AKRON – Jeff Shriver has stepped down as the Tippecanoe Valley High School football coach.

Shriver, citing a desire to spend more time with his family, doesn’t expect to step very far away from the Viking program however.

Shriver spent the last eight seasons as the head man of the Vikings. Prior to that, he was an assistant coach for Scott Bibler. Bibler, who was an assistant coach on Shriver’s staff, is a candidate to return as head coach.

“I still want to be involved in Tippecanoe Valley football, which I love, and my hope is that Scott and I flip positions,” said Shriver in a phone interview this morning. “There has been a lot of continuity in our program and that’s what I hope to see continue.”

“I would love to see Scott get the job. He stepped down from being head coach to watch his daughter play sports and now I want to do the same thing.”

Shriver’s oldest daughter will be a senior at Purdue next year. His son Ben, the record-setting quarterback for the Vikings the last three years, is a senior and weighing his college options right now. His youngest daughter is a 7th grader who plays volleyball.

“This is the right decision for me to make now,” Shriver said. “I love Valley football and have been a part of it for over 20 years since Scott hired me in 1991 as an assistant coach, But, being a head coach is a year-round commitment that requires a lot of time.

“My family is getting older and I want to see my kids play. That’s important to me. I did not get to see my daughter play one volleyball match this fall.”

Shriver, a Rochester High School and Purdue graduate, went 47-34 overall in his eight seasons. The Vikings were 41-15 in Three Rivers Conference play with three league championships. Valley, led by quarterback Shriver and record-setting receiver Tanner Andrews, was 5-5 overall and 5-2 in the TRC this past fall.

Shriver said he talked with his team before Christmas about his decision. He officially offered his resignation to school officials last Friday.

“It was a tough decision, but the right one,” remarked Shriver.  “I don’t see a lot of changes in the program and that’s what I told our kids.”

The Tippecanoe Valley School Board is expected to accept the resignation at its next meeting on Monday. The coaching position will then be posted for interested applicants, including Bibler.

“I hope that people see that No. 1 our coaching staff cared about the kids,” said Shriver. “I hope our players enjoyed their experience playing football at Valley. We wanted them to have fun and build good memories.

“Coaching anything anywhere is a labor of love. I just hope people see the passion I had for the game. And I just hope the pride and tradition here continues.”

Shriver admitted that it was special to get the chance to coach his son.

“Ben really made it easy for me to be a coach and a dad,” said Shriver. “With his character and work ethic, it was good. It was a lot of fun for me.”