Strength and Conditioning Open Forum
Ron McKeefery joined Tennessee in January as football head strength and conditioning coach. The 2008 Under Armour Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year, McKeefery recently spent 11 seasons at South Florida, where he served as assistant athletics director for strength and conditioning and head strength and conditioning coach.
McKeefery's most recent role was as human performance coordinator for the U.S. Army Special Forces, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, in Fort Campbell, Ky.
A key member of the South Florida coaching staff, McKeefery's tenure with the Bulls coincided with that program's rise from Div. I-AA to perennial Big East Conference contender. In addition to six consecutive bowl games and 19 NFL draft picks, the success of his strength and conditioning program is best exemplified by the fact that South Florida was 10-0 in overtime during his 11 seasons with the school.
After spending one season as a coach at Ottawa (Kan.) University, his alma mater, McKeefery worked as an intern with the Kansas City Royals. In the two years before going to South Florida, he worked with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 1999 season, a year in which the Bucs played in the NFC Championship Game. McKeefery then spent the 2000 season as the head strength and conditioning coach with the Berlin Thunder of NFL Europe.
He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with Distinction and Coach Practitioner under the
National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) as well as a Strength and Conditioning Coach Certified under the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCA). He also served as the state NSCA Director for Florida (North) and is certified by both the NSCA and the CSCCA.
The Missouri native owns a bachelor of arts in biology from Ottawa and a master of arts in adult education from South Florida. McKeefery earned all-conference honors in both football and track at Ottawa and was also a two-time Academic All-America.Ben Larson joined Tennessee’s full-time strength and conditioning staff in 2011, after serving the previous year as the strength and conditioning intern. Larson has been on Derek Dooley’s staff since arriving at Louisiana Tech in 2007 as a graduate assistant. Before joining up with Dooley, Larson was the assistant director of sports performance at Northwestern State in Natchitoches, La. He also worked for Tennessee strength and conditioning coach Ron McKeefery as an intern at South Florida. Before his stint with McKeefery, Larson was coaching high school football at Langley (Va.) High School. The Mercersberg, Pa., native played college football at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pa. Larson played linebacker for the Crusaders, earning his bachelor’s degree in 2005.
Heather Mason enters her 14th year in the strength and conditioning profession and her seventh year as the head strength and conditioning coach for the Tennessee women's athletics department. The Wheelersburg, Ohio, native came to Tennessee after a five-year stint at the University of Notre Dame and two years at her alma mater, Cincinnati. Mason is responsible for the Lady Volunteer strength, speed and conditioning programs. She was promoted to assistant athletics director for strength and conditioning in 2008 and in May 2009, she was named Master Strength and Conditioning Coach (MSCC) by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association.
Mason attained a bachelor’s of science in biology from the University of Cincinnati and was a four year letter winner and captain for the Cincinnati Bearcat Volleyball team. In 1998, Mason graduated with a master of education degree in sports administration from Xavier (Ohio) University, and completed the Sports Management Institute Executive Program in 2003.
Tommy Barnes joined the University of Tennessee staff in April of 2011. Prior to heading to Knoxville, Barnes was an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and most recently the Head Strength Coach of the University of North Florida in Jacksonville Florida. Barnes is a former soldier in the U.S. Army, and received his bachelor’s degree in 2007 from Jacksonville State University. He received his Master’s degree from the California University of Pennsylvania in 2008. Barnes is certified through the NSCA, CSCCa, USAW, and USA Track and Field. Barnes is married to Love Henderson of Birmingham and has a daughter, Jaiden (6) and a son, Joseph (2).
Herman Demmink is in his third year as strength and conditioning coach for the Tennessee men's baseball and tennis teams. He came to the Tennessee staff from Clemson, where he worked with the Tiger athletics teams from 2006-09 to implement training and nutritional guidelines. Demmink spent four years on the Clemson baseball team, where he earned the 2004 National Strength Athlete of the Year award. After graduating, he played in the Philadelphia Phillies organization for four years.
Since retiring from baseball, Demmink has become the president and owner of 3D Performance Training, LLC, and is responsible for training a vast array of professional athletes, including players in the MLB, NFL, MLS, PGA, as well as Olympic and tri-athletes around the world. Most recently he has been named as the Director of Sports Performance for the 2012 USA Baseball National Collegiate Team.
He is a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association and his credentials include Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, USA Weight Lifting Sports Performance Certification and Athletic Republic Level 2. He graduated from Clemson with a bachelor’s degree in business management in 2006, and earned a master’s degree in biomechanics from Tennessee in 2011.
