Suffern High School Class of 1966
During the 1960’s multiple sport athletes were more of the norm than the oddity. But multiple sport All County athletes were something special. Richard Schumacher was something special; a two time All County football player, a two time Rockland County heavyweight wrestling champion, plus a Section 9 champion and the All County catcher on Suffern’s Rockland County Championship baseball team. On that basis alone Rich should be considered for this prestigious honor. It’s hard to believe that his wrestling coach, Guy Guccione, could be right when he stated, “Many very good high school athletes don’t reach their full potential until college and beyond. Rich is clearly one of these athletes.” Coach Guccione was right about Schumacher; Rich went on to have an even more outstanding college and professional career.

As the product of the legendary Suffern High School wrestling program, Rich was recruited to wrestle at East Stroudsburg State College in Pennsylvania. During his four year career at East Stroudsburg State, Rich’s accomplishments were amazing. He won numerous collegiate tournaments including; the US Naval Academy Plebe Tournament, twice the East Stroudsburg Open, twice the Pennsylvania Conference Champion, and the Wilkes Open. During his sophomore year Rich had a dual meet record of 15-0, and finished with a three year varsity career overall record of 82-7-2, with 31 pins. In 1968, Rich placed 5th in the nation at the Division I NCAA wrestling tournament, earning him All American status. In 1969 he was a college All American, placing 4th in the NCAA College division at heavy- weight. In 1970, Rich won the College Division Championship in the heavyweight class, and placed 5th in the Division I NCAA wrestling tournament held at Northwestern University. Rich was named All American on four different occasions and was selected to participate in the National Wrestling Coaches Association All Star meet held at Iowa State University in 1970. Being one of the top heavyweight wrestlers in the United States, Rich was invited to the USA Olympic trials held in Ames, Iowa. At graduation in 1970 Rich was named the wrestling team MVP and the East Stroudsburg State Male Athlete of the Year.

After college graduation Rich was named the head wrestling coach of Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, a position he held until 1973 when Rich decided to return to competitive wrestling. While coaching the Bucknell team, Rich compiled a 22-21 record and one Middle Atlantic Conference champion. From 1973-1976 Rich wrestled for the New York Athletic Club where they became the Eastern AAU Champions and the National AAU Team Champions. In 1976 Rich returned to the coaching ranks as the Assistant Coach for his alma mater, East Stroudsburg University. From 1976 to 1980 Rich coached five All Americans, and four EIWA champions. The team had a dual meet record of 49-18-3 while Rich was on staff there.

In 1981 Rich left the coaching ranks and went into private business, first working in the textile industry for twenty years, and then mortgage banking for twelve more. During most of that time Rich maintained contact with the sport of wrestling as a referee from1976 to 1986, and as the director, or co-director, of the East Stroudsburg Open Wrestling Championships from 1973 to 1983. In 2007 the lure of wrestling coaching and his love of the sport found Rich as the Assistant Wrestling Coach at Collins Hill High School in Georgia. For the two years Rich was at Collins Hill they were the two time State champions. While there he coached several Georgia High School 6A place winners and champions. In 2009 Rich became the Head Wrestling Coach at Meadowcreek High School in Norcross, Georgia. In 2011 Rich was named the “Gwinnett County Coach of the Year” for his 27 win season by the Gwinnett Daily Post and reached the 100 dual meet win mark in his fourth season. This past season “Coach Schumacher” had two wrestlers place in the Georgia State Tournament.

Rich currently lives in Lawrenceville, Georgia with his wife Karen. They have four children: Kristi Celentano, 32, an attorney, Michael Celentano 31, a sales executive, Ryan Schumacher, 25, who works for Turner Broadcasting/Time Warner in the research and development department and Casey Ann Schumacher, 22, a senior at Georgia States Univer- sity and graduating in May. In a recent communication Rich stated, “I am loving coaching. It does keep you young and I cannot imagine retirement – this is my retirement, although I have put a time limit to retire from teaching in 2017.”