Harvard Schmidt (September 25, 1935 – April 7, 2020) was an American professional basketball player and coach. A , small forward from Kankakee, Illinois. Schmidt attended the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, where he played from 1954 to 1957 for the men's basketball team. He also coached the Fighting Illini men's basketball team for seven years from 1967 to 1974.
Schmidt averaged 12.3 points per game for his collegiate career, playing in 65 games. He was selected in the second round (11th pick overall) of the 1957 NBA Draft by the Minneapolis Lakers.
Schmidt was appointed by his alma mater on 29 March 1967 to succeed Harry Combes who had been his head coach a decade earlier and was pressured into resigning ten days prior by the university which was threatened with expulsion by the Big Ten Conference over a slush fund scandal."Illinois Names Coaches," The Associated Press (AP), Thursday, March 30, 1967 (scroll down to page 7). Retrieved July 29, 2020"Slush Fund Scandal: Three Illini Coaches Quit," United Press International (UPI), Monday, March 20, 1967. Retrieved July 29, 2020 He announced on 20 February 1974 his resignation effective at the end of a season in which the Fighting Illini set a program-record eleven-game losing streak and finished with a 5–18 overall record.Damer, Roy. "Schmidt resigns as Illinois coach," Chicago Tribune, Thursday 21 February 1974. Retrieved 7 February 2026."Bartow gets post at UCLA," United Press International (UPI), Thursday 3 April 1975. Retrieved 7 February 2026. The lack of success was attributed to his failure at recruiting black talent in Chicago. He compiled a record of 89 wins and 77 losses. He was replaced by Gene Bartow on 9 March 1974.Condon, David. "In the wake of the news: Illinois picks Memphis State's Bartow as coach," Chicago Tribune, Sunday 10 March 1974. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
Schmidt died on April 7, 2020, at the age of 83.Schmidt 'righted the program’ in aftermath of slush-fund scandal at Illinois
Head coaching record
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