Darren Schneider was announced as the new men’s track and field coach at Texas A&M University-Commerce at a press conference at 2 p.m. Oct. 7.
A&M-Commerce President Dr. Dan Jones and athletic director Carlton Cooper announced the decision at the Sam Rayburn Student Center.
“We want to build a winning program at A&M Commerce,” Jones said. ” I think Schneider is the coach that can help us do that.” Cooper interviewed several coaches, but decided on Schneider.
“We have found a coach with the experience at the national level who cares about student athletes,” Cooper said. “We didn’t get a person, but a team.”
Schneider was the men’s track and field coach at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater before coming to A&M-Commerce. He has proven he can take a program to the top as he guided UW-Whitewater to 17 top-20 national meet finishes in indoor and outdoor compettions. Schneider also led UW-Whitewater to their highest indoor national finish in school history when they placed second in 2004.
Schneider is also known as a great recruiter. While he was at UW-Whitewater, 92 of his student-athletes earned All-American honors, and nine of them captured individual Division III national championships. He was also named the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2002 and 2007.
Between 1996 and 1999, Schneider was the head coach at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. He also spent time with Truman State University and was an assisant coach at Oklahoma State University.
Before working at the collegiate level, Schneider coached at Knox County High School in Edina, Mo., and Lafayette High School in St. Louis, Mo.
The main reason Schneider said he came to A&M-Commerce was because of the school’s love for track.
“Track means as much to the school as football and basketball,” Schneider said. ” That’s very rare to find a school like that, so I know I was meant to be here.”
Schneider said he intends to make an immediate impact at A&M-Commerce, and he hopes to build on the positive results of those before him.
“I want to recapture the success of the past,” Scheider said. ” My main goal here is to win the conference and a national title as well as help the students graduate.”Schneider said he plans to use recruiting to bring a championship banner to A&M-Commerce.
“There are three things I look for in a student-athlete,” Schneider said. “They have to be a good student, good person, and best athlete. I will need a full roster- sprinters, throwers, jumpers, everything.”