NAME: Val Schneider
ORGANIZATIONS: Alberta, Saskatchewan, Canada West
CATEGORY: Builder
YEARS ACTIVE: 1963-2012
HALL OF FAME CLASS: 2019-20
HIGHLIGHTS:
Five-year standout football player at the University of Alberta, where he was named Vanier Cup MVP during the Golden Bears’ championship season in 1967
Won two more Vanier Cups as an assistant coach for Saskatchewan in 1990 and 1996
Athletic Director at Saskatchewan (1980-91) and later Executive Director for Canada West
Recipient of the 2003 Austin-Matthews Award, recognizing contribution to university sport nationally
BIOGRAPHY:
Over the span of half a century, Val Schneider made an indelible mark on Canadian university sport, first as a student-athlete, then as a coach, and later as an executive.
Born in Germany, Schneider was raised in Edmonton and enrolled at the University of Alberta after graduating from Victoria Composite High School.
Schneider played fullback, linebacker and punter with Alberta from 1963 to 1968 (except for a year teaching in 1966), serving as co-captain from 1965 to 1968.
A four-time Western Intercollegiate Football League (WIFL) all-star (1964, 1965, 1967, 1968), Schneider led Alberta to their first Vanier Cup title in 1967. He was awarded the Ted Morris Memorial Trophy as MVP of the national championship game after recording 513 yards on 13 punts, while playing on both sides of the ball in a 10-9 victory over McMaster.
In 1973, Schneider joined the Faculty of Physical Education at the University of Saskatchewan where he spent the next 28 years in many roles, including athletic director from 1980 to 1991.
Schneider was head coach of Saskatchewan’s varsity football program from 1974 to 1978 and again from 1980-83. He later returned to the team as an assistant coach for nine years, including the Huskies’ first two Vanier Cup championship seasons – 1990 and 1996. He also coached Saskatchewan’s wrestling team for two years.
In 2003, Schneider received the CIS Austin-Matthews Award, recognizing his outstanding contributions to university sport as demonstrated by long-term commitment and leadership.
He went on to serve as Executive Director of Canada West and sat on the board of Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) before retiring in 2012.
Schneider is a member of the Vanier Cup Honour Roll (inducted in 1987), University of Alberta Sports Wall of Fame (1999), and University of Saskatchewan Athletic Wall of Fame (2007). He has also been enshrined multiple times in the Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame as a member of Saskatchewan's Vanier Cup teams (1990 & 1996).