Richard Schmidt Announces Retirement as Men's Basketball Coach
TAMPA, Fla. - Following 40 seasons at the helm of the University of Tampa men's basketball program, head coach Richard Schmidt has announced his retirement. Richard Schmidt Retirement Photos
Watch Schmidt's Retirement Speech
Watch Schmidt's Embrace With Fellow Coaches/Spartan Players
The all-time winningest coach in program history, Schmidt has served as the only head coach in program history since the University brought basketball back in the 1983-84 season. He led the Spartans to several historical feats, most notably a 67-62 victory over North Carolina State on December 27, 1986 at the Martinez Center. He also led his 2001 Spartans to the NCAA national semifinals, falling in overtime to the eventual national champions.
Schmidt has led the Spartans to a total of 31 winning seasons. The UT Athletic Hall of Fame induction in October 2004 has compiled a school record of 714-422 (.629) with a 321-261 (.552) record in the Sunshine State Conference. Before Schmidt's arrival, UT basketball posted a 207-315 record (.397). Overall, Schmidt owns an all-time overall record of 742-449 (.623).
Schmidt concluded the 2022-23 season as one of the winningest coaches in the nation. He ranks eighth among winningest active coaches across NCAA divisions, as he is 35th on the all-time wins list for all divisions.
Winning his milestone 700th career game in 2018, Schmidt became just the third active coach in NCAA Division II to accomplish the feat as he also became the eighth coach in D2 history to reach 700 wins.
Schmidt became the fourth active NCAA Division II coach and 12th overall to reach 600 victories as his Spartans defeated the University of Puerto Rico-Bayamon by a 53-44 score on Nov. 26, 2011, in a game played at Eckerd College. He notched his 600th Spartan victory during the 2013-14 season with a 64-49 triumph again at Eckerd.
While serving as the head coach at Vanderbilt for two seasons from 1979-81, Schmidt guided the Commodores to a sixth-place finish in the SEC in his first season. Highlighting his rookie season campaign were victories over LSU, Auburn, Florida, Mississippi State and Georgia. In his second season at Vanderbilt, Schmidt led his team to a 60-55 victory over Kentucky in the SEC Tournament before falling in the SEC Finals to Mississippi State. The 1980-81 season featured victories over notable opponents including Iowa State, Memphis, Alabama, Georgia, Auburn and Florida.
Schmidt came to Tampa in 1982 to resurrect a program that had been dormant for 13 years. His first season (1983-84), he took a starting lineup of one junior and four freshmen and won the Sunshine State Conference tournament and the accompanying bid to the NCAA Division II tournament, en route to a 20-11 season. It was the first time in NCAA history that a first-year team (in any division) made the national tournament. His teams have made 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, including the 2001 season, when he guided Tampa to the NCAA Final Four, where the Spartans fell to national champion Kentucky Wesleyan by one-point in overtime. The following season, in 2001-02, Schmidt guided his team to a 26-3 overall record while tying his school record for victories in a season with the 1986-87 and 1989-90 squads.
Under Schmidt's direction the Spartans have finished first or second in the SSC all but nine years. He was voted South Region Coach of the Year following the 1985-86 season and was named the Sunshine State Conference Coach of the Year in 1986, 1989, 1990, 1993, 2000, and 2002. In 2010-11, Schmidt guided Tampa to the best start in program history, as the squad won its first 16 games.
Among the outstanding players who have adorned Tampa's red, black and gold under Schmidt are the 2008 SSC Player of the Year Jeremy Black, 2006 SSC Player-of-the-Year and all-time career assist leader Mark Borders, 2002 SSC Player of the Year Jon Brown, 1998 SSC Player of the Year Tamari Thompson, 1995 SSC Player of the Year Idris Mays, three-time All-American and two-time Division II Player of the Year Todd Linder, NBA veteran Nate Johnston, two-time All-American and NCAA record holder Bryan Williams and SSC scoring champions Drexel and DeCarlo Deveaux, the latter also a two-time All-American and SSC Player of the Year.