Former Robert Morris Head Coach Ends Storied Career Back in Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH — When St. Bonaventure walked off of the court at PPG Paints Arena after the Bonnies’ loss in the quarterfinal round of the Atlantic-10 Tournament, it marked the end of the Mark Schmidt era as the 25-year veteran of the business is set for retirement.

The city of Pittsburgh, and the surrounding areas, have played a major role in Schmidt’s life despite the facts that he is a Massachusetts native at heart and has been an honorable Orlean resident for the last 19 years of his life.

Pittsburgh, well rather Moon Township, is where Schmidt started his head coaching career way back in 2001 when he accepted the job at Robert Morris. He coached his first ever college basketball game just minutes from PPG Paints Arena when the Colonials faced off against Pitt at the Fitzgerald Fieldhouse in Oakland to start the 2001-02 season.

Schmidt even married a yinzer, though he did not meet his wife Anita, during his time at Robert Morris. Long story short, Schmidt has experienced a couple of circle-of-life moments in his final season at the helm of St. Bonaventure.

Earlier this season, Schmidt led his team to a tough 75-61 win over Robert Morris in a game played in Orlean and then coached his final ever college basketball game back in the place where it all started as this year’s Atlantic-10 Tournament returned to the city of Pittsburgh.

“It’s funny how life works,” Schmidt said after his final ever game as St. Bonaventure’s head coach. “I took my first job at Robert Morris and was there for six years… It’s really funny how things work out but I love Pittsburgh. You look at it, it’s kind of eerie to begin and end in the same place.”

Former St. Bonaventure and Robert Morris head coach Mark Schmidt during the A-10 Tournament at the PPG Paints Arena — Ed Thompson // Pittsburgh Sports Now

When Schmidt took over at Robert Morris, he was coming off of a handful of years of being a top assistant coach at Xavier and was still learning the ins-and-outs of being a head coach.

That led to his six seasons that he spent at Robert Morris being average at best as the Colonials went a combined 82-90 over his tenure and never won more than 17 games which happened only once when the program went 17-11 in Schmidt’s final season at the school.

But, on the same hand, it was those first six seasons that he spent leading the Colonials that taught him what he needed to know from a coaching perspective to not only go onto coach for another 19 seasons but also to turn the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball program into a storied and intregral member of the Atlantic-10 Conference.

“I think that the Robert Morris experience really taught me,” Schmidt said. “If I didn’t have Robert Morris, I would have failed at Bonaventure so it made me a better coach.”

While Schmidt’s final season did not go according to plan as the Bonnies finished the season with a 17-17 record, he surely did not fail during his post-Robert Morris days. Rather he shined bright in arguably the nation’s toughest mid-major conference for nearly two decades.

Since his arrival to St. Bonaventure in 2007, Schmidt led the Bonnies to 341 total victories, the most ever for a head coach in program history, three NCAA Tournament appearances, the program’s first NCAA Tournament win since 1970. He also won A-10 Coach of the Year twice during his 19 seasons at the school.

Now, Schmidt is exiting the college basketball landscape on his own account and is looking forward to drinking some beer, playing golf and most importantly, spending his time with his family which is something that has passed him by for the most part over the last 25-plus years.

“Every year, my wife and I have 13 step kids and the crazy thing about this business, sometimes you spend more time with your step kids than you do with your own three boys and that’s why retirement can’t come soon enough,” Schmidt said. “In the end, when you’re 63-years old, I don’t want to be in a wheelchair getting pushed around Cape Cod.”

Former St. Bonaventure and Robert Morris head coach Mark Schmidt during the A-10 Tournament at the PPG Paints Arena — Ed Thompson // Pittsburgh Sports Now