By Christine Cerny & Bill Spruytte
Manfred Schmidt, affably known as Coach Manny throughout Lapeer, will be honored on Friday, April 11, beginning at 7:30 p.m. at Lightning Rounds for half a century of devotion to Lapeer High School athletes.
After graduating from Western Michigan in 1972, Mr. Schmidt began teaching English at Lapeer High School on Millville Road.
“I knew all my life I wanted to be a teacher and a coach,” said Schmidt.
In the spring of 1974, his goal became a reality when an assistant track coach position became available, and he has been consistently coaching ever since.
Over the decades, he has coached his children (Corinne and Jennifer) at Lapeer East and grandchildren (Morgan, Mason, and Colton) at the current Lapeer High School. His wife Val kept the stats for Lapeer East track for years. Remarkably, he is now on his third generation of Lapeer community athletes through the track and field program.
“I’ve coached a lot of kids and grandkids of early students in Lapeer," he said.
Through the years, he has seen dozens of his Lapeer athletes go on to compete at the collegiate level, and many still hold records at their respective colleges and universities.
Schmidt has witnessed technological upgrades throughout his tenure.
“I remember watching eight people huddled on steps at the track finish line, each with their own stopwatch, hoping we were getting the most accurate times," said Schmidt. "Now we have digital timing systems and cameras at the finish.”
In addition to track, Schmidt has coached cross country for over 20 years, middle school basketball for six years, JV football for five years, and served as a referee for basketball for over 30 years.
When asked about one of his proudest coaching moments, Coach Manny said, “I’m always hesitant because it’s like picking which one of your kids is your favorite.”
He did recall being quite proud of helping to start the girls cross country team at Lapeer East High School in the 1990s.
“We had to go to the school board and pitch why the girls deserved an official team and not a club," he remembered. His girls cross country team would later win back-to-back Flint Metro League championships in 1996 and 1997 and qualify for the Michigan State Finals in 2009.
While it’s true that Manny has made quite the impact on student athletes in Lapeer, there are also several others that have been fortunate to work with him.
“I got to know Manny when I was a first-year teacher,” says Bill Spruytte, current LHS teacher and coach. “As someone from outside of Lapeer, I leaned on Manny to help show me the ropes of the district. He mentored me on how to work with student-athletes and gave me a few tips and tricks for how to survive the daily grind of the classroom. Years later, I am lucky to continue learning from Manny as we continue to coach both track and cross country together.”
“I first got to know Manny when I coached against him as a coach for Brown City and Lapeer West," added Russ Reitz. “He always fielded very competitive teams, and you could see that his athletes really enjoyed running for him. Today, I am lucky to be able to coach with him instead of against him. Manny not only brings a lot of knowledge and experience to our teams, but he also brings a lot of kindness. He is genuinely one of the kindest people I know. He is always willing to go the extra mile for his athletes and fellow coaches. We are very lucky to have him be a part of our track and cross country programs.”
“Manny has been a staple of Lapeer Athletics through many different renditions over the years,” says Lapeer athletic director Shad Spilski. “His willingness to help student athletes grow and achieve their goals is all he wants out of his athletes. Manny spends, and has spent, countless hours over several decades providing athletes multiple opportunities to hone their skills. He not only coaches, but he is one of Lapeer athletes’ biggest fans and supporters. You will always find him at other sporting events cheering on athletes and his coaching colleagues. He truly is Lapeer through and through.”
Coach Manny and his wife of nearly 52 years, Val, retired from teaching in 2003, but Manny wanted to keep coaching. When asked when he was going to retire, Schmidt said, “I look forward to coaching every day. I just love it, and I’ll keep doing it as long as I can.”
If you were a student athlete or parent who was influenced by Coach Manny, please come shake his hand, share a story, and honor the man who has dedicated five decades to our community.
Anyone that is unable to attend the gathering but would still like to reach out to Manny may mail items to the following address:
Manny Schmidt
C/O Bill Spruytte and Lapeer High School
933 S. Saginaw St.
Lapeer, MI 48446