MONROE, La.-ULM strength and
conditioning head coach John Grieco has been named the 2009 Collegiate Strength
and Conditioning Coach of the Year, the Professional Football Strength and
Conditioning Coaches Society announced recently.
"I am very thankful and
honored to receive this prestigious award," Grieco said. "I do what I do to
impact young student-athletes' lives and to help them achieve their goals on
and off the field, so it's a credit to all of the student-athletes I have
worked with. It is special to be recognized and a very heartfelt thank you goes
to the people who voted, but I am more about winning here at ULM and doing a
great job for my family and our program than an individual award."
Grieco joined the ULM staff in
January after four seasons as the director of strength and conditioning at UNLV.
He oversaw the strength and conditioning efforts of all 17 of UNLV's varsity
sports with an emphasis on the Rebels' football program.
"We are very excited for Coach
Grieco for this well deserved award," ULM football head coach Todd Berry said.
"Neither this coaching staff nor this football team are surprised about this
honor. We are fortunate to have him at ULM."
Prior to joining the UNLV staff
Grieco spent two seasons at East Carolina where he served as both the director
of the Pirates' football strength program and as an assistant strength coach.
A 1995 graduate from the
University of Florida, Grieco went on to work at his alma mater from 1996-2003.
During his stint in Gainesville, he worked with various programs, including the
football, baseball, softball and track and field teams. He was part of a Gator
football program that went to eight bowl games, including winning the national
title in the 1996 Sugar Bowl. Florida also won the Orange Bowl (1998 &
2001) twice and the Florida Citrus Bowl (1999) during that span.
