Greg Schumacher

Greg Schumacher was the first of two Tacoma Soapbox Derby champions to take the checkered flag and win the national title at the All-American Derby in Akron, Ohio.

Soapbox Derby was a big sport in Tacoma from 1936-73, and Schumacher raced during the height of Soapbox Derby interest in Tacoma. During a seven-year period in the 1960s a total of five Tacoma Derby winners went on to place among the top nine at the All-American Derby national championship in Akron, Ohio. Tacoma’s track, modeled after the one at the national derby in Akron, was built at a cost of $100,000 near present-day Cheney Stadium, and this certainly was a bonus to the local winners.

Schumacher, born in Tacoma on Nov. 3, 1949, placed second in the Tacoma Soapbox Derby in 1963. He came back the following year as a 14-year-old to win the hotly contested Tacoma championship and qualifying for the All-American Derby. Along with winning the national title, he won a $7,500 college scholarship and an all-expenses-paid trip to the New York World’s Fair. Upon his return to Tacoma, a ceremony was held in his honor. Schumacher credited the intense competition in Tacoma with preparing him for the national Derby.

After his Derby exploits, Schumacher attended Wilson High School where he played center on the football team. He graduated from Wilson in 1968.