Mike Bliler

Mike Bliler, graduated from Taylorville High School in 1994. A three-letter winner in football, Bliler helped lead the Tornadoes to the Mid-State Conference Championship in the fall of 1993. He will be inducted in to the Taylorville High School Sports Hall of Fame at a banquet to be held in the Auditorium of St. Vincent’s Memorial Hospital on Saturday, April 17, 2004 at 6:30 p.m.    Mike Bliler was an all around athlete at Taylorville High School. He lettered in baseball, track, and football his sophomore year and the focused on basketball and football his final two years earning letters in both sports his junior and senior years. But it was football that provided Mike an arena to show his skills.     As a member of the 1973 varsity football team, Bliler rushed for 1133 yards, and set school records by scoring 25 touchdowns and 174 points in the nine game season. Those records still stand today. The Tornadoes finished with an 8 –1 record, winning the Mid-State Conference Title. Bliler rushed for over 100 yards in seven of the nine games played with his high being 197 yards against Litchfield. He scored at least two touchdowns in every game, except the Tornadoes lone loss to Effingham, and established a single game high with six touchdowns against Vandalia.    As a result of this great season, Bliler also set career records at Taylorville High School that still stand today. He scored 218 career points and 32 career touchdowns in two seasons as the Tornadoes fullback. He also is listed as the ninth all time leading rusher and finished with 1401 career rushing yards

At the end of the 1973 season, Mike Bliler was selected as the teams’ Most Valuable Back, he was voted to the All Mid-State Conference First Team, the Decatur Herald All Area First Offensive Team and the Chicago Daily News All State Football Team.

In 1993 and 1994 Bliler was a member of the Tornadoes football coaching staff.