Lifetime Achievement Award
Johnny Parker
NFL Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year
Cedric Smith
Houston Texans
The Champions Award
Bob Rogucki
Baltimore Ravens
Johnny Parker was the first Strength and Conditioning coach in the Big Ten at Indiana University in 1977. His career in the NFL began in 1984 when he became the strength and conditioning coach for the New York Giants. Parker's strength and conditioning program undoubtedly helped this team to have what many consider to be the "greatest season ever" in 1986, which resulted in the dramatic Super Bowl win against the Denver Broncos. This win was followed by another Super Bowl win four years later over the Buffalo Bills. Parker also coached for the New England Patriots, assisting Coach Bill Parcells in launching a new era of Patriot football, which resulted in a Super Bowl appearance. He also coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, helping the team earn its first Super Bowl championship. Parker ended his career with a three-year stint with the San Francisco 49ers, retiring in 2008.
Cedric Smith, the recipient of the NFL Strength Coach of the Year Award has been in the NFL for 19 years as both a player and a coach and is in his third season with the Houston Texans. Smith entered the NFL as a fullback, playing with Arizona, Washington, New Orleans and Minnesota. He finished his NFL player's career with 40 carries for 100 yards (2.5 avg.) with two touchdowns and 20 receptions for 141 yards (7.1 avg.) with two scores. Prior to signing on as the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach with the Texans, Smith coached for Kansas City and the Denver Broncos. Smith has implemented a vigorous off-season program for the Texans that emphasizes strength training and cardiovascular endurance in conjunction with speed and flexibility training, a system that paid off in the Texans’s games this year.
Bob Rogucki, recipient of the Champions Award, is a 38-year coaching veteran with 22 of those years in the NFL. Now, in his fifth year as the Raven’s Head Strength & Conditioning Coach, his philosophy is to direct a training regimen specific to the game of football involving protocols that build both muscular strength and endurance. Rogucki believes strength and conditioning is the basis of football success and works individually with every player. His strength and conditioning program is carefully designed to create player buy in and promote Ravens players' confidence that they can rely on conditioning to anchor their games. The Baltimore Ravens definitively validated Rogucki's philosophy, demonstrating both their skill and endurance during the road to their Super Bowl victory.