Staff Directory
- Title:
- Head Strength and Conditioning Coach
- Email:
EDUCATION
• Master's Degree, Kinesiology, University of Michigan, 1996
• BS, Exercise Science Ithaca College, 1991
PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS
• Registered Strength & Conditioning Coach Emeritus (NSCA), 2019
• Functional Movement Systems Certified, (FMS), 2013
• Master Strength & Conditioning Coach, (CSCCa), 2012
• Registered Strength & Conditioning Coach with Distinction, (NSCA), 2011
• Strength & Conditioning Coach Certified, (CSCCa), 2011
• Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist, (NSCA), 2009
• Level 1 Club Coach, (USA Weightlifting), 2009
• CPR/First Aid
ATHLETIC EXPERIENCE/INTERESTS
• Ithaca College, Football, 1988-1991
PRESENTATIONS/ARTICLES
• Multi-Directional Agility Training, State of Michigan NSCA Clinic, 2013
• The Program Within the Program, NSCA National Coaches Conference, 2014
Jason Cole has been a member of the strength and conditioning staff for Olympic Sports since 1998. He is currently responsible for the strength and conditioning programs for men's lacrosse, women's tennis and men's gymnastics.
During his tenure at Michigan, Cole has worked with volleyball, softball, field hockey, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's tennis, men's swimming, baseball, ice hockey, men's basketball, wrestling, and men's and women's track and field. Cole was the strength and conditioning coach for two national championship teams (2001 field hockey and 2005 softball) as well as the 2019 national runner-up with baseball. In addition, Cole has worked with multiple Big Ten championship teams since 1999 and coached multiple Big Ten Athletes of the Year.
Cole came to Michigan after spending one year as the head strength and conditioning coach at Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI). During his employment, IUPUI joined the Mid-Continent Conference and moved from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I. In his role as head strength and conditioning coach, he was responsible for the development of 15 sports while helping the athletic department make the transition from a Division II to a Division I program. He was the first full-time strength coach in the history of the athletic department.
In addition to his responsibilities at IUPUI, Cole served as an assistant coach in the Athletic Development Program at The National Institute for Fitness and Sport. His duties included testing and evaluating individual athletes ranging from grade school to the professional levels and creating individual programs designed to improve strength, agility and overall sports performance, as well as conducting group camps.
Cole began his career at Michigan as a graduate assistant in 1993 and earned a master's of science degree in 1996. His primary duties were to assist with all facets of the football strength and conditioning program. Cole earned his bachelor's degree from Ithaca College in 1991 and was a member of the school's 1988 Division III national championship football team. He is also an inductee into the Ithaca College Athletic Hall of Fame, Class of 2023.
Cole was awarded the Registered Strength Coach with Distinction by the NSCA in 2011. The NSCA awards the level of RSCC*D to experienced coaches who practically apply foundational knowledge to assess, motivate, educate, and train athletes for the primary goal of improving sport performance for a minimum of 10 years. He was also the first strength and conditioning coach in Michigan history to be awarded the level of Master Strength and Conditioning Coach (MSCC) by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Association in 2012 which is considered the highest honor that can be achieved by a strength and conditioning coach recognizing professionalism, knowledge, experience, expertise and longevity in the field. He was also a finalist for NSCA Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Year in 2013.
Cole and his wife, Lauren, have two children: Emily and Alex. The family resides in Pittsfield Township.
SPORT ASSIGNMENTS: Men's Lacrosse, Women's Tennis and Men's Gymnastics
