Don Sommer is in his 13th year as TCU's head strength and conditioning coach after arriving on campus in January 2001. He was named the 2008 National Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year by footballscoop.com. In his capacity, Sommer is responsible for the overall direction, design and implementation of strength and conditioning programs for all 20 sports at TCU. In the 2005-06 athletics season, TCU led the nation with five football players and a total of 10 student-athletes receiving All-America honors from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). Sommer came to TCU after serving in a similar capacity at the University of Missouri for two years. He had been part of the Tiger program since 1989, serving first as a graduate assistant for two years before assuming the assistant strength and conditioning coaching post in 1991. Sommer was one of 10 individuals to receive the prestigious certification of "Master Strength & Conditioning Coach" at the 2003 Collegiate Strength & Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCA) national conference. He joined the existing 26 Master Strength & Conditioning Coaches, bringing the total number of MSCCs in the world to 36 at the time of his certification. Sommer is a graduate of the University of Texas-El Paso with a bachelor's degree in education. He was a four-year letterman and starter for the Miners' football squad before playing professionally with the Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts. Sommer returned to the classroom following his playing career and earned his master's degree in health education from Missouri. |
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