Frank Schmidt: 5 things on Heidenheim's legendary head coach

Schmidt, Heidenheim's manager for 20 years, is stepping down at the end of the 2026/27 season after guiding the club from the fifth tier to the Bundesliga.

Frank Schmidt enjoys legendary status at Heidenheim, the club he has managed since September 2007. Born in the town, Schmidt finished his playing career as captain of Heidenheim before taking over as interim head coach — a role that became permanent and has now lasted nearly two decades.

Schmidt is the longest-serving manager in German professional football history, surpassing Volker Finke's record on 17 September 2023. He will reach nearly 800 matches by the time he steps down at the end of the 2026/27 campaign. Under his stewardship, Heidenheim climbed from the fifth tier through the fourth and third divisions before establishing themselves in Bundesliga 2. The club achieved a historic first promotion to the Bundesliga on the final day of 2022/23, and despite recent relegation back to the second tier, Schmidt guided them to safety via playoff victory against Elversberg.

Schmidt has drawn comparisons to Jürgen Klopp for his tactical acumen and closeness to players. Notably, he played for TSV Vestenbergsgreuth in the 1994/95 DFB Cup when they pulled off one of the competition's greatest upsets, beating Bayern Munich 1-0. As Heidenheim coach, he came close to repeating that feat in 2018/19 before eventually losing 5-4 in a quarter-final, but later oversaw a memorable 3-2 comeback win against Bayern in Heidenheim's first home Bundesliga match.