Pollard Joins Strength and Conditioning Program; Kinley Promoted
Jan 23, 2004 | Football
January 23, 2004
Ben Pollard, former coordinator of strength and conditioning at Alabama, has accepted the position of director of football strength and performance at Texas A&M.
"Ben Pollard is one of the top strength coaches in the country and he has produced tremendous results," Aggie head football coach Dennis Franchione said. "I appreciate the job Mike Clark did here at Texas A&M, and yet I am pleased to have someone of Ben's quality available to step in and head up our football strength program. There is no down time in trying to learn our system and getting to know our football staff because Ben worked with us at TCU and Alabama."
Pollard was responsible for all of the strength and conditioning programs at Alabama with direct responsibility for football the past three seasons. He is certified by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association and has attained the title of Master Strength and Conditioning Coach. He is a senior level coach in the United States Weightlifting Federation.
"I am very excited to be here in Aggieland," Pollard said. "I worked in Huntsville, Texas, for 10 years and I am excited about bringing my family back to Texas. I look forward to renewing friendships and working with an excellent football staff. I appreciate Coach Fran and Bill Byrne giving me a chance to work at Texas A&M."
"Mike Clark did a great job of building this strength and conditioning program into one of the finest in the country," Pollard said. "I look forward to getting to work with these football players."
In a related announcement, long-time Texas A&M strength coach Allen Kinley was promoted from associate head strength and conditioning coach to a new position entitled director of strength & conditioning for Olympic and team sports.
"Allen Kinley is considered one of the best strength and conditioning coaches in the country and he recently earned the distinction of being named Master Strength & Conditioning Coach," Dr. John Thornton, Sr. Associate Athletic Director for Student Athlete Development said. "He has done an outstanding job with several of our sports here at Texas A&M and has served as second in command in our strength program. I am pleased to have him head up our overall strength program."
Kinley, 47, is in his 16th season with the Texas A&M strength program. During the course of his tenure, he has worked with most every Aggie sport.
"I am extremely excited and honored to accept this position here at Texas A&M," Kinley said. "I love Texas A&M and the community. I look forward to continuing our excellence in strength and conditioning and trying to improve in each area. With our strength and conditioning program, we are building champions each and every day."
In 2000, Pollard was one of 14 nominees for the National Strength and Conditioning Association's College Strength and Conditioning Professional of the Year. The nomination was a result of his work with the TCU football team ESPN The Magazine called "the strongest in the land."
Pollard worked three years at TCU heading up that strength and conditioning program while Coach Fran was the head football coach and helping the team reach three consecutive bowl games.
Pollard is a native of McKeesport, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Lubbock. He attended Coronado High School and lettered in football and baseball. He earned his bachelor's degree from Texas Tech in 1984 and his master's degree in 1989.
Pollard began his coaching experience as a graduate assistant at Texas Tech in 1988 and 1989 before being named the head strength coach at Sam Houston State. He also served as an instructor at Sam Houston State in the kinesiology department. In 1998, Pollard joined with Coach Fran at TCU.
Pollard and his wife, Leslie, have three children. Sons Harrison and Everett, and a daughter named Melissa.
Kinley earned the title Master Strength and Conditioning Coach by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association in 2002. He has served as Texas State Director for the National Strength and Conditioning Association and was the first recipient of the strength and conditioning professional of the year in the Southwest Conference.
Kinley graduated in 1980 from Northwestern State University in Louisiana, where he was a four-year letterman on the football team as a linebacker. He earned his master's degree from Texas A&M in 1985 and has completed all course work toward his Ph.D. in kinesiology and administration and is currently performing dissertation research.
He began his professional career in 1980 as a varsity baseball and football coach at Woodlawn High School in Shreveport, Louisiana, as well as directing the strength program. Kinley came to A&M in 1984 as a graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach. He left A&M at the end of the 1985 season to pursue work toward his Ph.D. in exercise physiology at LSU. He returned to Aggieland in 1987 to become an assistant strength and conditioning coach.
"I have been very fortunate and I am grateful to Mike Clark for his guidance and friendship through the years," Kinley stated. "Our program is recognized nationally because of his work and dedication."
"I look forward to working with Ben Pollard," Kinley said. "I have known Ben for quite some time and he is well respected nationally and is also a Master Strength and Conditioning Coach."
Kinley and his wife, Janyce, have a 12-year-old daughter named Kelsey.
