Jeff Tanaka joined Northwestern in November 2021. He is responsible for overseeing the health care of the men’s basketball team, supporting the athletic training staff and managing the sport medicine facilities at the stadium campus.
Tanaka is a graduate of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, where he earned a degree in Physical Education.  While earning a master’s degree in Kinesiology at San Jose State University, Tanaka was a graduate assistant with the San Francisco 49ers (1995-1997).
Tanaka spent extensive time working in professional sports, including the NBA and NFL. He worked 12 seasons (2008-20) on the athletic training staff of the Chicago Bulls, including six years as the Head Athletic Trainer. Tanaka served as an athletic trainer for two NBA All-Star Games (2009, 2020) and has traveled to Europe and Asia with the NBA Basketball Without Borders program.
Prior to joining Northwestern, Tanaka was the Head Athletic Trainer for the Chicago Fire FC of MLS for the 2021 season.
Before working for the Bulls, Tanaka spent nine seasons as an Assistant Athletic Trainer with the San Francisco 49ers (1999-08). While with the 49ers, the Tanaka was a member of the NFL Training Staff of the Year in 2001. He was also the assistant athletic trainer for the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe in 1997. He got his first experience in the professional setting as a training camp intern with the Los Angeles Raiders in 1994. He spent two seasons in the collegiate ranks (1997-1999) at Cal, where he was athletic trainer for men’s basketball and the men’s and women’s swim teams.
Tanaka is a member of the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) and served as Secretary for the National Basketball Athletic Trainers’ Association (NBATA) Executive Committee 2015-2019. Tanaka is certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) as a Corrective Exercise Specialist and also holds certifications in Active Release Technique, Blood Flow Restriction, Dry Needling, and Functional Range Conditioning. His areas of interest are soft tissue interventions, movement assessment, utilizing biometric data to help inform medical decision making, and mentoring sports medicine professionals and athletes.
Jeff and his wife, Valerie, reside in Chicago, with their daughter, Dylan and son, Casey.
Tanaka is a graduate of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, where he earned a degree in Physical Education.  While earning a master’s degree in Kinesiology at San Jose State University, Tanaka was a graduate assistant with the San Francisco 49ers (1995-1997).
Tanaka spent extensive time working in professional sports, including the NBA and NFL. He worked 12 seasons (2008-20) on the athletic training staff of the Chicago Bulls, including six years as the Head Athletic Trainer. Tanaka served as an athletic trainer for two NBA All-Star Games (2009, 2020) and has traveled to Europe and Asia with the NBA Basketball Without Borders program.
Prior to joining Northwestern, Tanaka was the Head Athletic Trainer for the Chicago Fire FC of MLS for the 2021 season.
Before working for the Bulls, Tanaka spent nine seasons as an Assistant Athletic Trainer with the San Francisco 49ers (1999-08). While with the 49ers, the Tanaka was a member of the NFL Training Staff of the Year in 2001. He was also the assistant athletic trainer for the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe in 1997. He got his first experience in the professional setting as a training camp intern with the Los Angeles Raiders in 1994. He spent two seasons in the collegiate ranks (1997-1999) at Cal, where he was athletic trainer for men’s basketball and the men’s and women’s swim teams.
Tanaka is a member of the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) and served as Secretary for the National Basketball Athletic Trainers’ Association (NBATA) Executive Committee 2015-2019. Tanaka is certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) as a Corrective Exercise Specialist and also holds certifications in Active Release Technique, Blood Flow Restriction, Dry Needling, and Functional Range Conditioning. His areas of interest are soft tissue interventions, movement assessment, utilizing biometric data to help inform medical decision making, and mentoring sports medicine professionals and athletes.
Jeff and his wife, Valerie, reside in Chicago, with their daughter, Dylan and son, Casey.