Eastern Michigan Athletics
Football
vs
Ohio
Oct 25 (Sat)
TBA
Ron McKeefery
- Title:
- Director of Sports Performance
- Email:
- rmckeefe@emich.edu
- Phone:
- 734.487.2152
Ron McKeefery is in his third year as a member of the Eastern Michigan University athletics department. The 2008 Under Armour Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year and the 2015 NSCA College Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year, McKeefery has served as a strength and conditioning coach at both the professional and collegiate level.
A vital part of the athletic department at Eastern Michigan, McKeefery designs and implements performance programs for the football program while overseeing EMU’s entire sports performance operation.
Before coming to Ypsilanti to reunite with Head Football Coach Chris Creighton, McKeefery spent the 2013 season working with the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals after serving as the head strength and conditioning coach at the University of South Florida and the University of Tennessee. In total, he has coached 31 NFL Draft Picks, including First Round Draft Pick and Pro Bowlers Mike Jenkins and Jason Pierre-Paul, along with Cordarrelle Patterson and Ja’Wuan James. Additionally, he has coached numerous all-conference, All-Americans and NFL free agents selections.
Before heading to Cincinnati, McKeefery was the football head strength and conditioning coach at Tennessee for two seasons. He was also the human performance coordinator for the United States Army Special Forces, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, in Fort Campbell, Ky.
McKeefery has also recently penned a best-selling book titled CEO Strength Coach. The book teaches leadership lessons for strength and conditioning coaches by using his personal story.
McKeefery got his collegiate start at the University of South Florida, where he served as assistant athletic director for strength and conditioning and the head strength and conditioning coach from 2000-10.
A key member of the South Florida coaching staff, McKeefery’s tenure with the Bulls coincided with that program’s rise from Division I-AA to perennial Big East Conference contender. In addition to six consecutive bowl games and 16 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 tenure.
The Missouri native owns a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kan., 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-American.
After spending one season as a coach with Ottawa, McKeefery worked as an intern with the Kansas City Royals in Major League Baseball. He also worked with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 1999 season, a year in which the Bucs played in the NFC Championship Game. McKeefery also spent the 2000 season as the head strength and conditioning coach with the Berlin Thunder of NFL Europe.
In addition, he has lectured for the National Strength and Conditioning Association, Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Association, and numerous major universities. McKeefery has been published in the National Strength and Conditioning Journal, American Football Monthly and Stack Magazine.
He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist w/Distinction (CSCS*D) and Coach Practitioner under the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) as well as a Strength and Conditioning Coach Certified (SCCC) 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 National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA) and the Collegiate Strength & Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCA).
In 2013, McKeefery received the prestigious title of Master Strength & Conditioning Coach at the annual conference for the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association.
McKeefery and his wife, Angela, have four children: James, Tyler, Ava, and Maya.
The Ron McKeefery File
Name: Ron McKeefery
High School: North Kansas City H.S. - Kansas City, Mo. - 1994
College: Ottawa University - Bachelor’s degree in biology/physical education - 1997
University of South Florida - Master’s degree in adult education - 2004
Family: Wife-Angela; Children-James, Tyler, Ava, and Maya
Coaching Experience
Year School Position
2013 Cincinnati Bengals (NFL) Strength and Conditioning Coach
2011-13 University of Tennessee Director of Strength & Conditioning-Football
2001-10 University of South Florida Asst. AD/Head Strength & Conditioning Coach
2000-01 University of South Florida Asst. Strength & Conditioning Coach
2000 Berlin Thunder Head Strength and Conditioning Coach
1999-00 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Part-Time Asst. Strength and Conditioning Coach
1998-99 Kansas City Royals Intern Strength and Conditioning Coach
1998-99 Ottawa University Assistant Defensive Backs/Strength Coach
Coaching Honors
2015 National Strength and Conditioning Association College Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year
2013 Master Strength and Conditioning Coach Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Association
2008 Under Armour Collegiate Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Year
2010 Meineke Car Care Bowl Champions
2010 International Bowl Champions
2008 St. Petersburg Bowl Champions
2007 Brut Sun Bowl
2006 PapaJohns.com Bowl Champions
2005 Meineke Car Care Bowl
A vital part of the athletic department at Eastern Michigan, McKeefery designs and implements performance programs for the football program while overseeing EMU’s entire sports performance operation.
