University of Tennessee Athletics
National Strength Coaches Honor Former Vol Icon Stucky
May 08, 2008 | General
Former Tennessee icon John Stucky is being honored Thursday night as a ???Legend in the Field??? by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association. The ceremony takes place as part of the group???s national conference awards dinner at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel.
Stucky, who helped found the CSCCa at the start of this decade, died in April 2007. He is remembered fondly by Big Orange fans for helping raise Tennessee football to a national championship level in the 1990s as head of the Vols strength and conditioning program.
???I think it is appropriate that John Stucky is honored by the association he helped start,??? head coach Phillip Fulmer said. ???I am honored to be one of the presenters to his wife, Jeanne, and his son, Phillip.???
Under Stucky???s leadership -- first as director of athletic fitness from 1994-96 and then as assistant AD -- the Vols compiled an 80-16 (.833) record and won the 1998 national championship. They also captured two SEC crowns (1997-98) and three Eastern Division titles in the eight-year span.
???John was a great influence on many young people as a strength coach and as a strong Christian,??? Fulmer said. ???He was and still is a great influence in my life.???
The CSCCa already honors Stucky???s memory each year by presenting the John Stucky Award to active strength and conditioning professionals for outstanding performance on the practical portion of the CSCCa certification examination.
Stucky prot??g?? and current Vols head strength and conditioning coach Johnny Long also is in Nashville for the annual convention.
???Coach Stucky left a legacy in this field through the many lives he touched,??? Long said. ???What made him such a great man was his emphasis on getting athletes to perform at the very next level.
???It definitely is an honor to present Phillip Stucky with this award. Without his father leading the way and helping develop this strength and conditioning association, a lot of us wouldn???t be here today.???
Stucky???s accolades throughout his storied career included being named one of 10 Master Strength and Conditioning Coaches by the CSCCa, the highest honor in his field. He also was tabbed national coach of the year in 1996 by the Professional Football Strength and Conditioning Coaches Society and, closer to home, twice was selected by his peers as the SEC???s top strength coach.
