BRUCE SCHUMACHER
Bruce Schumacher is the Chairman & CEO of the Indianapolis Indians baseball team and a 1978 North Central graduate. His family has deep roots in Washington Township with all his siblings and all three of his daughters graduating from North Central High School. It was a priority for Bruce to have his children attend Washington Township Schools, and his daughter Grace currently helps coach North Central’s JV softball team. Bruce grew up on the northwest side of the district attending Grandview, Delaware Trails, Westlane, and finally North Central.
While at NC Bruce loved sports. He played intramural basketball and kept statistics for the varsity & reserve basketball teams. One of his favorite memories was his Wednesday 3-6 pm WJEL radio show called, “Bruce the Schu is talking to you”. He says, “It was a highlight of my time at North Central.”
Bruce remembers Vice-Principal Billy Walker wearing a T-shirt that said “Landon (Turner) is a punk” at a pep rally before a big basketball game against Tech. He said, “My friends and I loved going to lunch at Laughner’s Cafeteria, which was across 86th street at the time, on Tuesdays for 99-cent, 2-piece dark chicken.” He also recalls winning a bet with teacher Bob Seigel when the Indiana Hoosiers basketball team beat Purdue. Mr. Seigel paid by decorating Bruce’s lunch table in cream & crimson and buying him lunch.
Bruce is grateful for the way North Central prepared him for life. He describes the level of academic rigor as high. Bruce attended Indiana University after North Central and felt well prepared. He said, “North Central is a great cross-section of the real world. There was a lot of diversity.”
Bruce has been involved in planning his 1978 NCHS class reunions including their 45-year Reunion which will be held this August. He shared, “Planning a reunion is hard work, and it takes a lot of hands to pull it off, but it’s rewarding when you connect with other classmates.”
Bruce has worked his way up through the Indianapolis Indians organization. He started in 1983 as Ticket Manager and then was the public address announcer for over 20 years which allowed him to use his WJEL radio experience. Now Bruce serves as CEO and Chairman of the Indianapolis Indians. He is involved in the community on the Mapleton/Fall Creek housing committee as well as the Indianapolis Metropolitan Development Commission.
To learn more about Bruce and his work you can check him out on Linkedin or at www.IndyIndians.com.
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