Herm Schaefer
Indianapolis Olympians Head Coach | NBA Coach | NBA Player
Herm Schaefer was born on December 20, 1918, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He played college basketball at Indiana University before continuing his career in professional basketball.
Schaefer later became head coach of the Indianapolis Olympians and coached the franchise for its final 2 NBA seasons. Indianapolis reached the playoffs in both years under Schaefer.
He finished his NBA head coaching career with a 62-75 record.
Coach Schaefer passed away on March 21, 1980, at the age of 61.
- Overall Coaching Record: 62-75
Coaching Career
Herm Schaefer was hired as head coach of the Indianapolis Olympians on June 30, 1951.
The Olympians went 34-32 during the 1951-1952 season and reached the playoffs, where they were swept by the Minneapolis Lakers in the Western Division Semifinals.
Indianapolis went 28-43 the following season and returned to the playoffs before again losing to the Lakers in 2 games. The 1952-1953 season became the final season in Olympians franchise history and ended Schaefer’s NBA head coaching career.
Notable Players Coached
- Leo Barnhorst
- 2× NBA All-Star
- Paul Walther
- 1952 NBA All-Star