SAN JOSE, Calif. – Bill Schmidt knows the power of a good plan.
The former San Jose State pitcher and business school alum built one of the largest transportation and logistics companies on the West Coast.
Now he's ready to help build a new practice facility for the Spartan baseball team with a $100,000 gift to the project.
Schmidt was a standout ballplayer at Petaluma High School and had some scholarship offers from Pac-8 programs like Oregon and Cal, but he decided to stay at home, attend a junior college for a year, and do some more research.
He knew he wanted to get into corporate management and transportation and San Jose State was one of the only universities at the time offering classes in that field.
"They call it logistics now, but back then that word hadn't been invented yet," Schmidt laughed. "I really liked the business program at San Jose State, they were one of the few schools that had the logistics classes I was looking for. I had a friend going to school there too and he loved it. All that, plus a chance to keep playing baseball, it was perfect."
His plan was coming together.
Schmidt started as a reliever for the Spartans in 1964 before quickly moving to the rotation. He was the Spartans' opening day starter in 1965 but suffered an injury. Schmidt bounced back as a senior in 1966, with three shutouts and a team-best 3.28 ERA.
"I had a great experience at San Jose State," Schmidt recalled. "I felt so proud to graduate from the business school there. The Dean, Dr. Jack Holland, I had a couple classes with him, he was a big baseball fan. I would see him in the stands sometimes, cheering us on. When I graduated, he wrote a wonderful recommendation letter for me. I think that was one of those things that helped me get where I am."
After graduation he entered the management training program with the Western Pacific Railroad and over the next 15 years, worked his way up to assistant vice president at the company.
In 1980, Schmidt branched out on his own. He had seen the growth of intermodal freight transportation – containers that can be easily loaded on to ships, trains and trucks for business shipping needs – and decided that was the future for his business. Schmidt owned and operated the West Coast regional operations for Hub City Terminals, which eventually went public in 1996 as the Hub Group and allowed him to retire in 1998.
Throughout the years, Schmidt kept an eye on his alma mater and the baseball program.
"I've supported the baseball team for a number of years through the Spartan Foundation," Schmidt recalled. "I live in Arizona now but I follow the team from a distance through the web site. I've kept tabs on the South Campus building plan and the baseball practice field. I saw the momentum the project has had recently and wanted to keep it moving toward completion."
As he has done throughout his life, Schmidt wanted to do some research before making his donation. After a meeting and conversation with head coach Brad Sanfilippo, he realized the Spartans have a great plan in place for the future.
"I'm so impressed with coach Sanfilippo, with his goals and how he wants to reach those goals," Schmidt said. "The care that he has for his players, not only on the field but in the classroom as well, I was really impressed."
"I'm so proud my family can help make an impact for these student-athletes," Schmidt added. "Playing baseball and studying at San Jose State created such a solid foundation for me and it can do the same for many more Spartans."