Kragthorpe Names Kenn Strength and Conditioning Coach
January 04, 2008 | Football
Jan. 4, 2008
Louisville, Ky. - Nineteen-year coaching veteran Joe Kenn has been named the strength and conditioning coach at the University of Louisville, announced head coach Steve Kragthorpe on Friday.
Kenn joins the Louisville staff after spending seven seasons at Arizona State University, including five as the head coach of ASU's Sports Performance program.
Originally named ASU's head strength and conditioning coach for football in January, 2001, Kenn came to ASU after serving as the director of strength and conditioning at the University of Utah from 1999 -2000.
A member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association and American Football Coaches Association, Kenn was the head strength and conditioning coach at Boise State from 1994-99, but spent nine years total at Boise State (1991-99).
His first coaching assignment came as an assistant football and strength coach at Pine Crest Preparatory School in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (1989-1990). He then became the assistant strength and conditioning coach at Wake Forest University in 1991.
Kenn was named the College Strength and Conditioning Professional of the Year in 2002 and has been a finalist for the award four times during his career. He also earned conference recognition in 1998 (Big West Conference) and again in 2000 (Mountain West Conference).
Kenn has coached numerous NFL players including; former NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and Pro Bowler, Terrell Suggs (Baltimore Ravens, ASU), former NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, Mike Anderson (Baltimore Ravens, Utah), two-time Pro Bowler Steve Smith (Carolina Panthers, Utah), and recent Super Bowl Champion Kimo Von Oelhoffen (New York Jets, Boise State)
Kenn earned his Bachelor of Science degree in health and sports science from Wake Forest in 1988 and his strength and conditioning specialist certification in 1990. He then earned his Master of Arts degree in curriculum and instruction from Boise State in 1993.
As a football player at Wake Forest, Kenn was a two-year letterman, named a NSCA All-American Strength and Conditioning Athlete award winner as well as Wake Forest's Weightlifter of the Year and the Bill George Award as Linemen of the Year.
Bryan Dermody and former U of L football player Antoine Sharp also remain part of the strength staff.
