January 08, 2007
Rod Cole, former strength and conditioning coach at Kansas State, has accepted the position of director of football strength and conditioning at Texas A&M.
?We are very excited about hiring a quality strength and conditioning coach such as Rod,? Texas A&M head football coach Dennis Franchione said. ?I was very impressed in visiting with him. We have an excellent strength and conditioning foundation in place, and I believe Rod will help us improve.?
Cole spent the past 14 years heading up the Kansas State strength and conditioning program with a primary focus on football. He is certified by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association and has attained the title of Master Strength and Conditioning Coach.
?I have been blessed to work with some wonderful people at Kansas State the past 14 years, but this is a great opportunity to work with Coach Fran and I am excited to be an Aggie and to be a part of Texas A&M,? Cole said. ?I am thankful for this opportunity and I look forward to getting to know the players and getting to work as soon as possible.?
In 1985, Cole became a certified strength and conditioning specialist (NSCA) and in 1990 became a certified Olympic lifts coach (USWF). In 2001, he was certified by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association before being awarded the prestigious Master Strength and Conditioning Coach award in 2004.
His work has been recognized by his peers on a professional level having earned the National Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year by the Pro Football Strength and Conditioning Coaches Society in 1998. He was honored by the National Strength and Conditioning Association as the Big 12 Conference Strength and Conditioning Professional of the Year in 1997 and 1999 and is active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Cole, 45, spent three years as head strength and conditioning coach at Dodge City Community College before going to Kansas State. Cole coached at Mulvane (Kansas) High School from 1984-90 and served as the defensive coordinator for the Bethany College football tour team that traveled to Sweden in 1985.
Cole earned his bachelor?â„¢s degree in physical education and health from Bethany in 1984 and earned his master?â„¢s degree in sports administration from Wichita State in 1988. He studied strength and conditioning in the Soviet Union and Bulgaria in 1988.
Cole was a leader on the football team at Bethany College where he helped the team win two conference titles. He was named a team captain and was the team?â„¢s leading tackler and earned All-Conference honors. He also competed in track and field throwing the discus for Bethany.
He was an All-State selection on the Kensington (Kansas) High School state championship football team and qualified for state in the discus.
Cole and his wife, the former Stacey Eberspacher, have six children?-Aubrey, Kade, Kressyn, Shadd, Zane and Christian Delaney.