Strength Coaches
It's no coincidence that a large number of Olympic weightlifters who have competed for the Gayle Hatch Weightlifting Team in Baton Rouge, Louisiana have gone on to become coaches at universities and weightlifting clubs throughout the United States. In addition to a strong schooling in strength training and top level competition, Gayle Hatch has instilled in these athletes a sense of right and wrong and 'a can do' and I'll help attitude that any one would be proud to have.
Gayle Hatch athletes have been members of three out of the last four U.S.A. Olympic Teams in weightlifting and Coach Hatch served as men's Head Coach for the 2004 US Olympic Team. Many of his athlete's have won U.S.A. Junior and Senior National Championships. Like Coach Hatch, these athletes aren't showy. They just train hard and keep making improvements.
Denis Reno, Weightlifter's Newsletter
Outstanding Gayle Hatch Strength Coaches
Tom Moffitt - Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Louisiana State University (LSU). 2007 BCS Football National Champions and SEC Football Champions. 2003 BCS Football National Champions and SEC Football Champions; 2004 Sugar Bowl Champions; 2001 S.E.C. Football Champions. Moffitt came from the University of Miami where his contributions were instrumental in Miami winning the 2001 BCS Football National Championship; Before coaching at Maimi, Moffitt spent four seasons as associate strength and conditioning coach at the University of Tennessee. His contributions were a vital part of Tennessee's football team winning the BCS National Championship in 1998. Moffit was named the 1999 Collegiate Football Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year by the Professional Football Strength and Conditioning Coaches Society. In 2003, Moffitt was named College Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year by the American Football Monthly.
Johnny Long Jr. - Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for football at the University of Tennessee. Long has played a key roll in Tennessee's consistent improvement on the football field during the Phillip Fulmer era, including two SEC titles and the 1998 BCS National Championship.
Jeff Dillman - Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Appalachian State. In 2007 Appalachian State's Football Team defeated number 5 Michigan by a score of 34-32. No division 1-AA team had ever beaten a team ranked in the Associated Press Poll. It was one of the biggest upsets in sports history. The game was played at the "Big House" in Ann Arbor, Mich. Appalachian State won the 2006 and 2007 1-AA Football National Championship. Before becoming Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Appalachian State Dillman served as Head Basketball Strength and Conditioning Coach for LSU's mens and womens 2006 final four basketball teams.
Kurt Hester - Strength and Conditioning Specialist for L. S. U.'s 1996 and 1997 N. C. A. A. National Championship Baseball Teams. The 1997 team set an NCAA record by hitting 188 home runs for the season.
Ethan Reeve - Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Wake Forest University. Wake Forest University won the 2006 Atlantic Coast Conference Football Championship.This was their first ACC Championship in thirty-six years resulting in the Demon Deacons going to the biggest bowl game(Orange Bowl) in school history. Strength Coach for the 1995 U. S. Women's Rowing Team which won four gold medals and one silver medal.
Scott Cochran - Head Stength and Conditioning Coach at University of Alabama. Before becoming Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Alabama in 2006, Cocharan severed three years as Strength and Conditioning Coach for the New Orleans Hornets. 2003 Cocharan was a graduate assistant strength coach for LSU's BCS National Championship Football Team.
Eric Ciano - Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Georgia Tech. Ciano previously served as head strength and conditioning coach at Louisiana Tech from 1999-2001. Louisiana Tech won the WAC Football Conference Championship in 2001. Before that Ciano served as graduate assistant at Tennessee from 1997-1999. Tennessee won the 1998 BCS National Championship.
Melissa Moore - Head Strength and Conditioning Coach LSU for Women's Basketball (Final Four 2007 and 2008, SEC Champions 2008), Softball (SEC Tournament Champions 2007, Super Regional 2007), Women's Tennis (SEC West Champions 2007), Assistant Strenght and Conditioning Coach for 2007 LSU Football BCS National Champions, member of Gayle Hatch Weightlifting Team
Vic Viloria - Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Southern Methodist University (SMU). Viloria served as assistant strength and conditioning coach for three years at LSU before taking over the coaching duties at SMU. Gayle Hatch weightlifters, Joe Danos and Joe Long, serve as assistant strength and conditioning coaches at SMU. Danos and Long were assistant strength and conditioning coaches at LSU from 2003 - 2006.
Eymel Gant - Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of New Orleans.
Milton Williams - Formerly Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for L. S. U. While Williams was at L. S. U. the football and basketball teams won S. E. C. Championships.
Jesse Barksdale - Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the University of New Orleans Basketball Team. U. N. O. won back to back Sun Belt Conference Championships in the 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons.
Mike Robinson - Head strength coach at McNeese State University; 2003 Football Southland Conference Champions; 2002 played for the NCAA Division II National Championship and lost to Western Kentucky in the championship game; 2001 Football Southland Conference Champions.
Brian Thomas - Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Nicholls State.