Slow Motion Replay: The late Bob Schneider could orchestrate an attack and diagram a sentence with equal alacrity @TBredsFB, @NKyTribune, @minguabeefjerky, @bigassfans, @CountyMustangs, @KyHighFootball, @khsaafootball, @EddieEviston

The late, great high school football coach from Newport Central Catholic taught English 50-years

Bob Schneider grew up in Dayton, KY. Schneider was hired at Newport Catholic (now Newport Central Catholic) in 1966 and compiled a record of 345-183-2 including titles in 1984, 2005, and 2006. Schneider’s Thoroughbreds were state runners-up six times and won its region nine (9) times. Schneider ranks sixth (6th) in all time wins now, but was the all-time wins leader when he stepped down at the age of 72 in 2009. Schneider coached 44-years in all. You should have seen the man diagram a sentence.

HB Lyon, Scouting Director, “KPGFootball”

Newport, KY: Much of what exists about the life and career of Bob Schneider may be accessed online owing to our friends at the NKyTribune. Here is a link to an excellent article which comprised the bulk of the information for this feature.

We want to start by saying we have never been any more anxious nor nervous about writing a feature since coming online nearly a decade ago. You see, Bob Schneider being among the greatest HS coaches in history is one thing. The fact he taught English for nearly 50-years is quite the other.

You may bet we will be editing the crap out of this piece. Hopefully, none of what we write here, nor its structure, will do injury to the memory of a great coach, teacher, AD, and administrator.

First of all, Schneider was a Catholic, through and through. Schneider attended St. Bernard Elementary in Dayton, Kentucky. Schneider graduated from Newport Catholic in 1955.

Schneider did his undergraduate work at Villa Madonna, now Thomas More University. Schneider began his teaching career at Covington Catholic in 1959. Scheider earned his Rank 1 Superintendent’s Certificate from Xavier University.

Schneider compiled a career record of 345-183-2, including state championships in 1984, 2005 and 2006. Schneider also led the Thoroughbreds to six state runner-up finishes and nine (9) region titles.

Scheider’s 345 wins ranks sixth in Kentucky football history presently. Schneider was first in all-time wins when he retired in 2009.

One of Schneider’s pupils, Eddie Eviston, is the coach at Covington Catholic. In an interview Eviston gave online, Eviston said “Coach had the ability to see the ‘big picture’ and he instilled [it] in all of us…the idea that the foundations upon which we build our teams and our personal lives are really what matters.”

Eviston wasn’t finished when it came to his mentor. Eviston went on to allow, “The X’s and O’s of football were important at that time, but the characteristics of teamwork, commitment, hard work, service, and, above all, faith were the true building blocks that would live on past high school.”

When Schneider took over at Newport Catholic, the football team had won 64-games in its program history. That averaged around a win and a half per season.

Schneider turned that bus right around. By 2009, when Schneider was forced to retire after heart health issues caused him to miss the state playoffs, Schneider left the game its all-time wins leader with 345-wins.

Schneider was enshrined into the Northern Kentucky High School Sports Hall of Fame in 1991. Schneider was enshrined in the KHSAA Hall of Fame in 2006.

The Northern Kentucky Football Coaches Association named their Coach of the Year Award in his honor. Really can’t be a finer tribute.

At the time of Schneider’s passing, Ron Dawn, Newport Catholic principal may have given Coach Schneider an even finer tribute. Dawn was quoted as saying, at the time, “Alums have expressed sentiments of gratitude and appreciation to Bob for teaching them the life lessons of hard work, sacrifice, dedication, motivation, how to win, and how to lose gracefully, how to be a good man, teammate and friend.”

Like Coach Eviston said, “Coach [Schneider] provided us this foundation that we all continue to build upon in our lives, and as most legends do. Coach will continue to live on as a part of all of us who he coached.”

This isn’t our first installment of our “Slow Motion Replay” series. If we haven’t gotten to the legend who greatly shaped your life and fortunes, be patient, I am sure we will eventually get there. That aside, you should start noticing a pattern here.

You see, if Coach Schneider’s life and career taught anything at all, it taught there are no short-cuts to victory or success. Football, like life, will require quite a lot from you.

All the legends preach, even over scheme and formation, certain characteristics. Schneider was no different, except his grammar and syntax were probably superior.

Teamwork, commitment, hard work, service, and, above all, faith are the building blocks which continue to live in the heart and lives of the men and women affected by Coach Schneider’s athletic and academic roles.

These attributes live on past high school. One of Coach Schneider’s progenies, the AD who succeeded Schneider at Newport Catholic, Jeff Schulkens, once said, “Coach Schneider was respected as an outstanding football coach and high school Athletic Director, not only in Northern Kentucky, but throughout the [commonwealth] of Kentucky. Coach Schneider gave me my start…it has been a great honor to follow in his footsteps…”

In this series, we aren’t merely writing about football coaches. We are writing about the men who both molded and shaped lives, molded and shaped the trajectory of this commonwealth, and men who deserve to be forever remembered and celebrated on the pages of this digital format.

These men are heroes. These men are our best. Bob Schneider fits the bill mighty well.

This is Friday Night Fletch, reporting for KPGFootball, reminding you to PLAY THROUGH THE WHISTLE!

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