Chadron State College Athletic Hall of Fame
A native of Lyman, Schmitz caught 45 passes for 696 yards while starting at tight end three years for Chadron State football teams in the early 1970s, but he is best known for his baseball exploits. For his career, he compiled a .357 batting average, collecting 109 hits in 305 at bats. His average ranks as the fourth best in CSC history and his number of hits is the fifth highest.
A first baseman, Schmitz also drove in 74 runs during his career, third highest on the CSC list. He earned all-district honors as a junior in 1972, when he hit .456. He also had averages of .439 and .339. His top batting averages are the third and fourth highest in CSC history.
After graduating in 1973, Schmitz spent 32 years in education, mostly in northeast Nebraska. He taught and coached 12 years at Hartington, was the K-12 principal four years at Newman Grove, the superintendent and elementary principal three years at Newcastle, the superintendent two years at Morrill and the superintendent and elementary principal 11 years at Pender. He also coached basketball at each of the schools and was the head football coach at Hartington.
Schmitz retired from education in 2005 and lives in Lincoln. His wife, the former Janice Couch, also of Lyman, attended CSC.
