Albion alumni, faculty, and staff lost a valued coach, mentor,colleague, and friend with the passing of Pete Schmidt, September29, 2000, following a year-long battle with lymphoma. Aftercoaching football at Albion College for 15 seasons, Pete had joinedthe Indiana University football program in early 1997. As Indiana'sassistant head coach for football, he turned the Hoosier offenseinto one of high energy. Before coming to Indiana, Pete did thesame with Albion College, developing one of Michigan’s bestcollege football programs in the late 1980s and 1990s. He posted a104-27-4 record at Albion.
His football teams at Albion won conference championships in1985 and then 1989 through 1996, and appeared in NCAA postseasoncompetition five times. In 1994, Pete coached the Britons to theNCAA Division III football championship, the first time an MIAAteam had won a national championship in that sport. Albion’srecord that season was a perfect 13-0. He earned numerous coachinghonors that year, among them NCAA Division III National Coach ofthe Year.
Albion athletes excelled academically during the Schmidt yearswith five NCAA Postgraduate Scholars in football from 1993 through1997. Every senior football player earning a letter also earned adegree from Albion, including eight first-team Academic All-Americaselections and 10 first-team Division III or small collegeAll-America picks.
Along with football, Pete also served as athletic director from1992 to 1996. During four seasons as women’s track coach, heworked with Division III All-American Kathy Dec Prohaska,’85, and Wendy Lombardi Kohlhepp, ’84.
Prior to coming to Albion, Pete was head coach at Okemos HighSchool for seven years, earning six conference titles while postingthree undefeated regular seasons and finishing as runner-up in theClass B playoffs twice.
Pete's wife, Becky, is a high school English teacher inBloomington, Ind. Their three children are: Amy ’97, Peter’98, and Sarah ’99.
The Albion College Board of Trustees has established the Peter J.Schmidt Scholarship in Pete's memory.
