Steve Wetzel - Director Athletic Development
With more than 20 years of experience in training and developing college and professional athletes, Steve Wetzel has implemented athletic development programs that have allowed athletes to succeed at the highest levels. Wetzel has spent 17 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and has been associated with teams that have made the playoffs 10 times, including a Super Bowl Championship. He has trained more than 29 NFL Pro Bowl players and served as the Minnesota Vikings strength and conditioning coach for twelve years. Most recently, Wetzel was head strength and conditioning coach for the Arizona Cardinals.
Wetzel graduated from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Education/Sports Management. He then joined the University of Maryland as Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach to the university’s athletic teams for four years.
In 1990, he became assistant strength and conditioning coach to the Washington Redskins of the NFL. While there, Wetzel’s key achievements included winning Super Bowl XXVI and spearheading the switch to a new disk-drive technology for monitoring athlete advancement.
Wetzel then became head strength and conditioning coach with the Minnesota Vikings (NFL). There, he directed and developed a comprehensive strength and conditioning program that was an integral part of the organization’s success. Additionally, he initiated software development of programs to record and track athlete progress in strength, speed, heart rate, body composition and attendance. In 12 seasons, the Minnesota Vikings made it to the playoffs eight times including two NFC championship game appearances.
Wetzel’s expertise is further demonstrated by the mentoring of three of his assistants—Mike Wolf (Philadelphia), Mark Asanovich (Tampa Bay/Jacksonville) and Jeff Friday (Baltimore), who have become head strength and conditioning coaches with other NFL teams. In 1998, Wetzel received the President’s Award for contributions to his profession as selected by the Professional Football Strength and Conditioning Coaches Society.
