When former Ozark football coach Mark Bliss received word last week of Christian County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Gabriel Ramirez being shot and killed, it was all too familiar news at eerily the same time of a year.
Bliss coached Ramirez, a 2013 Ozark grad, during his sophomore and junior seasons on the gridiron.
A 30-year-old United States Army veteran, Ramirez had been with the Christian County Sheriff’s Office for 11 months, before he was killed during a traffic stop on State Highway 160 and Route HH south of Highlandville on Monday.
Similarly, Bliss coached Cody Allen at Odessa from 2006-2008. Allen went on to be a police officer in Kansas City, before being shot and killed Feb. 29, 2024, during a domestic dispute incident.
“Crushes my heart, just shocking to have two of my former players, who were great young men, die tragically by violence,” Bliss said. “We lost two great men who embraced serving the public. Knowing them in their high school days and that they had the rest of their lives to live, and to die in their 30s, is just crushing.
“Lives cut too short,” he added.
Bliss, who coached at Ozark from 2011-2014, said Ramirez’s commendable devotion to serve others was evident even while he was in his teens. Ramirez decided on an early end to his football career, while placing the needs of his family before himself.
“He was in summer workouts just before the season of his senior year (when) he quit to work and help provide for his family,” said Bliss, who is now coaching at St. Michael’s Catholic High School in Lee's Summit. “He was quiet and disciplined, a true joy to be around. His smile was contagious when you could get him to crack a smile.”
The funerals for Ramirez, along with a second fallen Christian County deputy, Michael Hislope, was held Saturday at the James River Church.
Hislope, a 2004 Ozark grad, was killed Tuesday during a shootout in the manhunt for Richard Bird, the suspect in Ramirez’s killing. Bird was also shot and killed.
