Hall of Fame
Dean Schuler, a graduate in the class of 1976, has been named the 2024 recipient of the Pioneer Legacy Award for his work as a player and coach for the baseball program and in the community.
On the diamond, Schuler embodied the term “champion” with a title in all four of his varsity seasons. Malone won the Mid-Ohio Conference championship in 1972, 1973 and 1975 and were NAIA District champions for three consecutive years from 1972 through 1974. The Pioneers made it to the 1973 NAIA World Series, the first appearance in program history.
The pedigree of championship performance followed him into his coaching career under Malone Hall of Famer Bob Starcher. 1976 and 1977 would also be Mid-Ohio Conference Championship seasons for Malone and the team were District Champions in those years as well. Schuler was tasked as the hitting coach and worked with the catchers and outfielders.
In addition to coaching, Schuler’s legacy can be attributed to sharing the gospel through the Athletes in Action Association. He made baseball missionary trips to Guam, Japan and Micronesian Islands in 1977.
Scott Thomson and Mick Dwyer went on to play professionally under the tutelage of Starcher, Schuler and the rest of the coaching staff. Schuler would embark on a 20+ year journey as an associate scout for the Cincinnati Reds to further his work in professional baseball.
He was also able to make an impact in the high school ranks. Schuler has a historic coaching career at Valley High School from 1982 to 2015 where he ended up inducted into the Southeastern Ohio Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2005 and the Ohio Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2006.
Schuler has been married to his wife Debbie for 29 years and they have one son and three step-daughters. He is a proud pawpaw to nine grandchildren as well. His continued legacy can be seen by the opportunity to coach his son and see him play at the collegiate level at the University of Rio Grande. The highlight for Schuler has been able to make an impact on thousands of baseball players throughout his career.
