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.
Scott Cochran - Head Stength and Conditioning Coach at University of Alabama. Alabama won the 2009 SEC Championship with a regular season record of 13-0. They then went on to defeat the University of Texas 37-21 in the BCS National Championship Game. In 2008 Alabama had a record of 12-2 and won the SEC Western Division Title. 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.
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. 2008 Wake Forest University defeated Navy 29-19 in the EagleBackBowl. That established the winnest senior class in Wake Forest Football history. The Demon Deacon's' sixteen seniors finished with a 32-19 record, three bowl appearances and the 2006 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship. Reeve aslo was the strength coach for the 1995 U. S. Women's Rowing Team which won four gold medals and one silver medal.Wake Forest has also won three Men's National Championships in field hockey and one Men's National Championship in soccer since Ethan Reeve became head strength and conditioning coach.
Eric Ciano - In 2010 Eric Ciano was named the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Buffalo Bills of the NFL. 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. In 2009 Georgia Tech won the ACC Championship with a regular season record of 11-2.
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 - In 2010 Vic Viloria was named Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Florida State University. Joe Danos will serve as assistant strength and conditioning coach at Florida State. While Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at SMU in 2009, SMU's football team finished with a 8-5 record and where invited to play in the Hawaii Bowl. This was the first bowl game for SMU in 25years. SMU defeated Nevada by a score of 45 to 10. Viloria served as assistant strength and conditioning coach for three years at LSU before coming SMU. Gayle Hatch weightlifter, Joe Danos served as assistant strength and conditioning coache at SMU. Danos was assistant strength and conditioning coach at LSU from 2003 - 2006.
Joe Long - Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Northwestern State University at Natchitoches, LA. Long will be working with Northwestern's new Head Football Coach, Bradley Dale Peveto. Peveto came from LSU where he served as co-defensive cordinator. Long served as graduate assistant strength coach at LSU from 2003-2006 before moving to SMU were he has spent this past 2 year as assistant strength coach. Long was an outstanding lifter for the Gayle Hatch Weightlifting Team during the 90's.
Chad Englehart - In 2010 Chad Englehart was named assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Washington Redskins of the NFL. In 2009 Englehart was named head strenght coach for the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League. The Tuskers finished with a 6-1 record and the regular season championship.
Eymel Gant - In 2010 Eymel Gant was named Head Strength and Conditioning at Southeastern University at Hammond, LA. Gant was previously Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of New Orleans.
Zack Womack - Head Strength and Conditioning at East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma. He served 5 years as assistant strength coach for football at the University of Illinois. Also served as assistant at the University of Florida and University of Memphis.
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.
Frank Bourgeois - In December 2009 Bourgois was named head strength and conditioning coach at Midwestern State University in Texas. Served as strength and conditioning intern under Vic Viloria at Southern Methodist University 2007-2009. Served as strength and conditioning intern under Tommy Moffitt at LSU in 2009. Member of the Gayle Hatch Weightlifting Team.