College Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year
Honoring dedication to student-athlete performance at the collegiate level, the College Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Year Award recognizes a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) Head Coach for exemplary service to the advancement of strength and conditioning at the collegiate level.
College Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Year Award Eligibility
Each nominee will be asked to fill out a criteria sheet that details career accomplishments and contributions to strength and conditioning.
The criteria sheet assigns points to a variety of professional achievements, letters of recommendation, volunteer involvement with the NSCA, and other activities related to strength and conditioning.
NSCA Members in good standing may nominate other NSCA Members or themselves.
Nominations are open August - December
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
| Current NSCA Member |
| NSCA Membership - Minimum 2 years* |
| NSCA CSCS Certification |
| Head College Strength & Conditioning Coach - DI, II, III, NAIA |
| Three years as Head College Strength & Conditioning Coach |
| Award Not Previously Received |
*Consecutive membership is counted back from the date the award is to be conferred. Additional requirements listed in the General Awards Criteria, include but not limited to, the nominee must be nominated by a member in good standing and nominees will be sent a criteria sheet to fill out that must be returned with cover letter and CV/resume before the required deadline. |
How Awardees are Selected for College Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Year Awards
Gathering Nominations
Nominations are gathered February-June each year. Any nomination received before the established deadline will be accepted for review of eligibility. Nominees will be notified of their nomination along with a request to complete the award criteria sheet.
Eligibility Verification and Points Tally
NSCA Headquarters will verify eligibility and minimum category requirements have been met. The overall points for each nominees will be tallied, and qualified nominees will be notified.
Voting by Industry Leadership
The top three nominees based on overall points will be sent to the Coaching (RSCC) Task Force. The voting group will be determined based on the following:
1. The Task Force will be volunteers selected yearly by the Coaching Program Manager.
2. It will be apparent that the Task Force is impartial to the nominees.
3. The Task Force will be comprised of >50% non-coaching award recipients and <50% past coaching award recipients.
4. For the HS Coach of the Year Award voting, members of the HS SIG Executive Council will be included in the Task Force.
5. The Coaching Program Manager will certify that the policies and procedures for the nomination and awarding process were followed as outlined herein and will submit the winners’ names to the Awards and Honors Committee Chair for review and approval.
Awardee Notification
1. The Chair will notify NSCA Headquarters and the Awards and Honors Committee Chair of the selected recipient.
2. The Awards and Honors Committee Chair will notify the NSCA Board of Directors of the recipient.
3. The NSCA Headquarters will notify the recipient of the award, send regret notifications, create a Press Release announcement of the winner, and verify attendance at the National Conference awards banquet.
If there are no qualifying nominees, the award will not be given.
Award Timeline
August – nominations open
December – nominations close and nominees are contacted to submit award requirements
February – nominees are required to have all materials submitted and NSCA staff will evaluate that eligibility requirements have been met before submitting to the Committee, SIG, or Task Force.
April – Committee, SIG, or Task Force should vote and decide the winner and will submit the winners name to the National Office.
April – notifications to nominees will be sent by the National Office and press announcements will be coordinated
July – Award conferred at the National Conference Awards Banquet
College Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Year Recipients
Congratulations 2026 College Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Year
Dan Perlmutter, MEd, CSCS, RSCC*E
Dan Perlmutter serves as Director of Sports Performance and Head Olympic Sports Performance Coach at Duke University. He manages eight sports performance coaches who train 24 Blue Devil Olympic sports teams and oversees performance training for baseball and men’s soccer. Since joining Duke in 2009 after five years at Harvard University, Perlmutter has worked tirelessly to build and support a staff that has contributed to numerous ACC and national championships and hundreds of All-ACC and All-American honors, driving team and individual success through elite performance programming design and implementation. He has played a pivotal role in developing more than 50 Duke baseball players drafted by MLB and more than 20 Duke soccer players competing in MLS and professional European leagues. Perlmutter also oversees staff development and daily operations for the Scott Family Athletics Performance Center, speaks nationally on sports performance and leadership, and mentors young strength coaches across the country.
2025 Winner
Scott Caulfield, MA, CSCS,*D, TSAC-F,*D, RSCC*E
2024 Winner
Brijesh Patel, MA, CSCS, RSCC*E
2023 Winner
Dan Wirth, MA, CSCS
2022 - Liane Blyn, MS, CSCS, RSCC*E
2021 - Brian Thompson, PhD, CSCS,*D, RSCC*E
2019 - Robert H. Jones, CSCS,*D, RSCC*E
2018 - Matthew Nein, MS, CSCS,*D, RSCC*D
2017 - Jeff Connors, CSCS, RSCC*E
2016 - Ron McKeefery, MA, CSCS, *D, RSCC
2015 - Douglas Smith, MS, CSCS,*D, NSCA-CPT, USAW, RSCC*E, Juniata College
2014 - Shannon Turley, CSCS, RSCC, Stanford University
2013 - Andrea Hudy, CSCS, RSCC*D, University of Kansas
2012 - Michael W. Favre, MEd, CSCS,*D, RSCC*D, University of Michigan
2010 - Jonathan Jost, CSCS, RSCC*E, Florida State University
2009 - Jeff Reinardy, CSCS, Winona State University
2008 - Sara L. Wiley, MS, CSCS, University of Minnesota at Twin Cities
2007 - Michael Rankin, CSCS, NSCA-CPT, Drexel University
2006 - Robert dos Remedios, MA, CSCS, College of the Canyons
2005 - Michael Doscher, CSCS, Valdosta State University
2004 - Gerard J. Martin, CSCS,*D, University of Connecticut
2003 - Allen Hedrick, CSCS, Air Force Academy
2002 - Joseph Kenn, CSCS,*D, Arizona State University
2001 - John Taylor, CSCS,*D, New Mexico State University
2000 - Roger Marandino, CSCS, Brown University
1999 - Jim Kramer, University of Northern Iowa
1998 - Tony Decker, University of Delaware
1997 - Dwight Daub, University of Utah
1995 - Steven Scott Plisk, James Madison University
1994 - Tom Cross, University of Oklahoma
1993 - Michael J. Clark, Texas A&M University
1992 - Rick Huegli, Jr, MEd, CSCS, University of Washington
1991 - Steve Bliss, MEd, CSCS, RSCC, North Dakota State University
1990 - John Garhammer, PhD, CSCS, NSCA- CPT, FNSCA, California State University at Long Beach
1989 - Dan Wathen, CSCS,*D, NSCA-CPT*D, FNSCA Youngstown State University
1988 - Bill Allerheiligen, MS, CSCS,*D, NSCA-CPT*D, FNSCA University of Wyoming
1987 - Doug Semenick, University of Louisville
1986 - Bruno Pauletto, CSCS, FNSCA, University of Tennessee
1985 - John Gamble, University of Virginia
1984 - Thomas Baechle, EdD, CSCS,*D, NSCA-CPT*D, Creighton University
1983 - Bill Dunn, University of Virginia
1982 - George Dostal, Clemson University
1981 - Keith Kephart, University of Kansas
1980 - Boyd Epley, MEd, CSCS,*D, FNSCA, RSCC*E, University of Nebraska
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