Erich Schriever made his international début at the 1947 European Championships, where he captured bronze in the eights for Switzerland, alongside Rudolf Reichling, Peter Stebler, Emil Knecht, and the non-Olympians Walter Stapfer, Henri Zoller, Fritz Stapfer, Jakob Knöpfel, and Franco Brentani. His next stop was the 1948 Summer Olympics where, with Reichling, Schriever, Stebler, and André Moccand, he took silver in the coxed fours. In the 1950s he switched to the double sculls and won that event at the 1953 European Championships, in addition to coming in second in 1954, both times with Stebler. Schriever retired from active competition shortly after this tournament.