NEWARK, NJ—John “Gene” Schmid, who served with distinction as head coach of the baseball team at NJIT for 25 seasons (1973 to 1997) passed away on Saturday morning following an illness. The 2002 NJIT Athletic Hall of Fame inductee was 74 years old.
Schmid is the winningest coach in school history, having produced 393 career wins against 316 losses, with three ties. In addition to his coaching, he served NJIT for more than 20 years as the Director of Career Planning and Placement.
His coaching career began near the end of NJIT’s time in NAIA and he coached the program’s entire tenure in NCAA Division III from 1975 to 1997 (which was his final season).
In those days, the team generally played fewer than 30 games and never more than 37 games in a season. As a result, a 20-win season was a huge accomplishment and Coach Schmid's teams reached that plateau five times, including back-to-back twice (1981 and 1982, and again in 1990 and 1991). His 1996 team won a then-school record 21 games, when it finished 21-12.
The 1982 Highlanders finished 20-6 and captured the ECAC Metro NY/NJ Division III postseason title. NJIT later reached the ECAC finals in 1984 and 1988. In all, his teams qualified for ECAC postseason play following seven different seasons.
Under Schmid’s direction, NJIT won 10 championships in the old Independent Athletic Conference, including nine in an 11-season span from 1975 to 1985. The Highlanders also won the Skyline Conference in 1984.
Beyond the records and championships, Gene Schmid, as the coach for a quarter of a century, helped shape literally hundreds of young men who made their way through NJIT and then into their adult lives.
Funeral arrangements are as follows:
Stephen J. Priola Parsippany Funeral Service
60 North Beverwyck Road
Lake Hiawatha, NJ 07034
www.parsippanyfuneral.com
Viewing: Monday (6/14) 7 pm to 9 pm; Tuesday (6/15) 2 pm to 4 pm and 7 pm to 9 pm
Funeral Mass: St. Peter the Apostle Church, 179 Baldwin Road, Parsippany, NJ 07054
Mass at 9:30 am, Wednesday (6/16)
Burial at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, 225 Ridgedale Ave., East Hanover, NJ