10 yards per attempt (10.8) and is one of only three Bluffton QBs to throw more touchdown passes in his career than interceptions (11/8. Other QBs are Cliff Hemmert '89 39/25 and current BC QB Joel Parrett 25/18).
Urich was a professional insurance agent for more than 20 years and coached football at Bluffton High School in 1970 and at Bluffton University in 1985.
