During a playing career that spanned two decades, John Schmitt helped forge football history. The offensive lineman played in one of the biggest Super Bowl upsets of all-time, was named an All Pro twice and played in the AFL before its merger with the National Football League. But Schmitt couldn't hold back the tears after his No. 77 was placed on the façade of Margiotta Hall during a halftime ceremony of Hofstra's 23-20 homecoming victory over Rhode Island Saturday afternoon.
Schmitt, a 1964 Hofstra graduate, became just the fourth football player in school history to have his number retired. Standing in a booth inside the Shuart Stadium press box, the former Jets and Packers center reflected on an honor he shares with Walter Kohanowich, Wayne Chrebet and Marques Colston.
"I started here 48 years ago and it was really exciting and such an honor," said Schmitt, who became emotional describing the recreation from the crowd of 6,107 people who cheered his honor. "All those guys in the white shirts were my fraternity brothers. We've been together for 48 years. And to see my jersey up on the wall... I had no idea that was going to happen. That was fantastic."
After earning three letters in his Hofstra tenure, which culminated with degrees in management and marketing, Schmitt started his professional career with the AFL's New York Jets. Schmitt would play for Gang Green from 1964-73. He was named to the All-Pro team in 1968 and 1969. That 1968 season was the year the Jets won the only championship in franchise history.
"I just wanted to make the team," Schmitt recalled about his first training camp. "No one from Hofstra had ever made anything.
Now 65, Schmitt still wears the ring he earned from that Super Bowl III victory over the Baltimore Colts. Schmitt was the center on those great teams, though he started his Hofstra career playing both offensive and defensive tackles.
"I played all 60 minutes [a game] here and in my junior year, Al Passuello got hurt and I played center for four games," he said. "When the Jets signed me, they didn't need any tackles. They needed me as a center, but I had no knowledge of how to play or snap field goals; anything like that.
"It was a heck of an adjustment. Nobody helps you when you go to the pros."
Before the current stadium was built in 1963 (and renovated in 1996), Schmitt recalled the days when the team played in a less glamorous setting. "When I started, we were behind the playhouse," he said.
Schmitt's time at Hofstra represented more than just a training ground for football. The Brooklyn native married Joanne during his junior year. The couple have three children - John, Jacquie and Timothy - and seven grandchildren. His collegiate days also gave him a business background that led to his off-the-field success, allowing him to establish the 16th-largest insurance business in the nation and an insurance marketing firm that develops programs for credit unions.
"I was the only football player that worked full time besides playing football," said Schmitt, who retired from the NFL in 1974 after he played his final season in Green Bay. "It may have shortened my career because I wore out towards the end.
"But when I retired, I had a business built with 270 people who work with me. I've been very blessed and my two sons run the big company [now]. It's so great to take the ability I had and see the business grow the way it has. I'm really fortunate."
His success in the private sector has allowed him to stay involved with multiple charities, including a seat on the Hofstra Pride Club's board of directors. Schmitt's business acumen doesn't prevent him from wondering what might have been if he played in a different era.
"My best year I made $55,000. My best friend on the Jets was [former center] Kevin Mawae. He made $4.3 million. He made more in one game than I did in 12 years," he said with a laugh.
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