“Bring it in”

GREEN BAY – It didn’t matter if you were a player, a fellow coach, or someone meeting him for the first time — Michael “Schultzy” Schultz was going to hug you, and probably tell you

“I love you.”

That’s what he was known for.

“For me, I always remember Schultzy wanted to be a hugger,” said St. Norbert football head coach Dan McCarty. “I remember one of the first times I met him, at the end of the conversation, he’s like, ‘Come on in, give me a big hug.’”

And he meant it.

Schultz, a graduate of Carroll University, played quarterback for the Pioneers in the mid 1990s and still shares the school record for the longest touchdown pass in program history.
But while his arm made history, it was his arms around others that defined his life — both arms, not a one arm hug.

Over three separate stints spanning 12 seasons, Schultz coached the offensive line for the Green Knights at St. Norbert College.

In between, he served as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Lawrence University.

He passed away Jan. 26, 2026, after battling pancreatic cancer, first diagnosed in October 2023.

To those who knew him, he was larger than life.

St. Norbert associate head coach Dennis Cooper remembers his first impression clearly.
“I think my very first memory, very first impression of Schultzy, his larger than life personality, his genuine interest in people, in people he’s around, I remember first meeting him it was like you couldn’t get away– he was so interested in you, and learning about you, and he’s like that with everybody,” He said. “And he would do anything for you, absolutely anything for you from that moment on, and I think he’s touched a lot of people for sure.”
All four coaches interviewed used similar words to describe Schultz’s presence in the program: Large. Legendary. Uncommon.

One of assistant coach Chris Howard’s earliest memories of Schultz dates back to 2002.

He refused to take himself too seriously.

“One of the things that made him truly unique on all the coaching staffs I’ve been on is his refusal to wear pants,” Howard joked.

But behind the humor was something deeper.

“What made him different and unique is he always knew how to have fun,” Cooper said. “In almost any situation– obviously still get your work done and be serious — but he always knew how to have fun and had an awesome perspective on life, and that rubbed off on a lot of our kids, and on our coaches too.”

If there was one word connected to Shultz repeated by the coaches as often as “hug”, it was the word “loyalty”.

“Loyalty was a big deal for him,” said assistant coach Don Maslinski. “Not only for the people he coached with and for, but also with kids. Kids are going to make mistakes...and he gave a lot of people a second chance. Probably a third and a fourth chance. He was loyal. Loyal.”
McCarty emphasized Schultz’s rare ability to connect with anyone.

“I think coach Schultz had a unique way of being able to connect with anybody...I think that’s what made him really special with his relationships with not only us– his fellow coaches and brother — but really his unique ability to connect with the kids on the field that he coached in meeting them where they are at and truly listening and understanding what they are going through.”

Maslinski talked about how he thinks Schultz would’ve made an excellent teacher, and Cooper reflected on the empathy he witnessed from Schultz.

“...the more I reflect on Mike Schultz, I think there was a lot of empathy with Mike, he could understand a lot of situations. He always had a way to relate to situations, he always provided excellent advice whether you wanted it or not sometimes,” said Cooper with a laugh. “I don’t think I could say enough in terms of the impact he had on people and the program and it is no doubt going to be long lasting.”

Howard built on that sentiment, adding that “Schultz would spend a lot of time identifying with (the players), with his life and his upbringing, how it fit with what they were going through, whether it was a family issue, or a dating relationship issue, or trouble in school, but he always always very grounded and relative when he would talk to those kids about that kind of stuff. And candid. We can’t overestimate the impact that had.”

When Schultz was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in October 2023, the same qualities that defined his coaching defined his fight.

“You never saw him having a pity party and saying, ‘Oh, poor me,’” McCarty said. “He still inspired us each and every day with who he was.”

Even while battling illness, he continued to care about others.

“It made it more evident as he was going through this that he truly cared about people,” McCarty said.

For the coaches he worked beside — and the players he mentored — Schultz’s legacy won’t be measured in touchdowns or wins.

It will be measured in how they live.

“Obviously I think he will be remembered by the way that we live and conduct ourselves going forward,” Cooper said. “The zest for life. Attacking things and not shying away from challenges. If we can take those lessons and continue to live them, I think that will be a good tip of the hat to him.”

And for those that had the privilege of being around Schultz, one phrase still lingers:

“Bring it in.”