Blue and Gold Illustrated

April 2013

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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The Weight Room Wizard Strength coach Paul Longo���s plan comes to fruition By Wes Morgan P aul Longo���s job responsibilities go way beyond getting Notre Dame���s football players in optimal physical condition and keeping them there. It���s more than explaining why it���s crucial to strengthen the posterior chain. For the fourth-year Fighting Irish strength and conditioning coordinator, like his colleagues at powerhouse programs around the nation, his position, arguably the second-most important behind the head coach, requires an understanding of physiology and psychology along with effective means of motivation and communication. He���s a weight room general who pushes his players beyond their perceived pain threshold while thoughtfully explaining every step of the agonizing plan. He must design a blueprint for every individual member of the squad. He���s a year-round liaison ��� the only member of the Irish coaching staff with unrestricted access to players during the offseason ��� who must be able to take the pulse of the program. He has to have a grasp of the game and an eye like a talent scout. In some ways, finding the right person for an increasingly important assignment has become a higher priority than hiring coordinators and other assistants. More so than for any other staff member, the strength and conditioning coordinator ���s vision must match up perfectly with that of the head coach. Longo and Kelly have developed an operative partnership since 2004, when Kelly hired Longo at Central Michigan. After three seasons with the Chippewas, the duo moved on together for a three-year stint at Cincinnati. After transforming those programs, Kelly credited Longo for Notre Dame���s three-year turnaround highlighted by this past season���s run to the BCS National Championship Game. The two have produced a 28���7 record in November and December regular-season games together, an obvious indication Longo has a handle on how to have a team peak at the right time. ���We certainly wouldn���t be the football team that

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