The University of Washington won a national title under legendary coach, Don James in 1991.
In 2000 I had the privilege of going to the home of Coach James and talking with him about that accomplishment, and what it took to take the program to that elite level during his tenure.
One thing James talked about, going back to when he was hired in the mid-seventies, was that he knew he couldn’t get the athletes that the USC’s and UCLA’s and Michigan’s, the Alabama’s, etc. got back in those days.
Back then, the scholarship limit was 105.
In 1978 it went down to 95, and James said that USC’s second and third string athletes were as good as Washington’s first string athletes; they could stockpile more players than James, himself could sign at Washington.
How did he counteract this? In the weight room.
Strength and conditioning became the ultimate equalizer; the Huskies could be as strong, if not stronger. James believed in the Huskies becoming a tough-nosed, physical football team; winning in the weight room.
In 1981 James hired Rick Huegli as the strength and conditioning coach for Washington. Huegli would be with the Huskies until 1999, but during those 18 years, the Huskies were transformed.
Washington now had leaders in the weight room; you’d see articles in the Seattle Post Intelligencer or the Tacoma News Tribune about guys like Pete Kaligas bench pressing 550 lbs., or just a natural, freaky athlete like Jaime Fields who would take 600 lbs. and do repeated squats just because he could.
Rick Finney came in right out of high school and benched close to 500 lbs.
In fact, during that era the weight room was the place to be; players pushing eachother and celebrating eachother’s accomplishments. One of which was Steve Emtmen, who would push his teammates in the weight room until they coughed up their breakfast.
The standard had been set by Huegli, and the players took that and embraced it. Players lived in the weight room — and that’s not just a cliché.
So fast-forward to 2021, and while we respect Tim Socha to no end after his time with the Huskies, for whatever reason something was amiss during the past couple of seasons at Washington. The proof was in the pudding during the Huskies’ woeful loss to Montana.
A Power-Five, Pac-12 team should never get pushed around by Montana, but that’s exactly what happened in September — both offensively and defensively.
Kalen DeBoer went out and brought in a guy who is nationally recognized in the strength and conditioning industry.
Ron McKeefery is not only an internationally recognized leader in sports development, he’s also been named Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year twice, both by the Professional Football Strength and Conditioning Society and by the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
He’s also an author.
It doesn’t stop there, and if you want to know more, please visit his website
What does this mean for the Huskies?
Obviously, DeBoer saw that there was a serious need for a change in the weight room, and he has addressed this with the hiring of McKeefery.
As for the athletes who chose to stay at Washington? They have a real challenge ahead of them in getting ready going forward. The Huskies need to be strong and physical, and those who stayed on are up to the challenge.
It all starts in the weight room, and Washington needs to be able to use the strength and conditioning program as a recruiting tool.
McKeefery will play point, and no one spends more time with the players than their strength coach, period.
Maybe, now, Washington will start seeing records broken in the weight room in the print media. Remember the 80’s and 90’s? We see 40 times and vertical leaps during the combine, but where are those broken records in the weight room?
McKeefery is definitely a huge hire for DeBoer, and while Husky fans are dissecting and critiquing the position coaches, they have overlooked the most vital hire for these Dawgs.
Again, it all starts in the weight room.
