For most in Middle Tennessee, the name Schmittou is synonymous with baseball. Of his many accomplishments, he might be best known for bringing professional baseball back to Nashville.
A life-time resident of Nashville, Schmittou was a teacher in the Nashville public school system from 1961 through 1968 where he also served as a head football and basketball coach. During that time, he won over 500 games as a sandlot baseball coach, winning twenty city championships, eight state championships and had six teams reach the national finals in their division. He also spent several years as a territorial scout for the Cleveland Indians Baseball Club.
In 1968, Schmittou became the head baseball coach and head football recruiter at Vanderbilt University. He led his teams to over 300 wins, including four consecutive Eastern Division Championships and the overall SEC championships in 1973 and 1974 – both years he was named SEC “Coach of the Year”.
In 1978, Schmittou put together a group of investors to bring professional baseball back to Nashville. The Nashville Sounds began as a Double A club for the Cincinnati Reds and is now a member of the prestigious American Association. For his accomplishments, Schmittou was a two-time recipient of the Larry MacPhail Award (1978 and 1980), the Sporting News Double A and Southern League “Executive of the Year” (1978 and 1981), and the Triple A Sporting News “Executive of the Year” (1989). He also served as the Double A and Triple A representative on the National Association Professional Baseball League Executive Committee.
In 1993 and 1994, Schmittou hosted two baseball teams at Herschel Greer Stadium; the Triple A Nashville Sounds and the Double A Nashville Xpress. The Triple A Nashville Sounds won the 1993 American Association Eastern Division and the Double A Xpress won the first half championship for the Western Division of the Southern League.
Larry Schmittou was inducted into the Tennessee Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in 1996. Currently, he is the President and Co-Owner of Sand S Sports, which is one of the nation’s largest owners of bowling centers with locations in Tennessee and Kentucky (the seventh largest bowling chain in the world).