Tribe of Vikings Hall of Fame
The fabric of football and family is woven tightly at Augustana and one of the best examples is Joe Schmulbach. After a stellar athletic career at nearby Rockridge High School, Schmulbach came to Rock Island in 1996 and spent the better part of the next four years as the starting quarterback for his father, Tom Schmulbach. Joe joins his dad this year as a member of the Tribe of Vikings Hall of Fame—forming just the second father-son duo so honored.
In two seasons as the Rockridge quarterback, Joe led the Rockets to a combined record of 23-3 and a Class 2A state title in 1994. He was also the Class A state runner up in wrestling at 160 pounds in 1995. He decided to come to Augustana, following his bother Jeff—a three-year Viking football letter winner—as well as his dad, who had taken over the head coaching reins in 1995 after 13 seasons as an assistant under the legendary Bob Reade.
Joe was brought along slowly as a freshman, coming off the bench until the season’s eighth game. Inserted into the starting lineup against Elmhurst, he led the Vikings to a 40-7 win and followed that up with a 27-0 victory at Millikin to close the season. Despite starting just two contests, he finished as the team’s third-leading rusher with 321 yards and averaged 6.7 yards per carry. Augustana finished the year with three freshmen in its offensive backfield, including Schmulbach and his future brother-in-law, fullback Ben Nelson.
As a sophomore, Schmulbach guided the Vikings to a 7-2 record and the 17th CCIW title in school history, earning first team all-conference honors along the way. The next season, Augustana again went 7-2 and finished in a tie for second place in the league, with Schmulbach named to the All-CCIW second team.
That set the stage for a senior season that saw Schmulbach earn CCIW Offensive Player of the Year honors. Despite relatively modest numbers of 682 rushing and 686 passing yards, his all-around play—which included being an effective lead blocker on the toss sweep—garnered him that recognition. The Vikings finished the regular season 8-1 and claimed another conference championship.
The 1999 postseason opened with a home date versus St. Norbert. Schmulbach rushed for 122 yards and threw for an additional 109 to lead his team to a wild 39-32 win. The next weekend Augustana traveled to Alliance, Ohio for a showdown with mighty Mount Union. Schmulbach rushed for 84 yards and two touchdowns, passed for another score and helped the Vikings control the ball for more than 48 minutes. However, the hosts used offensive and special teams firepower to post a 42-33 win.
When Schmulbach’s career ended, he ranked fifth in career passing yards at Augustana and tied for sixth in career touchdown passes. He still ranks ninth all-time in both categories. His 1,949 career rushing yards were the most ever for a Viking quarterback until 2015, when Sam Frasco surpassed that total. Schmulbach is still the 16th-leading rusher in school history.
After graduating from Augustana in 2000, Joe went to work for Wells Fargo. He is still with the company today, serving as a specialized lending & investment sales manager. He and his wife, Tracy, reside in Clive, Iowa with son Quinn and daughter Reagan.
Schmulbach is a member of Saint Francis of Assisi Parish in West Des Moines, Iowa, where he serves as a Catholic Eucharistic Minister among numerous other activities. He also volunteers with Des Moines Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity and the Dowling Catholic Football League in addition to being the Des Moines Hub Co-Chair for the 2015 Wells Fargo/United Way Community Support Campaign.
“I grew up around Augustana when I was a boy,” said Schmulbach. “So when I was able to attend Augie and also play football, for me it was the equivalent of others who dream about being able to go to Notre Dame, USC or Penn State.”
“I was taught about tradition at Augustana and what it means to do your part in carrying that tradition forward. I was also taught that success was only achieved by setting common goals and working together as a team to accomplish them. I believe I have carried on the attributes that were instilled at Augie into my post-college life to succeed as a husband, father and in my profession. My time at Augustana was a once in a lifetime experience. I will forever be grateful to my coaches, my teammates and the college faculty. Go Augie!”
