Springfield College Director of Strength and Conditioning Named College Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year
Springfield College Director of Strength and Conditioning Brian Thompson talks about the positive culture he has helped create at Springfield College.
Springfield College Director of Strength and Conditioning Brian Thompson has been named the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) College Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year as part of the NSCA 2021 awards announcement. Thompson was selected by his peers from a list of nominees that represented Division I, II, and III colleges and universities from throughout the country.
The NSCA College Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year Award is given to one outstanding certified strength and conditioning specialist recognizing their dedication to improving athletic performance with safe and effective science-based programs.
“This is one of those awards where Springfield College is going up against some well-known colleges that play a Division I athletic schedule,” said Thompson, who has been involved with the Springfield College strength and conditioning program for more than 20 years, serving as the associate director of strength and conditioning before taking over as the director in 2010. “It’s a huge honor to be chosen for this award, I have the pleasure of working with so many talented faculty and students at Springfield College, and to earn this honor from all of the talented strength and conditioning professionals from throughout the entire country is a big honor. It demonstrates how successful our strength and conditioning program is at Springfield College.”
Since 1998, Thompson has served many roles at the College including: associate director of strength and conditioning, head strength and conditioning coach, a professor of exercise science, and the graduate strength and conditioning program director. In addition to teaching in the applied exercise science program, he is responsible for the strength and conditioning program design and implementation for 26 sport programs at Springfield College, as well as teaching and advising in the graduate strength and conditioning program.
“Dr. Thompson has been a leader in the Strength and Conditioning field for years,” said Springfield College School of Physical Education, Performance and Sport Leadership Dean M. Susan Guyer. “His dedication to his craft, coupled with his passion for excellence and dedication to teaching has earned him this deserving award. Springfield College is lucky to have such a dedicated professional who is able to balance the demands of teaching and service at the highest level.”
Thompson first started working in the field of strength and conditioning in 1987 and has trained athletes at the elementary school, middle school, high school, collegiate, professional, Paralympic, and Olympic levels. He has presented and conducted strength and conditioning related workshops in Australia, China, Mexico, Taiwan, and throughout the United States.
"We are fortunate to have an internationally known strength and conditioning coach as a member of the athletics support staff available to our student-athletes,” said Springfield College Director of Athletics Craig Poisson. “Dr. Thompson works tirelessly in both the academic and athletic settings, bringing his cutting-edge approach to both; this recognition is well deserved."
In 2016, Thompson received an official appointment as an expert technical consultant to the Chinese National Fitness Trainers Association by the Chinese Sports Bureau. Thompson is the only non-Chinese citizen to ever receive this status.
“We have a great strength and conditioning program at Springfield College, one that I am very proud of, and a program that is well-respected in the industry,” added Thompson. “The strength and conditioning program features so many success stories of current students and alumni moving on to successful careers in the strength and conditioning industry.”
Springfield College is an independent, nonprofit, coeducational institution founded in 1885. Approximately 4,100 students, including 2,500 full-time undergraduate students, study at its main campus in Springfield, Mass., and at its regional campuses across the country. Springfield College inspires students through the guiding principles of its Humanics philosophy – educating in spirit, mind, and body for leadership in service to others.
