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Long-time St. John's coach Ed Heintschel is retiring

During his 40 seasons as head coach at St. John’s, he's had 17 league championships, six State Final Four Appearances, and has had a state runner-up team three times.
Credit: WTOL
After four decades, St. John's head basketball coach Ed Heintschel is retiring.

TOLEDO, Ohio — After four decades as St. John's Jesuit head basketball coach, Ed Heintschel is cutting down the net and retiring. 

Heintschel has 725 career wins, the fourth most in Ohio boys basketball history. 

During his 40 seasons as head coach at St. John’s, he's had 17 league championships, six State Final Four Appearances, and has had a state runner-up team three times.

St. John’s has also named Mike Schoen as their Boys Basketball Coach to replace Ed Heintschel. He’s been a varsity assistant at SJJ since 2015. He graduated from St. John’s in 2005.

Heintschel is Toledo through-and-through. 

Born and raised in east Toledo, he graduated from the University of Toledo with a bachelor's degree in education and a master's degree in guidance. He began working at SJJ 44 years ago as an English teacher, freshman football coach and junior varsity basketball coach. 

Credit: WTOL

After five years, he was elevated to athletic director, a position he held for 25 years, and varsity basketball coach.
 
In 2017-18, Heintschel led the Titans to their 17th league championship under his guidance. 

He was also honored in 2012-13 as the Ohio Division I Coach of the Year.
 
He has led the Titans to 13 district championships in the past 19 years, most recently in 2017-18, and six of his teams have advanced to the state Final Four. Three of those teams reached the state championship game.
 
Coach Heintschel is the father of three: Damion '94, Kim, and Ted '05. Coach Heintschel's wife, Cheryl, passed away in 2002.
 
"Never in my wildest dreams did I envision staying as head coach for all these years, having the success with which we have been blessed, coaching the tremendously talented young men that have been here, and working with the wonderful people on the periphery that made this possible," Coach Heintschel said on his St. John's bio pate. "It is a tribute to the Jesuit vision of excellence- that vision which pulls all this together."

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