CINCINNATI — The University of Cincinnati is mourning the loss of legendary track and field coach Bill Schnier, who died Saturday at the age of 80.
Schnier led the Bearcats track and field program from 1980 to 2013, building one of the most successful coaching careers in any sport in UC history.
During his 33-year tenure, Schnier coached:
- 136 individual conference champions
- 25 NCAA national championship meet qualifiers
- 10 All-Americans
- Two Olympic medalists.
Among his other accomplishments:
- 15-time conference coach of the year
- Two-time Ohio Cross Country Coach of the Year
- Conference USA Coach of the Decade in both cross country and track and field.
- 12 conference titles
- 47 school records set during his time at UC
- UC’s Kelly Hall of Fame 2012 Inductee
Read more about his accomplishments from University of Cincinnati leaders by clicking here.
“Father Figure”
Former student-athlete Kasey Kist, who ran under Schnier from 1995-2005, remembers him as a father figure whose lessons remain influential today.
"One of them was, you know, you got to get comfortable being uncomfortable," Kist said. "Whether it's in the classroom or other situations in life, you're going to be uncomfortable sometimes, but just get used to it and adapt to it."
Watch our conversation with a former student athlete who is now a coach himself:
Kist, now a cross-country coach himself, continues to pass Schnier's wisdom to a new generation of athletes.
"Now, I want the kids to know that we're going to get better at running, but we're also going to be better people as a result of being part of this great sport," Kist said.
Kist remembers his coach as funny, yet straightforward and honest. He recalls how Schnier would write a summary of each meet (called "The Bear Tracks") and hold the commentary of how the team did from his perspective. For Kist, it would be a motivator to do better.
"He didn't pull any punches with you. He was honest, but he was fair. He was truly like a father figure, and that's kind of how I try to lead my programs now," Kist said.
Mentor Coach
Even in retirement, Schnier continued to make an impact by volunteering as a mentor coach at Aiken High School's cross-country program.
In 2017, as the program was getting off the ground, Schnier reached out to educator and coach Aaron Parker about informally helping.
"He showed up for practice, he showed up for our meets, he showed up for our end of year celebrations," Parker said. "He was present at every turn."
"He was also just very influential in inspiring our students to really be the best that they could possibly be and find the strengths that maybe they didn't even know about," Parker said.
The legendary UC coach volunteered his time on and off the track, inviting students who were recent immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees to share their story at his church in Mount Healthy.
The Aiken High School coach also said Schnier inspired students to consider attending college or even running in college.
"He wanted to help kids get to that next level in terms of, you know, their self-confidence and their self-efficacy," Parker said, adding that it made an impact on getting students to high school graduation.
"Whether they're running in college or they're not running in college, our kids learned lessons from Mr. Schnier that prepared them for those next steps," Parker said.
When asked about Schnier's legacy, Parker had a simple answer:
"His legacy is compassion and community, his willingness to give and to share," Parker said. "Be prepared to go that extra step. And when you do that, people respond with greatness."
Watch the retirement video University of Cincinnati athletics made for Coach Schnier in 2013:
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