John Schaefer

Biography

John Schaefer joined Northwestern in July 2024 and serves as the Director of Football Video Operations, overseeing the program's video efforts. Prior to arriving in Evanston, Schaefer spent time at the University of Wisconsin as the Director of Football Video & Technology. In that role, he led a staff responsible for filming, editing, and maintaining archives of the Badgers' practices and games while also producing video content to support the needs of the coaching and recruiting staffs. Schaefer is a two-time winner of the Big Ten Conference Video Coordinator of the Year by his peers, having won the award in 2018-19 and 2022-23. He was also named a finalist for the Bob Matey National Video Coordinator of the Year Award presented by the Collegiate Sports Video Association in 2018-19. Schaefer joined Wisconsin in 2013 after spending three years on the football video staff at Western Michigan, including serving as the Broncos' head video coordinator during the 2012 season. In total, he spent six seasons at Western Michigan, beginning as a student assistant coach working with the offensive line from 2007–09 before transitioning to the program's video staff. A native of Mount Clemens, Michigan, Schaefer earned his degree in mathematics with a minor in communications from Western Michigan in 2011.