Robert Schermerhorn (1943 – April 23, 2018) was an American

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

coach. Schermerhorn came from

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 United S ...

and played for church leagues but did not make varsity at

South Bend Central High School South Bend Community School Corporation (SBCSC), located in South Bend, Indiana, is St. Joseph County's oldest and largest school corporation, and the fifth largest in the state. They have 30 schools and seven support facilities in a geographic ...

. After high school, he joined the Marines and served in Vietnam, playing basketball in the jungle and improvising a court. He walked onto the basketball team at

Orange Coast College Orange Coast College (OCC) is a public community college in Costa Mesa in Orange County, California. It was founded in 1947, with its first classes opening in the fall of 1948. It provides Associate of Art and Associate of Science degrees, cert ...

in 1968 and seldom played, but impressed coach Herb Livesay with his knowledge of the game and Livesay set him up with basketball camps during the summer. Schermerhorn became head coach at Canyon High School in 1974 and coached for four seasons. He coached at

Chaffey College Chaffey College is a public community college in Rancho Cucamonga, California. The college serves students in Chino, Chino Hills, Fontana, Montclair, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga and Upland. It is the oldest community college in California. History ...

until 1980, when it ceased its basketball program. From 1980 to 1983, Schermerhorn served as assistant coach at

UC Irvine UC may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''University Challenge'', a popular British quiz programme airing on BBC Two ** '' University Challenge (New Zealand)'', the New Zealand version of the British programme * Universal Century, one of the ti ...

under Bill Mulligan, where he helped develop the talents of Kevin Magee. In 1983, he became head coach at

Southern Utah Southern Utah University (SUU) is a public university in Cedar City, Utah. Founded in 1897 as a normal school, Southern Utah University now graduates over 1,800 students each year with baccalaureate and graduate degrees from its six colleges. ...

, serving until he accepted an assistant position at

Arizona State Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

in 1987. In 1989, he became the interim coach at Arizona State after Steve Patterson resigned under pressure. Schermerhorn guided the team to a 2–7 record but had an upset of

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

. He was not retained when the administration wanted a big name coach. Schermerhorn accepted the head coaching job at

Riverside City College Riverside City College (RCC) is a public community college in Riverside, California. The college is part of the Riverside Community College District, as well as the larger California Community Colleges System. History RCC first opened in 1916 at ...

, where he went 17–16 his first season. By his fourth season, the team won 30 games. He was selected as the

Orange Empire Conference Orange Empire Conference (OEC) is a community college athletic conference in Orange County, California. Member institutions and the OEC are governed by the California Community College Athletic Association. Commissioner *John Keever Member Insti ...

(OEC) Coach of the Year in 1994 and 1996. By the end of his tenure in 1998, he had guided the team to a 225–98 record, becoming the second winningest coach in school history. He took over as the school's athletic director and was inducted into the California Community College Men's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003. When Schermerhorn retired in 2005, he took over as the coach at

Fullerton College Fullerton College (FC) is a Public college, public community college in Fullerton, California. The college is part of the California Community Colleges System and the North Orange County Community College District. Established in 1913, it is the ...

for a season, then became the athletic director at

Santa Ana College Santa Ana College is a public community college in Santa Ana, California. History In 1915, Santa Ana Junior College opened its doors to 25 students as a department of Santa Ana High School. It was the second community college founded in Orange ...

until 2010. He coached for three seasons at

Holy Cross College (Indiana) Holy Cross College is a private, Catholic, co-educational, residential institution of higher education administered by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross in Notre Dame, Indiana. The college was founded by the Holy Cross Brothers in 1966. ...

and led the team to 32 wins and their first

Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference The Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Its 14 members are located in the Midwestern United States. In many sports, the ...

post-season tournament victory in 2012 before retiring the following year. On April 23, 2018, Schermerhorn died of a heart attack after coming back from a doctor's appointment.

References

External links

Coaching record @ sports-reference.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schermerhorn, Bob 1943 births 2018 deaths American men's basketball coaches Arizona State Sun Devils men's basketball coaches Basketball coaches from Indiana College men's basketball head coaches in the United States High school basketball coaches in the United States Junior college men's basketball coaches in the United States Southern Utah Thunderbirds men's basketball coaches UC Irvine Anteaters men's basketball coaches Basketball players from South Bend, Indiana