October 31, 2011

Emory University Athletics Director Tim Downes has announced the appointment of Stephen King as Head Strength and Conditioning Coach.  King will begin his duties November 1.

King comes to Emory after serving as the Olympic Sports Strength and Conditioning Coach at Villanova University since the fall of 2007.  While with the Wildcats’ program, he designed and implemented the strength, conditioning, flexibility and agility programs for the baseball, softball, men’s soccer, women’s soccer and field hockey teams while overseeing the implementation of similar programs for men and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s swimming and volleyball programs.   In addition, he was an assistant strength coach for the football team.

“Stephen is a true professional and a tireless worker who is driven by a desire to make a difference in the lives of students,” Downes said. “We are excited about his arrival and look forward to his contributions.”

Prior to Villanova, King was a performance coach for Velocity Sports Performance, one of the nation’s top training centers, where he designed strength workouts for a number of athletes and team, focusing on improving speed and agility, from 2006 through 2007.

King worked at the University of Georgia from the fall of 2004 through the spring of 2006, first as a student weight room manager and then a strength and conditioning intern where he worked with a number of teams including women’s track, softball, volleyball and men’s basketball.

“What really stood out for me about Stephen was his experience working with a large number of teams and his ability to give each team quality time and quality strength programs,” said Sue Patberg, the head women’s soccer coach at Emory.  “He is energetic and understands how to motivate athletes to be their best.” 

Stephen is a USAW club coach and NSCA C.S.C.s certified and CSCCa certified.

“I am excited for this wonderful opportunity to take a head position and be able to shape the
strength and conditioning program at a school like Emory which has a strong and successful athletic program, King said.  “I look forward to working with the coaching staffs and student-athletes.”

King earned his bachelor’s degree in criminology from Florida State in 2003 and received a master’s degree in exercise science from Georgia in 2006.  He is in the process of obtaining an additional master’s degree in business administration from Villanova.