This year’s second Hall of Fame member has meant a lot to the sport of tractor and truck pulling. This Wisconsinite is a promoter, a former NTPA Grand National Champion, and a fulfiller of sponsorship procurements. But most notably, David P. Schreier is a leader and the longest-tenured commander the motorsport has ever known.
Schreier, one of eight children, grew up among the many hard working people of Norwalk, Wisconsin. His father and mother farmed and ran a tavern and restaurant that also had a community hall upstairs. On Saturday nights, “Schreiers” was the place to be. Three quarters of the population of Norwalk—roughly 300-plus strong—showed up for the chicken dinner and socializing.
The family was raised in the Catholic Church, with young David attending high school at a Catholic Seminary for four years. His unique background of having a strong work ethic, coupled with strong family values and a structured education, gives a glimpse of the man whose attributes fit perfectly as a valuable voice for each organization that he would later serve. He brought common-sense solutions, a commitment to getting the job done correctly, and a
leadership presence that very few command in a crowd.
David, father of four children, joined his brother Dick in the John Deere Implement business in 1965. Shortly after, Schreier began pulling with a 4020 series John Deere. Local pulling continued until 1973, when the “Cajun Queen” powerhouse John Deere 4320 was purchased from Sydenstricker Implement and prepared for the 1974 season. It was a stalwart of its day and featured an advanced, twinturbocharged engine that had direct John Deere factory involvement. Schreier renamed the tractor “Green Power Special.” He took off the intercooler and developed a water injection system that was built with parts from a John Deere high-powered washer. It was innovative for its day, as an on/off switch was attached to the throttle to control the flow of the water injection.
In 1975, Schreier and Mike Linnehan began building a new John Deere tractor that would ultimately propel “Green Power Special II” onto the national map. It featured over 500 cubic inches and twin turbochargers generating over 1,000 horsepower. Also, the larger series branded tractors of the day began getting lighter to make weight in the 7,000-lb. Super Stock class. Stock components were exchanged for lighter, aluminum-crafted parts, and a narrow front end was installed. By the time the tractor hit the track in 1976, Schreier had 300 lbs. of moveable weight in the 7,000-lb. class—quite a feat for that era.
Many wins and top-five finishes were the norm for Schreier and “Green Power Special II.” Son Christopher began driving for the team, as the Schreiers fielded a pair of tough-running Super Stockers. By 1980, David P. Schreier had achieved the pinnacle of his sport by winning an NTPA Grand National title in the 7,000-lb. Super Stock class.
In the early 1980s along with Midwest Crankshaft, David assisted in the design and build of the first John Deere powerplant to utilize four turbochargers with the integration of an International Harvester head on a John Deere block. It was both rewarding and frustrating as it showed great potential, but expense and reliability issues were taking the enjoyment out of the experience, never finding the desired consistency. Schreier passed along the concept to friend and fellow puller Kenny Smith and went back to a more reliable three-charger setup. Schreier continued pulling into the mid-’80s and left an indelible mark during his competition days. But the real impact of David P. Schreier on the sport of pulling was just in its infancy.
Right after Dave joined brother Dick in the John Deere business in the mid-’60s, the Norwalk Lions Club was looking for a fundraiser. Schreier suggested that they promote a tractor pulling event. In 1967, the Norwalk pull was born. It was a success, and it has grown into an NTPA National Event that continues to this day.
Fast forward to 1976 when Schreier became president of the Monroe County Fair in the county seat of Tomah. Once again, a fundraiser was the topic of discussion. David, along with Treasurer Don Kortbein, convinced the board to take the risk of having a national tractor pull to fill the financial need. The initial Tomah, Wisconsin NTPA National event was held in September on the weekend preceding Farm Fest in Minnesota. All of the eastern United States pullers would come through Tomah on their way to the event, so they decided to sanction it on back-to-back weekends. Needless to say, the Tomah, Wisconsin event, entering its 40th year, remains a foundational piece of the NTPA schedule each and every year.
When rival sanctioning bodies popped up and began buying existing NTPA events in the mid- to late-’80s, Schreier stepped forward with a pair of partners—Jayson Promotions and the Promotion Company—to promote events that assisted in giving the NTPA pullers and sponsors the platform to demonstrate its value.
David P. Schreier spent his early years in the Wisconsin Tractor Pullers Association, sitting as a delegate to the NTPA Full Board of Directors in the ’70s to early ’80s. Schreier enjoyed serving on both the state and national boards, but he could see the landscape ahead as the ’80s were on the horizon. The sport had an opportunity to grow at an exponentially fast rate, but he sensed that the structure of the NTPA association, its overall level of expertise, as well as the means of making decisions were antiquated already, a dozen years since NTPA’s inception in 1969. These feelings were communicated in an interview with Pulling Power magazine in spring 1984.
Schreier, among others in the NTPA organization, had their fears realized in 1985 when NTPA was determined to be approximately $200,000 in debt. Schreier stepped forward along with 39 other concerned competitors, member states and promoters to capitalize World Pulling International, Inc. as the management arm to the NTPA. David was elected to the inaugural WPI Executive Board.
Once WPI began paying its outstanding bills, several more creditors stepped forward. Schreier, now the WPI President and having moved from Tomah to Columbus, Ohio in 1986, found himself on the phone with other WPI supporters trying to capitalize another $200,000-plus to keep things afloat during an emergency meeting in Minneapolis in 1987. At the time, WPI shareholders could only own one share in the company, but this new debt raised the number of shares to two. Debentures were also invested in the company.
Schreier, along with several others, purchased a second stock to once again bring the company back to solvency. Bankruptcy was discussed during this time, as there was concern that perhaps even more debt would be discovered. Schreier was one of the vocal persons of the time who said the NTPA brand was worth salvaging.
There were a lot of grand days as well as frustrating days in those early years of WPI and NTPA learning to work together. Many of the competitors around for the early years longed to have the association operated as it once did; however, the business side of the sport was too large to return to that model. The NTPA had already seen both Wrangler Jeans and Red Man Chewing Tobacco come and go because the business model did not begin to meet the expectations of these sponsors. However, under Schreier’s leadership, WPI was able to procure U.S. Tobacco Company sponsorship of the commonly remembered Copenhagen/Skoal Pulling Circuit, which became the largest sponsor to date in the sport of pulling in 1988. Schreier guided a management plan that utilized the large sponsorship funds in a way that did not place one dime into assisting the debt.
Also coming aboard in the late-’80s was the Chevy Trucks sponsorship (which lasted 22 years) that enabled the company to put both the entry trailer and scoreboard back on the road after a couple years in storage. Enderle Fuel Injection became interested in a sponsorship program in 1987. David met with Kent and his wife Joan and put into place a program that is entering its 29th season. The Enderle Pull-Off will surpass the $1.4 million mark in 2015 and is the longest-standing rewards program in the sport of pulling.
As WPI President and CEO, David P. Schreier never wavered and always based his decisions on doing what was right for the company. Far more times than not, he was correct. David has paved a legacy that not only touches most all things relating to NTPA Championship Pulling, but most all things relating to the entire sport of pulling. Whether it involved a tough decision on a safety item or transitioning through the years to make the sport work for the common good, Schreier led in both the tough times as well as the good times. His legacy will reach far into the future, and WPI/NTPA is thriving from his labor, one wrought out of a love and passion for the sport.
Throughout the process, Schreier relied on several key individuals as well as the support of his loving wife, Christine of 31 years; together having seven children, 15 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren. In 2014, David P. Schreier celebrates his 30th year of involvement with managing WPI/NTPA, and he takes his deserved place in the NTPA Hall of Fame.