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More than three years later, the Hawaii football team is back to full strength.
Gary Beemer, who has worked with the Minnesota Vikings since September, is the Warriors’ new strength and conditioning coordinator.
The job was vacated in February 2010, when Mel deLaura accepted a similar position at Southern Methodist. Tommy Heffernan, the athletic department’s strength/conditioning coordinator, has worked with football the past three years.
"Working in the NFL is awesome," Beemer said. "The players are world class. But my heart is in helping young men develop into great football players. I think that happens more at the college level than in the NFL. Guys who come to the NFL are pre-packaged, pre-formed. They’ve already arrived. … In college, you get a young guy — raw talent, undeveloped. … You get to mold him and meld him and get him ready to play high-quality football at the college level."
Beemer said he plans to create specific workout programs.
"The biggest mistake you can make for an athlete or a general population of training is to have a cookie-cutter template where you make everybody fit the same mold," Beemer said.
Beemer, who has a master’s degree in biomechanics, said each player has a unique pattern of movements.
"If you try to incorporate the same exercises for the same population, it’s going to be problematic," Beemer said.
"You have to evaluate a guy, then you’ll have to tailor the lifting and training to his body type, his biomechanical makeup, and his personality makeup."
Beemer said he spent his freshman year training because he did not have the strength or build to join Florida as a walk-on lineman. He eventually made it as a sophomore. After completing his playing career, he worked for Florida strength coordinator Mickey Marotti.
This year, UH athletic director Ben Jay decided to fill the strength/conditioning coordinator’s position. Jay, who previously was an administrator at Ohio State, called Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer seeking candidates. Meyer, who was Beemer’s coach at Florida, told Jay to contact Marotti, now the Buckeyes’ strength coordinator. Marotti recommended Beemer.
"I found out about (the opening) in a very circuitous way," Beemer said.
The Warriors played in Gainesville when Beemer was a sophomore in 2008.
"I remember them doing the haka on the field very vividly," Beemer said. "It was great. Seeing them do that on our field was wonderful. It was unique. I hold it in a very awesome place in my memory. …
"I absolutely want to embrace everything that is the University of Hawaii. The culture, the people, the history, the rich traditions are so special, so unique, so genuine. I’m very much into it."
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