Kearstin Schweitzer Named Valpo Running Backs Coach, Becomes First Female Position Coach in PFL
The Valparaiso University football program and head coach Landon Fox have announced the addition of Kearstin Schweitzer as the team’s running backs coach.
Schweitzer, who comes to Valpo after a stint working with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League, becomes the first female position coach in Valpo and Pioneer Football League history. She joins St. Thomas’ Anna Caruso (Quality Control: In-Game Strategy and Data Research) as females with on-field coaching responsibilities in the PFL.
“For me, it’s exciting to hire a young, up-and-coming coach,” Fox said. “I had a chance to interview Kearstin and knew right away that she is creative and has a plan. She believes in herself and the things that she can accomplish in this profession. We hired the best person for the job, and it’s awesome that it gives us the opportunity to have the first female football coach at Valpo. We are excited to have her on staff.”
Schweitzer spent this summer as part of the National Coaching Academy Fellowship with the Buccaneers, serving as an offensive fellow. She previously spent time with the Bucs as an NFL National Coaching Academy Finalist in May, working as part of the offensive staff during minicamp. She was chosen as one of the five individuals from the coaching academy who were invited to return to the Bucs for training camp.
“Valparaiso is close to home for me; it’s about an hour away from where I live in Illinois,” Schweitzer said. “Being close to home is not something that I’ve been able to experience, coaching in Wisconsin for the last six years and being in Florida with the Bucs. The opportunity to join Valparaiso’s program is super exciting to me.”
Schweitzer served as the Director of Football Operations, Chief of Staff and Assistant Wide Receivers Coach during her time at the University of Wisconsin Platteville, which spanned from 2021 to May 2024. She was part of the NFL Nunn-Wooten Scouting Fellowship with the Pittsburgh Steelers during the summer of 2023 after getting her start as the wide receivers coach at Lakeland University in 2020-2021.
Schweitzer was the first female coach in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference while at Lakeland and was one of three in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference while at UW-Platteville. She began as a student manager at Lakeland before she realized that she was picking up on football strategy and tactics throughout the season and asked the coaches if she could start attending film meetings to learn more about the game.
“Being a role model for young women is super important, and it’s something you don’t think about when you first take jobs,” Schweitzer said. “Today, there are 15 women who have coaching roles and are fully employed in the NFL. The number of women in football is growing. We are going to do our job and do it well, and in turn that is going to create future opportunities for women to get into the sport.”
During her time with the Bucs, Schweitzer worked closely with wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon and the widely-respected Skip Peete, who has been an NFL running backs coach for over 25 years. Peete’s 17-year-old daughter Gisele is one of the many young women who look up to Schweitzer, and the two had the opportunity to sit down and talk about what Schweitzer’s process was in terms of getting into football.
“I’ve had a few young women who are starting coaching reach out to me via Twitter asking me to be a mentor,” Schweitzer said. “Because I did a good job at Lakeland, the head coach didn’t hesitate to bring another female in to help his program after I left. It’s special to know that what I’m doing is affecting a future generation.”
Schweitzer earned her undergraduate degree in sports management and leadership from Lakeland University in December 2021 before going on to receive her master’s in sports administration from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in May 2024. Her twin sister Madison is the head women’s volleyball coach at Kenyon College in Ohio.
What They’re Saying About Coach Schweitzer
Skip Peete, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Running Backs Coach: “First and foremost, Kearstin is a very motivated and determined young lady who wants to be the best possible coach that she can be. During the time she was here, she was always in the office and was diligent about looking as much into our offense as she could in a short period of time. I was very impressed with her preparation each and every day. When members of the fellowship come here, they are part of our staff, we treat them no differently than full-time staff members. Every day, we would talk about the scripts and different drills that we were running. Her knowledge, ability to communicate and the juice that she brings to the room was very special. That’s something everyone wants, especially in young coaches.”
Ryan Munz, UW-Platteville Head Coach: “We are excited to see Coach Kea in this position at a Division-1 program. Her experience and development the last two years has allowed her to be ready to take on this new role. Everyone in Platteville will be cheering for her. She is going to crush it!”
Michael Martin, UW-Platteville Strength & Conditioning Coach: “Coach Schweitzer is a rising star in the profession. Her experiences in multiple roles at various levels of football including the highest levels is a tremendous asset. Her passion for the game, combined with her ability to connect with players, and her unyielding determination is what sets her apart. I am excited to see the positive impact that she will undoubtedly have.”
Brett Allen, UW-Platteville Offensive Coordinator: “Kearstin doesn’t sugar-coat anything. She holds her players to the highest of standards and won’t accept anything but her players’ highest of efforts.”
