Options for competitive sports were limited for girls and women when Karin Schumacher was growing up in the late 1960s and early 1970s, but she took advantage of all of them.

After her 1978 graduation from Moorhead State - where she competed in three sports all four years - Schumacher made it her life’s work to ensure that girls in Moorhead and beyond had every opportunity to learn about and compete in as many sports as possible.

From 1973-77, Schumacher - a Watertown (MN) High School graduate - was a four-year letter winner in volleyball, basketball, and softball. She earned three All-Minn-Kota Conference honors in volleyball, a Minnesota All-State honor in softball, and was the 1976-77 Flora Frick Award winner, given to Moorhead’s Outstanding Senior Athlete. She helped the Dragons finish second at the 1977 MAIAW State Softball Championships with a 20-5 record, and guided her teams to two runner-up Minn-Kota Conference finishes in volleyball.

Schumacher, a double major in math and physical education, completed her collegiate eligibility in Spring 1977, but returned to MSU for her fifth year of classes and student teaching in the 1977-78 school year. That spring, she started her coaching career as a student assistant with her former softball team. She took on the head coaching position in an interim role in both 1982 and 1983, and helped the team to a 28-9 record in the 1983 season.

The three years with the Dragon softball team were the extent of her coaching at the college level; the majority of Schumacher’s coaching career was in the high school ranks where she helped Moorhead High School start programs and achieve success. In Fall 1977 - when she was still finishing up her degree at MSUM - Schumacher took over as the head volleyball coach at Moorhead High School. She coached there for 22 seasons, and guided the Spuds to a state title in 1988 and four state runner-up finishes. She was a two-time Minnesota Volleyball Coach of the Year, and was inducted into the 1996 Minnesota High School Volleyball Coaches Hall of Fame.

From 1977-87, Schumacher also coached the MHS girls’ basketball team, and in 1984 she was the first head coach of the Moorhead High School softball team, a position she held until 2003. The Spuds made two state tournament appearances in her 29 years as head coach. As well as coaching softball Schumacher also played competitively for more than 20 years. She played with numerous fastpitch teams in her career, and was a part of 10 state championship teams and competed in two national tournaments.

Schumacher took a three-year break from coaching, and in 2006 she returned to the ranks as MHS’ head girls’ golf coach. From 2006-15, she coached four state participants and one state champion. For her many athletic successes, Schumacher is a member of the Watertown High School Hall of Fame, the Fargo Moorhead Softball Hall of Fame, the NSIC Hall of Fame, and earned a spot in the Moorhead High Hall of Honor in 2024 for her career with the spuds.

When she wasn’t on the court or in the field, Schumacher was in the classroom. She started teaching math at MHS in 1985, and for 30 years she taught students algebra, geometry, honors trigonometry, and honors pre-calculus. She retired in 2015, and continued as a substitute teacher in the district for several more years.

Now that she is retired, Schumacher stays busy with the AARP Tax Aide Foundation where she works with other volunteers to help seniors and low-income taxpayers with free tax preparation. She also keeps score at MHS for volleyball and boys’ and girls’ basketball games.

Schumacher made it her life’s work to make sure that girls and women in Moorhead and beyond have every opportunity to compete - and to compete at a high level. She spent 58 seasons at Moorhead High School coaching multiple sports, and her dedication to the athletes helped the Spuds become a well-known athletic program across the state.