Ron Schultheiss admits that his heart sputtered a bit when he got the call. Never in his dreams did he imagine being in such select company. On June 19, Ron SchultheissSchultheiss’s name will be added to the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
“It took a day or two to sink in,” Schultheiss said. “To be selected by the Michigan High School Coaches Association members to carry this out, you have to be humble … it’s just a great honor.”
Schultheiss compiled a lot of victories over a 29-year career as a varsity coach at Charlotte High School — 577 of them to be exact. The wins came in track, wrestling, cross country, football and basketball and included a wrestling state championship in 1968, 14 conference championships, five district titles and eight regional titles. Those wins were crucial to earning this great distinction, but to Schultheiss, it was always about building relationships with young people.
“There is nothing like having practice and then when it’s over, just sitting around, spending time conversing with your athletes,” Schultheiss said. “You really get to know them. A win loss record is great, but like I always told the kids, ‘so we missed out on the championship. That’s a trophy that is going to sit somewhere and collect dust. It’s the memories that you carry with you that will always be there.’”
Schultheiss learned the important role coaches play in the lives of their student athletes long before he picked up his first whistle. He credits two role models in his life that had a direct affect on what turned out to be an illustrious high school coaching career — Mac Gobel and Lyle Bennett.
Aside from being rival coaches themselves at one time, the two coaches shared a common trait — the ability to connect with their players on a personal level. Schultheiss first learned of the kind of coach he wanted to become from Bennett, who was his college coach at Central Michigan University.
“That guy would have given the shirt off his back if needed,” he said. “I always tried to take that philosophy on if I could.”
When Schultheiss came to Charlotte in 1963 to coach track and cross country at the high school, he found a mentor in Gobel. From that point, he aspired to be the same kind of individual and coach he admired. He even set a goal to one day be inducted into the Michigan High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame, just like his mentor.
“Coach Gobel was an inspiration because he was a part of that,” Schultheiss said. “He was like a dad away from home.”
Taking a cue from Gobel, Schultheiss’ coaching philosophy centered on building strong relationships will all of his athletes. In 1998, he followed in the footsteps of his mentor when he was inducted into Michigan High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame, which is a prerequisite of making the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
“I think the best part is that you look back on your career and you hope that sharing your life with them was an inspiration to fulfill a good life for themselves,” Schultheiss said of the thousands of Charlotte High School students he has been able to work with throughout his career.
Schultheiss will be joined by fellow Michigan High School Coaches Association Hall of Famer, John Knuth at the June 19 induction ceremony in Rochester, Minn.
“John and Ron both are outstanding representatives of our state for this honor based on their outstanding coaching records first of all, and their outstanding character that they have shown throughout their coaching and teaching careers,” stated Rich Tompkins, MHSCA Executive Director, in a press release announcing the selections.