Brian Schmidt: Brunswick’s “Mr. Friday Night” Performs at High Level as Assistant AD
By Rylee Perrin, BEAT reporter
BRUNSWICK, OH- Many times, the average high school sports fan doesn’t think about all of the people behind the scenes who make the event they’re attending possible. In Brunswick, Assistant Athletic Director (AAD) Brian Schmidt is one of those individuals – and Brunswick is fortunate to have him.
Schmidt, a 2004 Brunswick High School (BHS) alum, grew up in Hinckley but attended schools in Brunswick. At BHS, he played basketball for coach Joe Mackey, earning the nickname “Mr. Friday Night” from a local sportswriter for consistently performing at a high level – something Schmidt still smiles about to this day.
In college, at Heidelberg University, he earned a degree in Sports Management and Business, and was a starter in basketball for four years. Because of those efforts, Brian was inducted into the Heidelberg Athletic Hall of Fame in 2025.
Schmidt’s goal was to be a coach for a living, and after college he completed that goal. He spent five years coaching in Brunswick alongside Mackey until he received the opportunity to join Baldwin Wallace University (BWU) as an Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach from 2014-22. In 2022, he was promoted by his former college coach Duane Sheldon to be the BWU Associate Head Coach.
Some of Schmidt’s accomplishments include helping his BWU team win the 2019 Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament title to earn the conference championship, defeating Mount Union 79-75. This helped his team advance to the NCAA tournament. While the accomplishments are rewarding, Schmidt explained, “I am most proud of the lifelong relationships I made with my colleagues and most importantly the student athletes.”
In 2025, Schmidt returned to Brunswick as their AAD, supporting BHS AD Jim Kovi. Schmidt's responsibilities are vast. He schedules financial reports to gameday management, and hires and evaluates coaches. As coaching is a large part of Schmidt's professional background, he explained he gets his energy from being around the coaches and the athletes. Schmidt hopes to be a major asset to all coaches and athletes, by drawing from his past experiences from being in the trenches as a coach and athlete.
“Brunswick athletics means the world to me,” said Schmidt, proudly. And, he always felt that helping to run an athletic department would be something he would be good at with his coaching experience. However, he didn’t give it any serious thought until the opportunity arose at Brunswick. “I wouldn't even consider doing this job anywhere else at the moment,” said Schmidt. “I love this community, it is where my wife Halle and I both went and where we are raising our family. We love being Blue Devils.”
Rylee Perrin, Brunswick Middle School, is one of over fifty student “backpack journalists” (grades 6-12) in the award-winning BEAT Video Program. The program, celebrating its 25th year, is sponsored by Donut Land, Plum Creek Assisted Living Community, MODA Gifts, Scripps Howard Foundation and the Brunswick Rotary Club. Go to https://www.bcsoh.org/community/new-beat-site to learn more about the Program, or visit https://thebeat.viebit.com/?folder=ALL to view videos produced by the students.
PHOTO: Brian Schmidt.