June 5, 2001
Chicago, Ill. - The University of Illinois at Chicago Board of Trustees has formally approved the extension of the contract of Athletic Director Jim Schmidt through the 2005-06 school year it was announced earlier this afternoon.
"The breadth of Jim's experience at UIC and his dedication to Flames athletics have helped him guide our programs," said UIC Chancellor Sylvia Manning. "Our student athletes, alumni and many fans should look forward to even greater achievements under his continued leadership."
Schmidt, who has worked within the university for the last 19 years, was originally named athletic director in January of 1997 and will now enter his fifth year at the helm of the Flames' athletic program.
"I'm very pleased to be able to continue to move toward the long term goals set four years ago," Schmidt said. "It's an honor to work for such a great university and we feel the success of our athletic program mirrors that of the UIC campus."
"We've got a lot of work ahead of us, and our first goal is to get our men's basketball team back to the NCAA Tournament."
Schmidt has been the key to the rebirth of Flames' athletics, moving the program to regional and national exposure levels in both the athletic field and in the classroom.
During his tenure, the Flames have made 16 NCAA postseason appearances, more than in the previous 20 years combined. This also included the Flames' first-ever NCAA appearances in men's basketball, soccer and women's tennis. UIC has captured 18 league titles in Schmidt's four years in office while 150 athletes have earned all-conference recognition with three becoming the school's first-ever All-Americans.
The culmination of his efforts came in the spring of 2000 when UIC captured its first ever James J. McCafferty trophy, the Midwestern Collegiate Conference's all-sports award. UIC became just the sixth league institution to win the award, which has been presented since 1979-80. A symbol of a broad based athletic program, the Flames captured the trophy after winning six league titles during the 1999-00 campaign.
The Flames have also excelled in the classroom during Schmidt's tenure and 2000-01 was the best academic year in UIC athletics history, including a 3.81 overall grade point average for athletics with 38 student athletes receiving MCC Academic All-Conference recognition.
Fundraising and improved facilities have been a focal point of the department's strategic plan, and Schmidt's presence has been instrumental in this area. The first phase of the "Campaign for Athletics" reached the 9.2 million mark and helped UIC construct the state-of-the-art Flames Athletic Center, which opened in 1999. A $14 million renovation campaign to renovate the UIC Pavilion is also underway with completion scheduled prior to the start of the 2001-02 basketball season.
Recognized for having the best facilities in the MCC, Schmidt has brought nine league championships to the UIC campus, including the 1999 and 2000 men's basketball championships and 2001 women's basketball tournament. The Flames have also hosted NCAA tournament competition, highlighted by the 1999 NCAA Softball Regional Championship.
Schmidt has been at UIC since 1982, where he started as a pitching coach on the Flames' baseball staff before being named an assistant to the athletic director in charge of marketing/promotions and daily operations. From 1983-86, Schmidt handled all sports information duties as an assistant athletic director and then assumed the title of associate athletics director in 1987.
