Schulte Honored for Grid Work

Delphos Ohio Herald
October 12, 2006
by JIM METCALFE

ST. MARYS — There are moments in life that cause us to step back and look at our past.

Delphos native Scott Schulte had one of those chances on Sept. 23 when he became the youngest member ever to enter the Hillsdale College Athletic Hall of Fame during an induction reception and dinner held at the Dow Center on the college’s campus.

Dr. Larry Arn, president of Hillsdale College, introduced the inductees, along with Tony Flynn, who was master of ceremonies.

“Scott is perhaps the finest running back to ever wear the Charger blue. He had the amazing ability to turn a play that looked like a disaster in the backfield into a game-changing breakaway to the end zone,” Flynn said. “Scott set records at Hillsdale that will be very tough for anyone to break. He has nearly twice as many rushing yards as anyone in school history, finishing his incredible career in 1993 with 4,495 yards on the ground. He holds three of the top five single-season rushing totals, with a high of 1,582 yards in 1992, the most by any Hillsdale running back in its history.”

Flynn also recounted Schulte’s other accolades: a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics All-American in 1992 and 1993; Michigan Intercollegiate Football Conference Player of the Year in 1992 and 1993; and a Harlon Hill Trophy candidate in 1993.

He also holds the school record for rushing attempts in a season with 300 in 1993.

He signed as a free agent for the Miami Dolphins in 1993 before being a victim in one of the team’s final cuts. He also was cut from Saskatchewan of the Canadian Football League before hanging up the cleats.

Enshrinement ceremonies were conducted at halftime of the Hillsdale and Ferris State game.

For Schulte, the whole event brought closure to his athletic career.

“It was a great honor to be inducted. To be on that turf again and hear the cheers one more time was a special moment,” Schulte began. “It brought back a lot of memories: to be able to go to a school that is as well-respected as Hillsdale, that has a long tradition in college football. I think at one time not too long ago, it was the winningest program in Division II because of men like Muddy Waters, who just passed away. There were expectations when I went there and to be a part of that tradition is fulfilling.”

The ceremony made the 1989 St. John’s graduate reflect on his playing days even in high school.

“When I was at St. John’s, we had had a couple of good years a few years before but we struggled my first two years. My junior year, we went 6-4 and to be part of the beginnings of what you see now is great; I take a lot of pride in that and what’s gone on since at the school,” he continued. “At Hillsdale, I stepped into a great tradition that was well-established and I hope I was part of keeping it going. I get a feeling of pride when I think about it.

“Sure, I didn’t accomplish everything I wanted — I would have liked to have played pro ball — but as I look back now, I see I did accomplish a lot; so much of it was off the field. The friendships, the people that I met along the way, made it all the more special. I feel very fortunate to have attended the places I did and to have known the people I did.”

As he enters his seventh year of coaching football at St. Marys Memorial, he hopes he can pass on his experiences to those he mentors.

“I try to apply what I’ve learned from the coaches I’ve played under to today’s players. I know what it’s like to work hard and get to a certain level; that never changes,” he added.

His brother, Todd, who followed him to Hillsdale and is currently the head football coach at St. John’s, felt he had a good teacher in his older brother.

“I was three years behind him and I tried to follow in his footsteps. He led by example on and off the field, whether in the weight room or agilities or sprints; whatever he had to do, he did it,” the younger Schulte began. “I saw first-hand what hard work can do. He taught me all his secrets at St. John’s and at Hillsdale and he had a pretty good career.

“It was special for all of us when he got inducted into the Hall. He set a lot of school records and he was very deserving of that honor.