2009
NFL Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year
Dan Dalrymple
The efforts of Dalrymple and his staff have played a key role in the New Orleans Saints' success over the past 12 seasons. His routines, focused on building and maintaining strength and stamina while minimizing injuries, have paid dividends for the Saints. Since 2006, New Orleans has put together 13 winning streaks of three games or more, including a franchise-record 13-game win streak in 2009 and eight-game winning streaks in 2011 and 2107. 21 players have been selected to the Pro Bowl during his tenure, 16 for the first time in their careers.
2008
NFL Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year
John Lott
A native of Denton, Texas, Lott has earned a reputation as one of the NFL’s most demanding strength and conditioning coaches, consistently challenging the players with off-the-field preparation both during the season and off-season. A frequent contributor at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, Lott was recognized in February of 2009 at the combine as the Cybex Professional Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year by the Professional Football Strength and Conditioning Coaches Society. He was also honored as the 2001 Powermag All-NFL Team Top Strength Coach by Power Magazine.
During his first season in Arizona, Lott was responsible for overseeing the redesign of the team’s weight room. The weight room was completely made over during a six-week span at the cost of several hundred thousand dollars to update equipment and the overall look.
Lott’s programs stress Olympic movements, as well as strength and speed development, and he has also devised strict individual in-season programs to help the players increase their overall stamina and endurance.
2007
NFL Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year
Rock Gullickson
Rock Gullickson was a football coach in the National Football League (NFL) from 2000 until 2016, finishing his career with the Los Angeles Rams as their head strength and conditioning coach. Over his seventeen years of coaching his teams compiled a cumulative record of 113-158-1.
2006
NFL Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year
Rusty Jones
Jones' National Football League career began in 1985 with the Buffalo Bills, where he coached for 20 years; head coach Marv Levy called him the team's "secret weapon". He moved to Chicago as their strength and conditioning coordinator on February 3, 2005.
Jones was viewed as an important figure in the development of strength and conditioning training in football, making innovations including individualized workout and diet regimens, and an emphasis on the body mass index and hydration monitoring.
2005
NFL Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year
Chet Furhman
When Bill Cowher replaced Chuck Noll as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers he brought in Fuhrman to replace Jon Kolb as the team's conditioning coordinator. In 2005, Fuhman was voted by his peers in the league as the NFL Strength Coach of the Year. The Steelers won the Super Bowl in the same season
Fuhrman remained with the Steelers during Cowher's full tenure of fifteen seasons.
2003
NFL Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year
Jerry Simmons
Jerry Simmons was a football coach in the National Football League (NFL) from 1988 until 2010, finishing his career with the Carolina Panthers as their strength and conditioning coach. Over his twenty-three years of coaching his teams compiled a cumulative record of 156-211-1.
2002
NFL Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year
Garrett Giemont
Garrett Matthew Giemont is a strength and conditioning coach who has worked for 30 years at the professional level with several teams in the NFL. Giemont began his career as a training assistant with the Rams in 1970. He worked his way up the Rams organization, eventually becoming the team's strength and conditioning coach in 1990.
Giemont left the Rams in 1992 to become the director of physical development for Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs. With the Cubs he helped develop such players as Greg Maddux and Sammy Sosa.
Giemont returned to the NFL in 1995, taking a job as the strength coach of the Oakland Raiders. He remained with the Raiders under four head coaches through the 2002 season. In 2002, Giemont was named Coach of the Year by the Professional Football Strength and Conditioning Coaches Society.
In 2003 Giemont was hired as strength coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, rejoining head coach Jon Gruden, under whom Giemont had coached in Oakland. The Buccaneers let Giemont go in 2006.
Mike Tomlin brought Giemont in as the strength and conditioning coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2007 shortly after taking over for Bill Cowher as head coach.
2001
NFL Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year
Mike Wolf
Mike Wolf was a football coach in the National Football League (NFL) from 1992 until 2015, finishing his career with the Cleveland Browns as their assistant strength and conditioning coach. Over his twenty-one years of coaching his teams compiled a cumulative record of 187-147-2.
2000
NFL Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year
Jeff Friday
Jeff Friday is a football coach in the National Football League (NFL) working as the assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Cincinnati Bengals. He held this position since 2012. Prior to this role, he started with the Bengals as the team's strength assistant in 2010.
1999
NFL Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year
Jerry Palmieri
The Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Giants from 2004-16, Jerry Palmieri is one of the NFL’s most respected conditioning coaches. Prior to his tenure with the Giants, he spent eight years with the Jacksonville Jaguars and one at Boston College, moving with head coach Tom Coughlin. Jerry has been honored as the 2007 Samson’s NFL Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Year and by the Professional Strength and Conditioning Coaches Society as Coach of the Year. Palmieri is also a three-time New Jersey Golden Gloves champion (1976-78) and competed in international competition as a member of the 1978 and 1979 USA Boxing Teams.
1998
NFL Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year
Al Miller
Al Miller was a football coach in the National Football League (NFL) from 1985 until 2013, finishing his career with the Oakland Raiders as their strength and conditioning coach. Over his twenty-three years of coaching his teams compiled a cumulative record of 185-180-2.
1997
NFL Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year
John Gamble
John Gamble was a football coach in the National Football League (NFL) from 1994 until 2012, finishing his career with the Buffalo Bills as their strength and conditioning coach. Over his sixteen years of coaching his teams compiled a cumulative record of 131-125-0.
1996
NFL Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year
Kent Johnson
Johnston served as an assistant coach at Northwestern State University from 1979 to 1980, the Northeast Louisiana University from 1980 to 1981, and the University of Alabama from 1983 to 1986. He served as Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1987 to 1991, the Green Bay Packers from 1992 to 1998, and the Seattle Seahawks from 1999 to 2003 before returning to the University of Alabama. Later he was hired as the Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Cleveland Browns. In 1997 while with the Packers he was named Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year.
1995
NFL Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year
Tom Zupancic
Tom Zupancic joined the Indianapolis Colts when they moved to the city in 1984. He served as the team’s Strength and Conditioning coach until 1999 when he joined the front office organization as Director of Business Development. Tom has since been promoted to Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing.
Tom is an active ambassador for the Colts. He serves on the boards of the Children’s Bureau, CYO Board, Speedway Exchange Club, Leukemia Society, 21st Century Charter School, Fountain Square Charter School, The GEO Foundation and the Board of Trustees for the University of Indianapolis. In the course of the year, he makes hundreds of appearances, often delivering motivational messages, on behalf of the organization.
1994
NFL Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year
John Dunn
John Dunn was a football coach in the National Football League (NFL) from 1984 until 2011, finishing his career with the Baltimore Ravens as their assistant strength and conditioning coach. Over his twenty-six years of coaching his teams compiled a cumulative record of 228-186-1.
1993
NFL Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year
Dave Redding
Dave Redding started his career as a graduate assistant at the University of Nebraska where he had played football. This served as his platform that launched him into a very successful career in the NFL. He has spent 24 seasons in the NFL, beginning as the first Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Cleveland Browns (’82-88). He then continued his work with Kansas City (’89-98), Washington (2001), San Diego (’02-’06) and finally Green Bay until 2011. Redding has received many honors and awards for his work. In 2006, he was named NFL’s Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year following the Chargers' 14-2 season, as well as being inducted into the USA Strength and Conditioning Coaches Hall of Fame in 2006.
1991
NFL Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year
Steve Watterson
Steve Watterson was NFL’s longest-tenured assistant coach with a single club, having joined the Houston Oilers in 1986.