In the realm of professional sports franchises, hands-on owners like the Yankees’ George Steinbrenner, the Cowboys’ Jerry Jones and the Dallas Mavericks’ Mark Cuban are often said to be overly involved with their teams. The truth of the matter, however, is that these owners are heavily involved because of their passion for winning and, more importantly, their genuine interest in the well-being of their players and coaches.
The same is true for Bobcats’ Owner & President Fred Schoenhut. After coaching the Bobcats’ youth teams for two years, the 50-year-old businessman assumed ownership of the team before the 2001-02 season. Since then he has invested both time and money in a Bobcats organization that has blossomed with the merging of the prestigious Long Island Gulls program.
Fred has maintained his level of coaching and administration since taking over as owner. He integrates himself with day-to-day operations such as scheduling, fund-raising and even coaching players at the entry Mite level. And he has never lost sight of the primary goal of the Bobcats organization: preparing its players for their futures in hockey and in life.
“Our objectives are to help our players become the best players they can be, both individually and as team players, on and off the ice,” Schoenhut said. “The Bobcats/Gulls’ objective is to teach our players how to help their team be successful, and to help foster further personal and athletic development.”
Schoenhut, who was born in Brooklyn and grew up in Baldwin Harbor, began playing ice hockey at age 13. He went on to make the Division I squad at Clarkson University as walk-on player in 1975, and also played some Junior-level hockey in Canada. But upon his graduation from Clarkson, Schoenhut began trading commodities on Wall Street full-time. He is now Chairman of the New York Board of Trade, New York’s oldest futures exchange.
Fred Schoenhut has been married for 22 years. He and his wife Laurie and have four children. They currently live in Oyster Bay, Long Island.