One of 31 coaches nation-wide to earn Master Strength & Conditioning Coach recognition in 2016
TAMPA, APRIL 29, 2016 – USF Associate Director of Athletic Performance Steve Gortmaker has been named a Master Strength & Conditioning Coach by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches association (CSCCa).
Entering his third year with the USF program working primarily with the football team, Gortmaker will be presented the highest honor given in the strength and conditioning coaching profession at the association's national conference in Fort Worth, Texas on May 5. He will be will presented with the blue MSCC jacket during the ceremony.
“This is an incredible honor for Steve,” said CSCCa Executive Director, Dr. Chuck Stiggins. “Being named a Master Strength and Conditioning Coach signifies a commitment to the student-athlete, the University of South Florida athletic program, and the strength and conditioning profession. We are honored to have Coach Gortmaker as a member of our association and to have him join the ranks of the Master Strength and Conditioning Coaches. He is truly a model of an outstanding strength and conditioning professional.”
All CSCCa honorees have a minimum of 12 years experience as a full-time strength and conditioning coach on the collegiate and/or professional level. Thirty-one coaches nation-wide will be honored in 2016 as a Master Strength & Conditioning Coach, bringing the total of Master Coaches nationwide to 187.
A former defensive back and graduate of Oklahoma (1998), Gortmaker helped the Sooners win the 2000 national championship as a member of OU's strength and conditioning staff before going on to work for South Carolina, Tennessee, Kansas, Western Kentucky and Southern Mississippi during a career that spans nearly 20 years.
About USF Athletics
USF Athletics sponsors 19 varsity men's and women's teams that compete in 11 different sports, 18 competing at the NCAA Division I level in the American Athletic Conference. The Bulls' athletic program is celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2015 having started with a men's soccer contest in 1965. Nearly 500 student-athletes train and compete in the athletic district located on the east end of Tampa campus. The Bulls claimed five conference titles in their first two seasons in The American. Eight USF programs reached NCAA post-season competition in the 2014-15 season as USF posted an 83 percent Graduation Success Rate among student-athletes, with 182 earning conference all-academic recognition.
– #GoBulls –