Holly Frantz is entering her first year as an assistant for the Lady Vol strength and conditioning staff. The Grand Rapids, Ohio, native joined the Lady Vol staff after working at Xavier University as a full-time assistant in the strength and conditioning program for four years. While with the Musketeers, Frantz worked primarily with women's basketball, volleyball, women's soccer, as well as men's and women's tennis and golf teams. Prior to her time at Xavier, she worked at the University Of Notre Dame as strength and conditioning intern working with men's and women's tennis, golf, and rowing.
Frantz was a graduate assistant in strength and conditioning at her alma mater, Bowling Green State University, where she received both her bachelor's degree in sport management with a minor in marketing and her master's degree in education with an emphasis in sport administration. While at BG, Frantz was a four-year letter winner and captain for the Falcons' softball team. She also was one of 13 female student-athletes in the nation to be awarded an NCAA Women's Enhancement Program postgraduate scholarship. Frantz is a NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and is certified by the CSCCA as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach.
Angelo James joined Tennessee’s full-time strength and conditioning staff in the fall of 2011, after serving as the Director of Strength and Conditioning at Bryant University in Smithfield, RI. James arrived at Bryant in January of 2010 and was a driving force behind creating the first ever official Strength and Conditioning Department for the Bulldogs. Before taking on the role at Bryant, James an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Lafayette College in Easton, PA during the 2009 football season. James got his start in strength and conditioning as an intern to Ron McKeefery during his tenure as the Director of Strength and Conditioning at the University of South Florida in Tampa FL. The Sioux City, IA native played college football at Wayne State College in Wayne, NE. James Played Linebacker/Strong Safety for the Wildcats, earning his bachelor’s degree in 2009.
Tevah Morris is in his third year with the Lady Vol strength and conditioning department. Morris completed a full-time internship at his alma mater, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, from 2008-2010 where he received a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science in 2009. Morris was a four year letter winner for the Phoenix Men’s Basketball Team. He is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (C.S.C.S.) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (N.S. C.A.).
TERM ASSISTANT STRENGTH COACHES
Brian is currently a Term Assistant Strength Coach with University of Tennessee. Previously Brian has worked with Massachusetts College as a strength coach and athletic trainer, where in 2009 he graduated with a B.S. in Athletic Training. In 2009 Brian worked with University of Massachusetts Amherst as an intern strength coach, working with all athletic teams. Brian played hockey at the National Sports Academy, and continued to play hockey at the junior level for the next 4 years.
Barry Cain is in his fourth year as UT's Term Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach. His primary sports are golf and swimming and diving, and he also works with the spirit squads. Cain previously worked for the Vols as a student-assistant from 1998-2001 and again as both intern and full-time staff from 2003-07. He earned B.S. in physics from Clemson University in 1993, then collected both his undergraduate (exercise science) and masters (human performance and sport studies) degrees from UT in 2002.
Grant Geib is currently a Term Assistant Strength Coach at the University of Tennessee. Previously, he worked as a performance coach at the Parisi Speed School. In 2009, he earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Ohio Wesleyan University. While attending OWU, Geib played wide receiver on the Bishops football team and received the Wally Cross Award for athletic and academic excellence. He graduated from the University of Tennessee with a master’s degree in kinesiology in 2011, and is a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) through the NSCA.
Tyler Carpenter is in his first year as a graduate assistant with the Lady Vols Strength and Conditioning staff after a stint as an intern in 2011. Tyler received his bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in human resources from The Ohio State University. He was a five year student assistant to the Ohio State football team during his undergraduate education. Tyler was also a strength and conditioning intern for the football team and the men’s and women’s soccer teams prior to his time at UT. He is pursuing a master’s in Kinesiology with a concentration in Sport Psychology and Motor Behavior. Carpenter is a native of Liberty Center, Ohio and holds his USA Weightlifting Level 1 coaching certification.
Clare Kaufman is in her first year as a graduate assistant with the Lady Vols Strength and Conditioning Department. Clare received her undergraduate degree from University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in La Crosse, WI. She graduated in 2010 with a degree in Exercise and Sport Science with a minor in Nutrition and a concentration in Strength and Conditioning. Clare was an assistant strength and conditioning coach at University of Hartford in Hartford, CT working primarily with volleyball, track and field, cross country, women’s golf, and women’s tennis. Kaufman is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the NSCA and is certified by the CSCCa as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach.
