FAU strength coach Chuck Lobe walks among players during a pre-practice stretch this spring. (OwlAccess.com photo)
Playing to his strength
Meet The New Staff: After a three-year stint with the Tampa Bay Lightning, FAU's new strength and conditioning coach Chuck Lobe is bringing his expertise to Boca Raton.
Originally published on
6/18/2012
by
Marcus Nelson
First in a series of profiles of FAU's new football coaching staff.
BOCA RATON - Miss one of Florida Atlantic strength and conditioning coach Chuck Lobe's workouts and a player may find himself skating on thin ice.
On the other hand, regularly participating in Lobe's training sessions means an FAU player is under the supervision of a coach that was the strength coach for a National Hockey League team for three years.
It's no wonder that Lobe is already making a difference at FAU.
Lobe has been working with hockey teams for most of his professional life, including three seasons as the strength coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning, but also has worked extensively with football programs and missed the challenge.
“Strength coach jobs started because of football and I enjoy working with football and even the other sports,” Lobe said. “I think this is an ideal setting.”
Lobe was hired in February and was only given a few weeks to get the Owls ready for spring practice.
“The biggest thing was to build team cohesion,” Lobe said. “It can't be the players against the coaches. We really wanted to bring them in early and build structure.”
But Lobe was satisfied with the results.
“They've bought in and are loving it,” Lobe said. “They know what is coming up and they know the plan and if they follow that play, they will be a better athlete.”
Lobe came to Pelini's staff from Denver ready to be in charge of strength and conditioning for a football program, like he was at Minnesota State from 2004-08.
That's where Lobe coached with FAU assistants Jeff Sims and Brett Diersen who recommended Lobe to Pelini, who offered the job to Lobe, who took it to help the Owls get to where Pelini wants them to go.
“That may have been the hardest decision I ever had to make,” Lobe said. “But this was a place that is going up, plus I knew so many of the coaches that are here and they are all grinders. This is a place that can really be moving up.”