National Strength and Conditioning Association Announces 2021 Coach of the Year Awards

Colorado Springs, CO – The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) is proud to announce the recipients of the organization’s 2021 Coach of the Year Awards:

Professional Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year:           Paul Goodman, MS, CSCS, RSCC*E

College Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year:                  Brian Thompson, PhD, CSCS,*D, RSCC*E

Assistant College Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year:  Andrew Stocks, MS, CSCS, NSCA-CPT

Award winners are selected by the NSCA’s Coaching Taskforce, a committee filled with previous award winners and other established leaders from the strength and conditioning community. The Taskforce determines the winners based on their contributions to the NSCA, their community, and the coaching profession.

Accepting the Professional Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year award is Paul Goodman, MS, CSCS, RSCC*E. Coach Goodman is in his 13th season with the Chicago Blackhawks as the head strength and conditioning coach. Goodman joined the Blackhawks after spending six years as director and head strength and conditioning coach at the University of Vermont (UVM). In 2006, the NSCA named Goodman the State/Provincial Director of the Year, and he also was a finalist for the NSCA's College Strength and Conditioning Professional of the Year award. In addition to UVM, Goodman also spent time with Team USA Women's Hockey, the New York Rangers, and the women’s Canadian U-19 National Lacrosse Team.

Goodman is a 1996 graduate of the University of Wisconsin, and he received his first master's degree in Educational Administration in 2003 while serving as a member of the Badgers' strength and conditioning staff. He later completed a second master's degree in Applied Exercise Science from Concordia University-Chicago and is currently in pursuit of his PhD from Grand Canyon University, where his research is focused on performance psychology. Together with team physician Michael Terry, Goodman co-authored the book Hockey Anatomy, recently released through Human Kinetics. In addition, Goodman is a licensed massage therapist and served as an adjunct professor for the University of Vermont Exercise Science Department from 2003 to 2008. He is also the owner of Goodman Elite Training based out of Fifth Third Arena, the Chicago Blackhawks Community Ice Rink and team's official practice facility, specializing in athlete development.

Accepting the College Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year award is Brian Thompson, PhD, CSCS,*D, RSCC*E. Dr. Thompson is the director of strength and conditioning, a professor of exercise science, and the graduate strength and conditioning program director at Springfield College where he has worked since 1998. He is responsible for overseeing the strength and conditioning program design and implementation for all 26 teams at Springfield College as well as teaching and advising.

Dr. Thompson first started working in the field of strength and conditioning in 1986 and has trained athletes at all levels from youth to Olympic. He has given presentations and/or conducted strength and conditioning related workshops over 100 times in Australia, China, Mexico, Taiwan, and throughout the United States and is the first non-Chinese citizen to be appointed as an expert consultant to the Chinese National Fitness Trainers Committee. Dr. Thompson received his bachelor’s degree from Ball State University and his master’s and doctoral degrees in Exercise Physiology from the University of Illinois.

Accepting the Assistant College Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year award is Andrew Stocks, MS, CSCS, NSCA-CPT. Coach Stocks joined Augustana University in July 2015 as assistant strength and conditioning coach and is responsible for all aspects of the strength and conditioning program for softball, soccer, volleyball, track and field, and swimming while assisting with football.

In his time at Augustana, Coach Stocks has been the strength and conditioning coach for two NCAA Division II National Championships, 17 All-Americans, 3 Academic All-Americans, 13 NSIC MVPs, and 2 NSIC Tournament Champions. Stocks came to the Vikings after spending over a year at the United States Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, NY where he designed and implemented strength and speed programs for bobsled, skeleton, luge, and biathlon athletes.

From 2011 through 2013, Stocks served as a graduate assistant at South Dakota State University where he oversaw strength and conditioning for swimming and diving, wrestling, golf, and tennis, while also working with all 21 Jackrabbit athletic teams. He earned a Master of Science degree in nutrition, exercise, and food sciences from SDSU in 2015. Coach Stocks also completed internships at the University of Missouri, the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO, and the University of Michigan.

Coach Stocks graduated with honors in 2010 from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse with a Bachelor of Science degree in exercise and sport science with concentrations in strength & conditioning, and coaching competitive athletics. While at UW-L he assisted the strength and conditioning staff with all 17 varsity teams. Stocks was a member of the Eagles weightlifting club and continues to compete in both Olympic weightlifting and powerlifting in his free time.

“Congratulations to Coaches Goodman, Thompson, and Stocks for these well-deserved awards,” said Eric McMahon, NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager. “These coaches have consistently made the institutions and athletes they train better every year. We are proud to see them all recognized for their dedication to the profession.”

All winners will be honored at the NSCA’s Coaches Conference, which is being held virtually from January 6-8, 2021. For more information regarding the NSCA and our awards, please visit www.nsca.com.

Media Note: To schedule an interview with the award winners, contact Marketing@nsca.com. 

About the National Strength & Conditioning Association

Founded in 1978, The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) is a nonprofit association dedicated to advancing the strength and conditioning and related sport science professions around the world.

The NSCA exists to empower a community of professionals to maximize their impact through disseminating evidence-based knowledge and its practical application by offering industry-leading certifications, research journals, career development services, networking opportunities, and continuing education. The NSCA community is composed of more than 60,000 members and certified professionals throughout the world who further industry standards as researchers, educators, strength and conditioning coaches, performance and sport scientists, personal trainers, tactical professionals, and other related roles.