Ed Schneider
Men's Track & Field/Cross Country Student-Athlete/Coach
Truman (1961-64, 1974-2005)
Schneider was a three-time all-American in cross country with three top-10 finishes, including the 1964 individual national championship. He led his team to a second place national finish that season. Schneider was a member of four straight MIAA championship teams, was the individual conference champion three consecutive seasons, and is only one of three individuals all-time to win three-straight conference meets (Ron Werling – Truman 65-67 and Mark Curp (78-80).
Schneider earned all-America honors for track in the spring of 1964 after placing second in the mile run at the NCAA championships. He still holds the Truman indoor record in the mile run (4:10.2) and the outdoor 1,500 meter run 3:46.8.
Schneider returned to Truman in 1974 to coach the cross country team and assist Kenny Gardner with the Track & Field squad. His teams won four MIAA titles (1983, 1992, 1994, 2001) and three regional titles during his 31 year tenure. Fifteen times Schneider either had a team or an individual at the NCAA Division II Cross Country championships, with back to back third-place national finishes in 1994 and 1995.
Schneider took over for Gardner on the track & field side in 1982 and coached Truman’s Ray Armstead, a 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist in the 4x400-meter relay. The only national individual champion under Schneider’s direction was James Walton in the Long Jump in 2004, with a runner-up showing in 2005.
Schneider retired from coaching in December of 2005 and is still an active runner in the community. Schneider was a four-time MIAA Cross Country Coach of the Year and was twice named the MIAA Track & Field Coach of the Year.
He has been inducted in three Halls of Fame: the Truman Athletics Hall of Fame in 1986, The Division II Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2000, and the Missouri Track & Field & Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2002. Schneider was the honorary referee for the 1988 Drake Relays.