Larry Tuttle

Raised on a rural farm, Larry Tuttle and his two younger brothers each played baseball, football, and basketball and ran track at Morenci High School before attending Adrian College.

Tuttle arrived at Blissfield as a teacher and head baseball coach in 1968 and brought the Royals decades of success with a style of play known as “Tuttle Ball,” combining aggressive base running with small-ball strategy. With Tuttle at the helm, Blissfield won only four games in 1971… and then took off to staggering heights.

The Royals posted a winning record each season from 1972-2012; won the Lenawee County Athletic Association title 19 consecutive seasons, spanning from 1994-2012; and captured Michigan state championships in 1973, 1976, 1977, 1992, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

The 1992 season was particularly special; the Royals’ championship team attained a #10 national ranking and Tuttle was voted into the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Ten years later, he was honored as Baseball Coach of the Year by the National High School Coaches Association.

On May 29, 2008, Blissfield defeated Belleville in Game 1 of an eventual doubleheader sweep, making Tuttle the first baseball coach in Michigan high school history to reach 1,000 victories.