Sommer Earns Prestigious Certification
May 20, 2003
TCU strength & conditioning coach Don Sommer was one of 10 individuals receiving the prestigious certification of "Master Strength & Conditioning Coach" at the third annual Collegiate Strength & Conditioning Coaches association (CSCCa) national conference held earlier this month in Salt Lake City, Utah.
"This is the highest honor that can be achieved as a strength & conditioning coach," said Dr. Chuck Stiggins, Executive Director of the CSCCa. "It represents professionalism, knowledge, experience, expertise, as well as longevity in the field."
The CSCCa represents collegiate strength & conditioning coaches from major colleges and universities across the country. Those receiving the award this year were: Jeff Connors - University of North Carolina; Ed Ellis - Georgia Tech; Mike Gentry - Virginia Tech; Terry Jones - University of Alabama; Jonathan Jost - Florida State University; Mickey Marotti - University of Notre Dame; Ben Pollard - University of Alabama; Robb Rogers - Middle Tennessee State University; Wade Russell - Ball State University; Don Sommer - TCU. These 10 coaches joined the existing 26 Master Strength & Conditioning Coaches, bringing the total number of MSCC's in the world to 36.
"Receiving this award is the culmination of a lot of hard work, time and energy," said Sommer. "It's an honor to be mentioned in the same breath as some of the top strength & conditioning coaches in the country."
Sommer, 39, was named the Horned Frogs Strength and Conditioning Coach on January 23, 2001. In his capacity, Sommer is responsible for the overall direction, design and implementation of strength and conditioning programs for all sports at TCU. Sommer comes to TCU after serving in a similar capacity at the University of Missouri for the previous 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 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. He went on to play professionally with the Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts.He returned to the classroom following his playing career and earned his Master's degree. in health education from Missouri in 1991.
Sommer and his wife, Cindy, have two children, Dayne and Kaylin.