Before coming to Ypsilanti to reunite with Head Football Coach Chris Creighton, McKeefery spent the 2013 season working with the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals after serving as the head strength and conditioning coach at the University of South Florida and the University of Tennessee. In total, he has coached 31 NFL Draft Picks, including First Round Draft Pick and Pro Bowlers Mike Jenkins and Jason Pierre-Paul, along with Cordarrelle Patterson and Ja’Wuan James. Additionally, he has coached numerous all-conference, All-Americans and NFL free agents selections.
Before heading to Cincinnati, McKeefery was the football head strength and conditioning coach at Tennessee for two seasons. He was also the human performance coordinator for the United States Army Special Forces, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, in Fort Campbell, Ky.
McKeefery has also recently penned a best-selling book titled CEO Strength Coach. The book teaches leadership lessons for strength and conditioning coaches by using his personal story.
McKeefery got his collegiate start at the University of South Florida, where he served as assistant athletic director for strength and conditioning and the head strength and conditioning coach from 2000-10.
A key member of the South Florida coaching staff, McKeefery’s tenure with the Bulls coincided with that program’s rise from Division I-AA to perennial Big East Conference contender. In addition to six consecutive bowl games and 16 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 tenure.
The Missouri native owns a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kan., 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-American.
After spending one season as a coach with Ottawa, McKeefery worked as an intern with the Kansas City Royals in Major League Baseball. He also worked with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 1999 season, a year in which the Bucs played in the NFC Championship Game. McKeefery also spent the 2000 season as the head strength and conditioning coach with the Berlin Thunder of NFL Europe.
In addition, he has lectured for the National Strength and Conditioning Association, Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Association, and numerous major universities. McKeefery has been published in the National Strength and Conditioning Journal, American Football Monthly and Stack Magazine.
He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist w/Distinction (CSCS*D) and Coach Practitioner under the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) as well as a Strength and Conditioning Coach Certified (SCCC) 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 National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA) and the Collegiate Strength & Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCA).
In 2013, McKeefery received the prestigious title of Master Strength & Conditioning Coach at the annual conference for the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association.
McKeefery and his wife, Angela, have four children: James, Tyler, Ava, and Maya.
The Ron McKeefery File
Name: Ron McKeefery
High School: North Kansas City H.S. - Kansas City, Mo. - 1994
College: Ottawa University - Bachelor’s degree in biology/physical education - 1997
University of South Florida - Master’s degree in adult education - 2004
Family: Wife-Angela; Children-James, Tyler, Ava, and Maya
Coaching Experience
Year School Position
2013 Cincinnati Bengals (NFL) Strength and Conditioning Coach
2011-13 University of Tennessee Director of Strength & Conditioning-Football
2001-10 University of South Florida Asst. AD/Head Strength & Conditioning Coach
2000-01 University of South Florida Asst. Strength & Conditioning Coach
2000 Berlin Thunder Head Strength and Conditioning Coach
1999-00 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Part-Time Asst. Strength and Conditioning Coach
1998-99 Kansas City Royals Intern Strength and Conditioning Coach
1998-99 Ottawa University Assistant Defensive Backs/Strength Coach
Coaching Honors
2015 National Strength and Conditioning Association College Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year
2013 Master Strength and Conditioning Coach Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Association
2008 Under Armour Collegiate Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Year
2010 Meineke Car Care Bowl Champions
2010 International Bowl Champions
2008 St. Petersburg Bowl Champions
2007 Brut Sun Bowl
2006 PapaJohns.com Bowl Champions
2005 Meineke Car Care Bowl
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