Two former student athletes and a former head coach were inducted into the Bloomingdale High School Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2026 in front of a sold-out homecoming football game at Charlie Harris Stadium in Valrico.
Bonnie Hess was the head volleyball coach at Bloomingdale from 1994-2008. She won 75 percent of her games with 440 wins overall. In her time leading the program, her teams won five district titles, had seven regional appearances and had one final four appearance, finishing third in the state in 1994, her first season.
Hess had 26 Bloomingdale players who went on to play in college. She was selected as Western Conference Coach of the Year in 2006. Hess also contributed to Bloomingdale High School by sponsoring the Fellowship of Christian Athletes club and had the biggest FCA program in the southeast United States for several years.
“It means a lot, it was totally unexpected,” said Hess. “This was my life for 17 years or so. My son grew up in the gym because he was very young when I came here. This is like my old home, but I haven’t been here in years, and what I’m seeing are students that I had that are now teaching here, so it means a lot; it’s very moving.”
Representative Michael Owen played varsity baseball for Bloomingdale as a catcher and first baseman in 1994 and 1995. During his time on the baseball team, the Bulls won back-to-back Saladino Tournaments and were district champions in 1994 and 1995.
Owen went on to play college baseball for Hillsborough College and later Saint Leo University, where he graduated cum laude. After graduating, Owen attended Western Michigan Law School and later returned to Hillsborough County to practice law.
Owen was elected to the Hillsborough County Commission in 2022, and in 2024 he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives. While in the state house, he has championed education through the Student Academic Success Subcommittee.
“It means a lot just because this is my hometown,” said Owen. “Other than going to law school, I’ve always kind of hung around home. It’s just an honor because this place meant a lot to me — it reminds me of the good old days when I drive by the school. It just means a lot to me to be here with other great people that have come before me.”
Ryan Nye, also a graduate of Bloomingdale High School, wrestled for the Bulls for four years from 2002-06. During his four-year varsity career, he was a two-time team captain, two-time state finalist and 2006 state champion. After graduating, Nye went on to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point. He is currently serving the country as a major in the Army.
“It’s remarkable; I haven’t been back here in 20 years,” said Nye. “I was genuinely surprised when I got the call. It’s been such a trip down memory lane. I think about how high school sports got me into college, helped get me the career that I have today and how all these things that I did when I was 16, 17 really made the difference, and so it’s nice to come back.”
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