Football: Schmidt steps down at Neshaminy

After a successful 19-year stint, Mark Schmidt has stepped down as Neshaminy High's head football coach.

"I thought it was the right time to move on," he said. "I've been thinking about this for a year or two. You don't want to wear out your welcome. This gives someone else a chance to take over and keep things going in the right direction."

Schmidt, who guided the Redskins to a 161-66 record (.709 winning percentage) and won three District 1 Class AAAA championships, submitted his letter of resignation Monday to Neshaminy school district officials and also spoke to his players.

"It was very, very hard," Schmidt, 53, said. "It got emotional. It's been a great place. I'm thankful to a lot of people here. They took a chance on me 19 years ago."

In 2001, Schmidt, a physical education teacher at Neshaminy, led the Redskins to a 15-0 record and the program's first state title.

Last season, Neshaminy went 13-2 and advanced to the state semifinals before losing to eventual champion St. Joseph's Prep.

Schmidt started his coaching career at Lock Haven.