From the reservations to the football field

Penn football's defensive line coach is a renaissance man.

Just ask head coach Al Bagnoli about Jim Schaefer, and he'll tell you about the assistant coach's expertise in everything from the 4-3 set to Native American life philosophies.

Schaefer is a wizard at what he does, having coached alongside Bagnoli for 19 years at Union College and Penn. But it is difficult to truly know this man without an understanding of his vital existence outside of football.

It is common for a coach to relate his own experiences when imparting advice to his team. Yet, few possess the wealth of knowledge or the sheer passion for life that Schaefer has to draw from.

"He's a unique person," Bagnoli said. "He's really a very bright, hard working, conscientious guy and is just a quality person."

Schaefer's free spiritedness was made widely-known early in his coaching career when he and Bagnoli were still employees of Union -- especially in one particular incident.

Union College was scheduled to play a game at Gettysburg one week, so Bagnoli thought it would be a good idea to involve his student athletes in a bit of history. He delegated the duty of arranging a tour of the Civil War battleground to Schaefer.

Schaefer soon learned, however, that no tour guide would be available for the only time slot that the team had open.

Unfazed, the assistant coach took matters into his own hands. A self-termed history buff, he read a 300-page book shortly before the trip to charge his memory and decided to give the tour himself.

"He got on the bus in a Union army outfit, with a sword in his hand," Bagnoli recalled. "And he probably led the tour better than anyone else could have."

Shortly thereafter, Schaefer made the move to Penn with Bagnoli and was forever changed by two graduate school classes he took here about American Indian lifestyles and folklore.

Inspired by what he had learned, the Rhode Island native set out for the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota to gain first-hand knowledge of the Oglala Lakota tribe's culture and language.

Schaefer chose this particular tribe, of which famous historical figures Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse were members, for a reason that seems to sum up Schaefer's unconventional but beloved behavior.

"The only thing I had heard was that it was the most dangerous reservation, so I absolutely had to go," Schaefer said.

Since his initial trip to the Badlands area 10 years ago, Schaefer has made it a point to go back every summer since, with the exception of last summer, when he got married.

Schaefer has been able to apply all that the Oglala Lakota have taught him to other aspects of life, including football and his career in general.

The tribe's theory of the circle of life, which in its most basic elements suggests that history repeats itself and that life is to be both learned from and enjoyed, is one principle closely observed by the defensive line coach.

This is why Schaefer seems perfectly content with his position on the Penn staff and hasn't considered pursuing a higher-level job in football or otherwise, despite offers that have occasionally come along.

"To be honest, I never really look ahead too much," Schaefer said. "I learned that from the Native Americans -- to enjoy life and understand that you should live for the moment."

By most accounts, Schaefer could be successful in a variety of different fields, but his players are extremely grateful to have such a tremendous coach to guide them.

"He knows the defensive system in and out," Penn junior defensive end Chris Pennington said. "You can ask him anything and he'll help you out. You can go in or call him at any time."

Though the Quakers defensive ends have their own specialty coach, first-year man Tony Thompson, Pennington and the other ends often rely on Schaefer during games, since he is on the sideline while Thompson is positioned high above Franklin Field in the coaches' box.

"Year in, year out, he's one of our better position coaches because our defensive line is always good," Penn senior captain and defensive tackle Steve Moroney said. "That's got to be attributed to him."

Aside from his intelligence, it is Schaefer's personality that makes him so beloved by not only the defensive linemen under his tutelage, but by all players.

"He's forged terrific relationships," Bagnoli said. "He must have had 15 to 20 guys he has coached attend his wedding."

His current group of linemen has a great deal of respect for its mentor, in part because of his accessibility off the field for matters that might not always pertain to football.

"Beyond being a really great coach, he's a great person," Pennington said. "If you have a problem outside of football, he's definitely one of the first coaches I'd go to see."

Moroney was equally effusive in his praise.

"He's a guy you want to play for -- he's a player's coach," he said, adding that Schaefer is also a perfectionist who demands the very best of his unit.

Pennington described Schaefer as the kind of guy who "you could kid around with to a certain point, but when it's game time, he's very intense."

It is this balance between trusted acquaintance and respected leader that appears to have endeared Schaefer to all of the team's players and coaches.

"He goes beyond being a coach," Moroney said. "We have a friend relationship."

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