Delgado Baseball’s Joe Scheuermann enshrined in NJCAA Coaches Hall of Fame

Delgado Community College Athletic Director/Head Baseball Coach Joe Scheuermann accepted the top honor in junior college baseball Friday night when he was formally enshrined into the National Junior College Athletic Association Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Scheuermann was accompanied by family and friends as he joined three other coaches (Marty Smith, Joe Bauth and Dwight Kotila) in the 2019 class at the 62nd annual Junior College World Series banquet in Grand Junction, Colorado.

Coach Scheuermann recently closed his 29th season as the Head Coach at Delgado, where the Dolphins captured a 36-14 overall record with the program’s tenth consecutive Region XXIII championship and South Central Tournament berth. The Dolphins’ postseason fell short with a loss to Connors State College, narrowly missing the program’s sixth appearance in the Junior College World Series. Earlier in the spring, Scheuermann and his 2019 squad captured his 1,000th career win at Delgado with a 10-4 win over Coastal Alabama-South on April 9 at Kirsch-Rooney Stadium, making him the first coach in Louisiana sports history to win 1,000 games at the same college.

As the “Dean of New Orleans Baseball,” Scheuermann continues a proud family tradition at Delgado while continuing to build an impressive record of achievements as one of Louisiana’s longest tenured and most respected baseball coaches. To date, he holds a 1007-497 overall win/loss record, winning 66.97% of his games as the Delgado skipper, making him the most-winningest junior college coach in the State of Louisiana and the ninth most-winningest active coach in the National Junior College Athletic Association.

On learning of his selection to the Hall of Fame, Scheuermann said, “This is a tremendous honor that I share with my family, my coaches and players, and our entire Delgado family. This would have never been possible without the constant support that I have received on and off the field through the years. This is about WE, not just about ME. Thanks to everyone who had a part of my nomination and selection.”

“Joe Scheuermann is a coach in every definition of the word and a true ambassador for Delgado Community College and the National Junior College Athletic Association. While his record on the field is most impressive, we will argue that the most important wins come in the lives of every student-athlete, colleague, and fan he has touched over his years at Delgado.” said Delgado Interim Chancellor William Wainwright on the announcement. “He is shaping boys into men, players into citizens, and giving opportunity to those who need it most at a critical time in their formative years.”

Scheuermann, a New Orleans native, began his baseball career by watching his father, local baseball legend “Rags” Scheuermann, coach from a young age and by playing New Orleans playground ball. Scheuermann went on to attend Redemptorist High School in New Orleans and played under legendary prep coach Wilfred “Skeeter” Theard, where he developed into a three-year starter for the Rams at second base. He was a two-time All-District selection and was voted team captain of Redemptorists’ final team in 1980, which claimed the school’s first and only Class 2A State Championship.

Scheuermann went on to sign on to Delgado’s program in the fall of 1980 under his father, “Rags” during which time the Dolphins won two conference championships in 1981 and 1982. Following his eligibility at Delgado, Scheuermann transferred to Tulane University in New Orleans under Coach Joe Brockhoff. Scheuermann was named a team captain his senior season and won the team’s Leadership Award prior to his graduation in 1984.

Following the completion of his college eligibility, Scheuermann stayed on at Tulane, becoming an Assistant Coach under Joe Brockhoff through the 1990 season.

In June 1990, Scheuermann’s road led him back to Delgado Community College when his father, “Rags” Scheuermann announced his retirement during his induction speech into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Rags’ retirement passed the program’s reigns onto Joe, making him only the second skipper in the program’s history and the second Scheuermann to lead the Delgado Dolphins.

Scheuermann quickly made his mark at Delgado, closing the 1991 season with thirty-one wins. His 1992 Dolphins were ranked tenth in the nation for most of the season and finished the season with a 41-15 mark.

The success continued following the 1993 Delgado season, when the Dolphins captured the Miss-Lou conference championship, the program’s first since the 1982 championship. The Dolphins would go on to win the Miss-Lou championship in 1996 and 1999, which also earned Scheuermann Coach of the Year accolades. The Dolphins were Regional runners-up in 2002 and 2004.

