Jerry Schulte, Hall of Fame Rumson-FH Football Coach, Has Died at 72

Jerry Schulte, a Hall of Fame football coach who was an integral part of Rumson-Fair Haven's run of record-setting success in the past 15 years, died on Friday night at 72, according to his son, Rumson head coach Jeremy Schulte.

As a head coach and an assistant with the Bulldogs, the elder Schulte has been part of a run of eight NJSIAA sectional titles since 2010. The eight titles are tied for third in Shore Conference history with Toms River North.

Schulte was inducted into the Shore Football Coaches Foundation Hall of Fame at the 2023 All-Shore Gridiron Classic, where he also served on the staff of the victorious Monmouth County team under his son.

Jerry Schulte was the Bulldogs' head coach for six seasons, winning two state sectional titles in his tenure, before Jeremy took over as head coach in 2022. He went 50-15 during his time as head coach, which also included an appearance in a South Group 3 bowl game and a pair of Shore Conference division titles.

The elder Schulte then served as an assistant for Jeremy as the Bulldogs won consecutive sectional titles in 2022 and 2023 and reached the first two NJSIAA Group 2 championship games in history.

During Schulte's tenure on the staff, the Bulldogs became just the third team in Shore Conference history to win four straight state sectional titles, and they also reached the finals in 2017, 2019 and 2021.

Before ascending to head coach, Jerry Schulte was Rumson's defensive coordinator under Shane Fallon and Bryan Batchler. He was the mastermind of some of the most impressive defensive performances in state finals of any Shore Conference team during that time, including a 14-6 win over Weequahic in the 2013 Central Jersey Group 2 final. Weequahic entered averaging 39 points per game.

Rumson-Fair Haven also won its first sectional title in 2010 with a 13-7 win over a Matawan team that had one of the Shore's top offenses.

Before he came to Rumson, Schulte was also the head coat at the now-defunct Mater Dei from 1980-1984 and Wall's head coach from 1990-1999. He had a career record of 109-64-1.

A 1970 graduate of Keansburg High School, where he was a standout fullback and middle linebacker, Schulte played collegiately at the now-defunct Upsala College in East Orange before an injury ended his career. He transferred to Monmouth University, where he graduated in 1975.

Schulte began his coaching career as an assistant at Keansburg before becoming the head coach at Mater Dei. He was also the offensive coordinator at Monmouth Regional from 2000 to 2004 before joining Rumson’s staff for the 2005 season.

Schulte was also a wrestling coach around the Shore Conference, serving as the head coach at Mater Dei Prep, Wall and Monmouth Regional and as an assistant at Wall and Rumson.