Aug. 9, 2001
Chicago, Ill. - University of Illinois at Chicago Athletic Director Jim Schmidt announced today that Tom Kelso has been appointed the Flames' new Strength and Conditioning Coach.
"We're very excited to have Tom join our family," Schmidt said. "We interviewed several quality candidates, but Tom stood out from the others with his experience and strong qualifications. We think Tom is a great fit for what we're trying to do here at UIC and we're confident that he will continue to take our athletes to new heights."
Kelso comes to UIC following a 10-year stint as the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Southeast Missouri State. In his capacity, Kelso developed and implemented both in- and out-of-season strength training programs for nearly all of the Indians' athletic teams, including their football and men's and women's basketball programs.
At Southeast Missouri State, Kelso was also responsible for the football program's away-game meal planning and he also handled training of the student recreation center weight room staff.
Prior to his position with the Indians, Kelso worked at the University of Florida where he began as a graduate assistant in 1984, working up to the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach in 1988. With the Gators, Kelso worked mainly with the football and women's basketball teams, developing and implementing its strength training programs. Kelso also served as director of the Fightin' Gator Football Camp in 1988 and 1989.
A former track and field athlete at the University of Iowa, Kelso received his master's degree in physical education from Western Illinois in 1984. He earned a bachelor's degree in recreation education from Iowa in 1981.
Kelso has published several training articles in the National Strength & Conditioning Association Journal, Scholastic Coach, and High Intensity Training Newsletter. In addition, he has copyright claims to unpublished manuals including Athletic Physical Development, Total Conditioning, Bigger & Stronger, and 5 Star Weight Training Workouts. He also co-developed "POWER 5.1 ULTIMATE" computer strength training software.
Kelso replaces Jim Hughes, who left UIC in June to join Michael Jordan and the Washington Wizards as its strength and conditioning coach.