Perhaps the most daunting challenge of Scheuermann’s career came in August 2005 when Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath struck southeast Louisiana. Despite a decimated facility, scattered roster, and families left homeless, Scheuermann and his staff vowed to rebuild and mount a 2006 season. With the assistance of players and families tied to the program, Scheuermann led a massive post-storm recovery effort that resulted in Delgado re-opening “Rags” Scheuermann Field Kirsch-Rooney Stadium in February 2006, becoming the first Katrina-damaged program to return to their home facility following the storm. Despite four feet of floodwaters, damaged equipment, and numerous hurdles, tears turned to cheers and Delgado Baseball and Kirsch-Rooney Stadium returned to full operation before closing the season 34-13 with a regional appearance.

Scheuermann and his “Katrina Squad” went on to capture the 2007 NJCAA South Central District Championship, as well as an appearance at the Junior College World Series in Grand Junction, Colorado, Scheuermann’s first and the second appearance in program history. He was also named 2007 Region XXIII and South Central District Coach of the Year.

Since 2006, the Dolphins have captured twelve conference titles and berths in the South Central District tournament in thirteen seasons. The 2014, 2015, and 2016 teams captured three consecutive South Central District titles and trips to Grand Junction, Colorado and the NJCAA Division I Junior College World Series. The 2016 South Central Title came following a victory at Kirsch-Rooney Stadium, marking the first time in program history that a team advanced to the World Series from Kirsch-Rooney Stadium. The program’s win over Darton College on May 29, 2016 in Grand Junction marked Scheuermann’s 900th victory as Delgado’s Head Coach. Between 2011 and 2017, the program was ranked in thirty-eight consecutive NJCAA national polls, including being named the #1 team in the nation in May 2013.

Over the past fourteen seasons, the Dolphins have captured thirteen NJCAA Region XXIII titles and South Central Districit berths, the NJCAA-equivalent of a super regional. Delgado has won four South Central titles under Scheuermann, making four trips to the Junior College World Series in Grand Junction in 2007, 2014, 2015, and 2016.

Taking advantage of its rich baseball legacy, Delgado continues to serve as a stepping stone and training experience to the next level. Under Scheuermann’s leadership, the Dolphins’ program has sent more than two hundred and twenty five players to four-year baseball programs throughout Louisiana and the nation, seventy-five players transferring into four-year programs since 2011. Over the past ten years, 25 former Dolphins have been selected in the Major League Baseball draft. Scheuermann stresses the importance of being a “student-athlete” where academics always take precedence over athletics. Eighty baseball student-athletes have earned their Delgado associate’s degree since 2014. The 2019 Delgado sophomore class broke a college record as the largest graduating baseball class with twenty-two student-athletes earning their Associate’s degrees.

Scheuermann attributes the program’s many successes to its family atmosphere. Despite Rags’ death in 1997, the entire Scheuermann family remains actively involved in the program’s operation, including his mother, Maureen; wife, Shelly; children, Tyler and Nataly; and sisters, Emma and Maureen. The family atmosphere is evident in that 95% of the current roster represents thirty-nine Louisiana zip codes and thirty-one high schools from across the state.

In July 2013, Scheuermann succeeded Tommy Smith to become Delgado’s third Athletic Director in its history, the first being Joe’s father, “Rags”.

In addition to his work at Delgado, Scheuermann is also a champion for amateur athletics around the city, opening Kirsch-Rooney Stadium to more than thirty local high schools and over three hundred and fifty games each season. He serves as a special advisor to American Legion Baseball and has worked each Allstate Sugar Bowl Classic since 1974. Scheuermann’s emphasis on community service has resulted in his players’ performing more than three hundred hours of service annually, including “Delgado Cares” projects, the community service and disaster assistance arm of the program.

From 1990-2007, Scheuermann also coached the New Orleans Boosters annual entry in the All-American Amateur Baseball Association each summer. Under Scheuermann’s leadership, the Boosters captured three championships and were tournament runners-up four times. In 2007, he was inducted into the AAABA Hall of Fame. In 2016, Scheuermann was recognized with the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame’s Eddie Robinson Award that recognizes an athletic administrator for outstanding achievements in athletics, academics, sportsmanship, and citizenship while maximizing limited resources.

Scheuermann was born on October 15, 1962 in New Orleans. He is married to the former Shelly Faust. Shelly’s father, the late Jean Faust was also a local baseball fixture until his death in 1998. Joe and Shelly are the parents of Tyler, 30, a member of the Delgado staff and Nataly, 25, a teacher at St. Louis King of France School in Metairie, Louisiana. The family resides in New Orleans, less than a mile from Delgado’s campus.

Scheuermann is the first Louisiana coach to join the prestigious hall.