Hobart and William Smith Colleges Athletics

Austin F. "Jerry" Schmidt, a member of the Lacrosse Hall of Fame, compiled a 142-34 record while coaching the Hobart lacrosse team to three national titles in his 11 seasons from 1968-78. The Statesmen won the USILA College Division championship in 1972 and the NCAA College Division Championships in 1976 and 1977. He also earned the Francis L. "Babe" Kraus Memorial Award, as the College Division Coach of the Year in 1977, after leading the team to a 15-0 record and a NCAA title. In his 11-year tenure as coach, 26 Hobart players earned All-American honors, including fellow inductee Rick Gilbert '74, the all-time leading scorer in college lacrosse history. Schmidt's teams appeared in five straight national tittle games from 1974-78 and posted a 68-9 record during that span.

A 1962 graduate of Johns Hopkins University where he was a two-time lacrosse All-American and pictured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, Schmidt joined the Hobart staff in 1968 after coaching stints at Calvert Hall College High School and Cornell University. After leaving Hobart in 1979, he was an assistant coach at the U.S. Naval Academy before becoming head coach at Princeton in 1981. His other coaching duties included coach of the North team in the 1971 North-South Game and assistant coach for the 1978 USA World Team. He also was a member of the NCAA Lacrosse Committee.

Return to List