Jürgen Schröder won three bronze medals with the West German water polo team in international tournaments. He won the 1982 World Championships, 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, and 1985 European Championships. He also won the World Cup in 1985, and a gold medal at the 1981 Europeans. In total, he won more than 100 international caps.
Domestically, Schröder played with SC Rote Erde Hamm, and helped them to second place in the Bundesliga in 1979 and 1984. By profession, Schröder was a trained bank clerk. He later became CEO of the Theatre at Hamburg Harbour.