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Korcek tribute to former NIU assistant
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uiniu57 Offline
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Korcek tribute to former NIU assistant
For those without access to The Daily Chronicle, Mike Korcek had an excellent tribute to former Huskie football assistant coach Todd Schonaur:

Former NIU football assistant Todd Schonhar dead at 57
By Mike Korcek
Former Northern Illinois assistant football coach Todd Schonhar, who mentored unanimous first-team All-American tailback LeShon Johnson and was a college teammate of William “The Refrigerator” Perry at Clemson, died Jan. 26 in Texas.
According to the KXAN-TV website, the 57-year-old Schonhar battled COVID-19 for several weeks and was on a ventilator. Schonhar had entered his fourth year teaching and coaching at John B. Connally High School in Austin, Texas. He served as the offensive coordinator in football, the girls head track coach and as a physical education teacher at Connally.
Schonhar spent seven seasons on the NIU staff – five as running backs coach under head coach Charlie Sadler from 1991 to ’95 and two in the same capacity under Joe Novak in 1996 and ’97. A two-season All-American, Johnson rushed for 1,338 yards as a junior and an NCAA-leading, school-record 1,976 as a senior when the “Cowboy” finished sixth in the 1993 Heisman Trophy balloting and was named UPI National Back of the Year.
“Yes, it was [shocking],” Johnson said upon hearing about Schonhar’s death from ex-NIU offensive line coach Dave Voth (1991 to ’93) last week. “Coach Voth told me. I was sitting in my truck, and my heart just sunk. I sat there, my head down, and reminisced about all the great times we had on the sidelines, during practice and games, and away from the field. This is all hard to believe.
“He made me a better player. Coach Scho always talked about discipline. I remember the class checks. He would say, ‘Hey, fellas, you’ve got to go to class, do your work, finish school.’ What I remember most is that he let me be myself, LeShon. He told me not to be afraid to make mistakes.”
Other starting NIU running backs under Schonhar’s tutelage included T.C. Dantzler (252 rushing yards in 1991), Brian Grimes (876 in 1994) and Charles Talley (1,540 in 1995 and 1,008 in 1996).
“Todd was one of two assistants [the other was Mike Sabock] we retained from the previous staff,” Novak said. “I had a lot of respect for him. I thought he was a great, bright young coach. He and his wife, Julia, were good people. Fifty-seven is much, much too young.”
Several tributes to the affable Schonhar from former Huskies appeared on social media:
Wrote linebacker Orlando Bowen (1994, 1996 to ’98): “He was always so encouraging and even-keeled. Heaven gained one.”
Texted flanker Deon Mitchell (1995 to ’98): “Man, this was my guy.”
Commented Talley (1993 to ’96): “One of many coaches that I considered to be a friend, a real coach, a real mentor.”
Schonhar’s sideline career began as a grad assistant at Clemson under Danny Ford (1988-89) and then went to Oklahoma where he met Sadler. Since his NIU tenure, he had coached at the prep level, plus served as the offensive coordinator at Tarleton State (2005-06), and later the quarterback coach at Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston State.
As a player at Clemson, Schonhar lettered in 1985 and 1986 as a holder and reserve quarterback. In 1986, he was named to the Academic All-Atlantic Coast Conference squad. Schonhar was a two-time Clemson graduate, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and secondary education and a master’s in education.
Born in Newark, Ohio, he was a three-sport star at Easley High School in South Carolina. Schonhar is survived by his wife, the former Julia Barton, who was a cheerleader at Clemson.
Funeral arrangements are pending. In lieu of flowers or gifts, his wife announced that a Todd Schonhar Memorial Scholarship will be created with details coming at a later date.
02-02-2021 12:59 PM
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