Schmid steps down as football coach
After the clock hit triple zeros at AT&T Stadium in Arlington and people began to flood the field, Mark Schmid and his son, Eric, shared a special moment following their final game together as the head coach and starting quarterback for The Woodlands High School.
With the bright stadium lights illuminating the stage for the Class 6A Division I state title game, the father and son embraced each other. It had been a memorable and historic season for the Highlanders, who lost to powerhouse Lake Travis on that night in December of 2016.
Moments like that are what Schmid will cherish the most as he moves to the next chapter of his life. After three decades with the Highlanders, including the past 14 years as the head coach and campus athletic director, Schmid confirmed Thursday, Jan. 18, that he has stepped down from his position.
Schmid informed his coaching staff about the move in the morning and told his players later in
the day during the athletic period. He said he has received nothing but understanding, support and well wishes from both.
“It was not an easy decision,” Schmid said. “It’s one that I put a whole lot of thought into with conversations with my family. It’s one that we felt like now was a good time to do it. I’ve been here for 30 years, and it’s been a great career. I’ve done a lot of things in terms of roles that I’ve played in the Highlander football program. I came here in 1988, coached freshman football and ended my career as the head coach, so there’s a lot of great memories here.”
Schmid said his decision to walk away was based on the circumstances surrounding his family. He commutes about an hour and a half to work every day from Brenham, where he lives with his wife of 35 years, Sheryl. Eric is now playing college football at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, and his daughter, Zoe, and her husband and daughter live even further away in South Texas.
As far as coaching goes, Schmid said there is a possibility of him signing on at a different school. It would have to be the right situation, however, and if nothing arises that works with the current dynamic of his family, he plans to retire.
“It’s just one of those situations where I tried to make a decision so that our life would make better sense and to be available for all those people,” Schmid said.
During his tenure with the Highlanders, Schmid has accomplished a great deal on the field. His teams have qualified for the UIL playoffs in all of his seasons at the helm and have won nine district championships, all of those coming over the past 10 years.
Schmid has an overall coaching record of 125-41 at The Woodlands, which includes a 72-10 mark in district games. He guided the program to 15 postseason victories, including five during the team’s run to the state championship game two seasons ago. The Highlanders have reached double-digit wins in six years under his watch and have produced three undefeated regular seasons.
The Woodlands finished 7-2 this past season, falling to Rockwall in the bi-district playoffs after capturing the outright District 12-6A crown.
Schmid graduated from McCullough High School in 1980 and was an all-district linebacker for the Highlanders long before The Woodlands High School opened its doors in 1996. As he put it, “Red and green is in my blood, and it always will be.”
While Schmid is proud of the winning pedigree he and his staff have continued to cultivate over the years, there are other things that stand out to him as well.
He mentioned his players coming back to visit 20 years later with families of their own; young kids that he coached going on to play at the college and NFL levels, such as Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola and Saints running back Daniel Lasco; and of course, being able to coach Eric and be a part of the 2016 season that could have come straight from a story book.
“It’s been incredible,” Schmid said. “I’ve seen it grow from a small, at one time, a 4A school as McCullough High School was, into this giant 6A over the past 30 years, and I’ve been a part of it. … Just the experience of being a part of this whole culture that we have here in The Woodlands is truly a wonderful experience.
“We’ve had wonderful kids, the parents are super supportive, the community has wrapped its arms around us, and it’s just a great place to coach and have a career.”