Hall of Fame Coach Passes Away

 

Bob Schermerhorn Memorial Service
Saturday, May 5 • 3 pm
La Sierra University Church of Seventh-day Adventists
11585 Pierce Street, Riverside, CA 92505

Press Enterprise Story on Coach Schermerhorn's Passing

 

CCCMBCA Hall of Fame coach Bob Schermerhorn, 75, passed away April 23. He often claimed he never worked a day in his life despite spending more than 40 years as an educator and coach. His career has taken him from high school to community colleges to universities, from Riverside to South Bend, IN.

 

He had many stops, but the same mission — field competitive basketball teams and develop outstand student-athletes.

 

Schermerhorn arrived at Riverside City College in 1989 with a tough task - follow legendary Hall of Fame coaches Jerry Tarkanian, Bill Mulligan, Dave Waxman and Bob Boyd. He took the Tigers to four consecutive Final Fours, nine straight post-season tournaments, and three conference championships. He finished his Tiger career with a record of 225-98, making him the College's second all-time winningest men’s basketball coach. He was a two-time conference coach of the year and the state coach of the year in 1996.

 

After nine years at the helm of the Tigers, he took a break from the game to become RCC’s athletic director. As athletic director, he developed the Athletic Hall of Fame, worked to pass the District’s Measure C bond for improved athletic facilities, and helped the Tigers athletic program become a state powerhouse.

 

In 1968 he got his first taste of coaching as a walk-on coach for Hall of Fame coach Herb Livsey at Orange Coast College. He then made a name for himself at Canyon Hill School in Anaheim Hills, where he developed one of the premier programs in Orange County, and went on to coach at Chaffey College for two years before joining Mulligan’s staff at UC Irvine. In 1984, he set off to Southern Utah University for five years before joining Steve Patterson’s staff at Arizona State University. He would eventually become the Sun Devils’ interim head coach, chalking up a long-awaited victory over UCLA.

 

After retiring from RCC in 2005, he remained active, serving as basketball coach at Fullerton College for a season, as athletic director at Santa Ana College and, finally, in 2011 returning home to Indiana to coach Holy Cross College’s men’s basketball team. He was enshired in both the California Community Colleges Men’s Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame (2003) and RCC's hall.

 

Lover of life, Coach Horn as he was affectionally referred to was always looking for his next coaching gig and always had a story to share or an ear to lend. 

 

He is survived by his wife, Linda, and his two sons, Bobby and Jeffrey.