Former Tiger Todd Schonhar Passes Away

CLEMSON, S.C. — Former Clemson football player and graduate assistant coach Todd Schonhar died early Tuesday morning after a battle with COVID-19. He was 57 years old.

Schonhar played at Clemson from 1982-86 after originally joining the program as a walk-on. He earned letters in 1985 and 1986 as a reserve quarterback and holder and was named to the Academic All-ACC team in 1986 prior to his graduation in the spring of 1987.

Schonhar contributed to the success of kicker David Treadwell in 1985 and 1986. He served as the holder on Treadwell’s famous 46-yard game-winning field goal at Georgia in 1986 and is seen lifting Treadwell in many of the pictures of the ensuing celebration.

Schonhar’s most memorable play took place on an extra point against South Carolina in 1986 in his final game in Death Valley. He handled a bad snap, then threw a successful two-point conversion pass to Jim Riggs for an 8-0 lead. The game ended in a 21-21 tie.

One of the team’s most well-liked players, Schonhar was on Danny Ford’s coaching staff as a graduate assistant for the 1988 and 1989 seasons. Clemson won the ACC Championship and finished in the top 10 in 1988 and ranked 12th in the final AP poll in 1989.

Schonhar went on to a long coaching career at the college and high school levels. Among his stops, he was the offensive coordinator at Tarleton State in 2005 and 2006, and later the quarterback coach at Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston State. He was most recently a coach at John B. Connally High School in Austin, Texas.

A native of Easley, S.C., Schonhar is survived by his wife, the former Julia Barton, a former Clemson cheerleader.