Bill Schnier
	Position: Head Men's Cross Country Coach Alma Mater: Capital '66

Since Bill Schnier's arrival at the University of Cincinnati 24 years ago, the Bearcat track and field program has progressed into one of the most competitive in the country.

The excellence is shown in the form of Schnier's 155-61 career record. Since joining Conference USA eight years ago, the Bearcats have claimed the 1995 and 1996 men's cross country titles as well as the 1996 and 2001 men's outdoor track crowns. For his efforts, Schnier was named the Conference USA Coach of the Year all four times.

UC added women's track in 1996 and in just three years, Schnier led the Bearcats to a best-ever fourth place finish at the C-USA indoor championship in 1999. He also garnered two third place finishes in cross country in 1998 and 1999. Last year he turned the reigns of the women's program over to longtime assistant Jim Schnur.

Schnier's dedication and hardwork has led to a myriad of honors and awards. Schnier was named the Great Midwest Coach of the Year following six of UC's seven conference championships and the Metro Conference Coach of the Year three times. He has coached four different athletes who claimed individual conference cross country titles and worked with eight athletes who qualified for the NCAA Track & Field Championships, including All-Americans Lewis Johnson in 1987, Chad Disbennett in 1994, and David Payne in 2003.

During Schnier's tenure as the Bearcats head coach, his teams have won conference titles 11 times and have placed no lower than third in any conference track championship since 1982. Of Schnier's athletes, 14 have won the prestigious Jimmy Nippert Award, honoring the most outstanding male senior student-athlete. He has also coached three winners of the Helen Norman Smith award, honoring the top female student-athlete.

A 1966 graduate of Capital University in Bexley, Ohio, Schnier played baseball for two years before switching to track and eventually setting the school's half-mile record which still stands. Schnier earned master's degrees from both Wright State and Indiana University in 1977 before earning his doctorate in human performance from Indiana in 1987. He taught history for eight years while coaching cross country and track and field at Trotwood Madison High in Trotwood, Ohio, before heading back to collegiate coaching, accepting an assistantship at Indiana.

Schnier is married to the former Kathy Henn. The couple has three children: Lorraine (24), Ellen (21) and Keller (19). Keller now runs for Cincinnati.