Bill Schnier

Schnier begins his 33rd year at UC in 2012-13 and his 45th working in education. During his time leading the Bearcats track and field and cross country teams, the program has produced 136 individual conference champions, 25 NCAA national championship meet qualifiers, 10 All-Americans and two Olympic medalists. Schnier has been named conference coach of the year 15 times and was twice selected as Ohio cross country coach of the year. He was named the Conference USA coach of the decade in both cross country and track and field. His teams have won 12 conference titles and 47 of programs[apos] 53 school records were set during his time at UC. In October, he will be inducted into UC[apos]s James P. Kelly, Sr. Hall of Fame. Schnier is a 1966 graduate of Capital University where he played baseball for two years before switching to track and field. He set the Capital record for the outdoor 800 meters (1:54.14) and was a member of the record-setting outdoor 4x800 meters relay team (7:51.04), both of which are still school records to date. He earned master[apos]s degrees from Wright State University and Indiana University in 1977 and in 1987 earned a doctorate in human performance from Indiana. Induction into the UC athletics hall of fame will be the fourth hall of fame for Schnier. In 2010, he was inducted into the Capital University Hall of Fame. In 2011, Schnier was inducted into two more, the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches and the Greater Cincinnati Running. Schnier began his career at Trotwood-Madison High School where he taught history and coached track and field for seven seasons, leading his team to a second-place finish in the Ohio State AAA championship meet in 1975. He then spent five seasons as an assistant coach at Indiana before coming to UC in 1980. Of the student-athletes that Schnier has coached at UC, 16 have won the prestigious Jimmy Nippert Award, honoring the most outstanding male senior student-athlete. He has also coached three winners of the Helen Norman Smith award, honoring the top female student-athlete, and four winners of the Jean Stephens Award, honoring the UC student-athlete that best exemplifies integrity, commitment to the team, athletic department and equitable treatment of others. Schnier is married to the former Kathy Henn. The couple has three adult children: Lorraine, Ellen and Keller.