UCLA Athletics |
UCLA Hires Craig Sowers as New Performance Coach
April 2, 2008
UCLA Head Athletic Performance coach Mike Linn announced today the hiring of Craig Sowers as an assistant coach in that area. Sowers, who joins the Bruin staff after serving as the Director of Human Performance for Akron (OH) General Health and Wellness for the past year, has a broad and diverse background in athletic performance and development at both the collegiate level and in the private sector. He will assume his position at UCLA on May 1.
Prior to his time as the director of the Akron facility, Sowers worked for over four years (2003-2007) as the Director of Performance at Velocity Sports Performance in locations at Irvine, CA and Mayfield Village, OH. Coach Sowers oversaw all aspects of speed, power, and strength development for people of all ages, including athletes at the high school, college and professional levels. He served on the Sports Performance Directors Advisory Council during that time and was its chairman in 2006-07.
From 2000 to 2003, Sowers was the head strength and conditioning coach at the University of Texas at El Paso. He oversaw all aspects of speed, strength and conditioning for the university's 17 varsity sports and approximately 350 athletes. From 1996-2000, Sowers served as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at UCLA. He was in charge of the sports of men's and women's volleyball, men's and women's water polo, women's track, men's and women's soccer. Sowers also assisted with the sport of football. During his tenure at UCLA, the men's soccer and women's water polo teams captured national championships.
From 1993-96, Sowers was a student strength and conditioning coach at his alma mater, the University of Akron. He developed and implemented programs for men's basketball, women's volleyball, softball, baseball, men's and women's track, and assisted with football.
Sowers earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Akron, where he played football. He is finishing up his Master's degree in Kinesiology from the University of Texas at El Paso. He is CSCS, CSCC and USAW Level I certified.
"We are excited to have a coach of Craig's caliber join our staff," said coach Linn. "I have worked with Craig in the past and feel he is one of the leaders in the field of athletic performance enhancement. He brings a vast knowledge of speed, strength and conditioning for all sports, leads by example, and has a superior work ethic. Craig's hire is a further indication that UCLA is committed to maintaining its position as a preeminent athletic program."