Coach Ken Sheppard Interview, Part One

“The weight room is the cornerstone of the Iowa State football program. Programs are designed to maximize the athletes' physical potential and minimize physical injury.

Developing speed flexibility and conditioning is as important as developing explosive power.

Our objective with the year-round conditioning program is to have the players in peak playing condition for the training camp and the upcoming season."

-- Iowa State football strength and conditioning mission statement

Cyclones.com sat down with Cyclone football strength and conditioning coach, Ken Sheppard for a two part interview. In part one, he discusses his own personal football journey from Hamlet, N.C. to Ames, Iowa.

Ken Sheppard was named head football strength and conditioning coach at Iowa State by Cyclone head coach Gene Chizik in January 2007. Sheppard came to Iowa State after nine years at Texas. Sheppard's impact was immediate as ISU players were bigger, faster and stronger last season. The list of current NFL players who grew faster, stronger and more explosive under Sheppard's guidance is a long one. During his nine-year stint as assistant strength and conditioning coach at Texas under Mack Brown. They include Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young, Chicago Bears defensive back Nathan Vasher, Tennessee Titan tight end Alge Crumpler and Detroit Lions wide receiver Roy Williams.

Before coming to Iowa State, Sheppard worked as a strength and conditioning coach at North Carolina and Texas under former ISU assistant Mack Brown.

Cyclones.com: You hail from Hamlet, N.C. What kind of town is it?

“It's a strong community made up of close-knit families. The largest attraction there is Raider football. Richmond City High School is comprised of students from five surrounding counties. These counties are a melting pot of athletic talent. The entire athletic program has a tremendous winning tradition which has produced professional athletes in baseball, track, football, and basketball.”

Cyclones.com: You almost didn't get to play football.

“I began playing football in the ninth grade. My mother wouldn't have it, not just football but any sport. Therefore the only option was to work during the summers. Mr. Bennett, my junior high coach finally talked Mom into the idea of sport becoming a part of my life. I started as an offensive tackle rotating on defense as a defensive tackle. The 1978 football team won the first state championship in school history under the guidance of Coach Hal Stewart.”

“I remember after that championship game, hordes of college scouts were in the locker room; N.C. Central, N.C. State, Clemson to name a few. I eventually signed a four-year scholarship to play football at North Carolina Central University.”

Cyclones.com: Do you feel good about your choice to attend North Carolina Central?

“Attending N.C.C.U. was a tremendous experience. The education I received, the values instilled were superb. The benefit of hard work was instilled in me by my parents and later nurtured by my college offensive line coach, Robert “Stonewall Jackson.” Coach Jack, as we called him, played for the NFL's New York Giants during the leather helmet era. He used to tell the story of how he folded his helmet in half and placed it in his back pocket. He earned his nickname while mastering his position of fullback. He'd attack the line of scrimmage and the opposing players stated “running into Jack was like running into a stone wall.” Coach Jack was hard but fair. All over you one minute, loving you the next. He was an excellent coach that demanded respect not by words but by actions. His wisdom and strong character taught all that came in contact with him to work though adversity, any challenge and first and foremost, mental toughness.”

Cyclones.com: You played some football after college?

“I played semi-professionally for the Carolina Pirates in Durham, N.C. Steve Streeter was the head coach. He was a defensive back out of UNC Chapel Hill. Coach Streeter signed with the Washington Redskins, but upon returning home was involved in an accident that left him confined to a wheelchair. His passion and drive to be involved in sport drove him to start a semi-professional football team in the Research Triangle area. Steve was good friends with Laurence Taylor who would frequent practice. I played two seasons with the Pirates while volunteering at my alma mater in summer programs for kids.

Cyclones.com: Was it then that you took up powerlifting?

“I started serious weight training and power lifting to stay in shape for football. My best events for power lifting were the bench press, dead lift and squat. My bench was 575, my squat was 850 and I dead lifted 750. I trained myself by researching each lift and watching video tapes. I've always been a technician. I possess the ability to either read about and or view and immediately process and duplicate.

“Jeff Madden was the newly hired strength coach at UNC Chapel Hill. His reputation had preceded him due in part to his record bench-press mark of 602 pounds. Taking the initiative, I visited Carolina's weight facility to meet Coach Madden in hopes of gaining advice about the bench press and the field of strength and conditioning. Training with Coach Madden aided me in breaking through my bench-press plateau of 575 pounds establishing with a personal record of 585 pounds.

“While working out with Coach Madden I would arbitrarily correct an athlete's form and technique. Noticing the ability to connect with the football players, J.M. asked if my schedule would allow me to work during the lunch to relieve his staff. Two hours turned into four. Then six hours per day led to part-time status and a position in academics as a study monitor. Taking advantage of this opportunity aided in my professional development as an up-and-coming strength professional and allowed me to work on then (North Carolina) head football coach Mack Brown's staff.

Cyclones.com: What happened then when Mack Brown got the Texas job?

“There was a transition period when Coach Brown visited the University of Texas negotiating his way. Coach Madden and I accompanied UNC to the Carquest Bowl. Upon returning to North Carolina, I flew to Dallas, Texas for Coach Brown's initial meeting with his new staff. From that point on I embarked upon a nine-year career at the University of Texas.”

Cyclones.com: You have always been committed to doing things the right way.

“Pharmaceutical preparation is something I don't tolerate and never get involved in. I was blessed with strength. With the proper training I was a good weight lifter. My health and integrity were more important than taking a shortcut and knowing if I had followed that route I would be cheating. There is a class of athletes that partake in that. The side effects that can have on the body, both mentally and physically, just weren't worth the risk. I was never tempted to try it because my natural strength allowed me to compete with anyone in my weight class because of good training programs.”

Cyclones.com: Tell us how you made your way to Iowa State.

“I never knew that I was a candidate for this job. In fact, one evening after returning from practice (at Texas) I was sitting in my office, ready to go home. Coach Chizik walked past on his way to coach Madden's office and asked if he could visit with me before I leave. My thought was that he (coach Chizik) wanted to know how the linebackers were lifting and training. Periodically we'd have short discussions of this nature. Coach Madden called me to his office. It was then that I first learned of Coach Chizik's interest in me to head the strength department for football at Iowa State.
“I knew nothing at all about Iowa State before I came, only that coach Brown had coached there.”

Iowa State University Athletics

Coach Ken Sheppard Interview, Part One

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