Football

- Title:
- Assistant Director of Football Sports Performance
- Email:
- smithkei@usc.edu
Chad Smith was named an assistant strength and conditioning coach in January of 2021.Â
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Smith, 39, came to USC after spending 2020 as the director of football strength and conditioning at South Alabama.Â
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Before that, he was the director of strength and conditioning at Florida International for 7 years (2013-19), overseeing 14 men’s and women’s sports.  The Panthers’ football team went 8-5 in 2017 and 9-4 in 2018 and played in a bowl game in his final 3 seasons.Â
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He was an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Mississippi State for 3 years (2009-11), working with the football and men’s and women’s tennis and track teams.  The Bulldogs’ football team was 9-4 in 2010, including a win in the Gator Bowl, and finished with a No. 15 AP ranking.Â
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He was a graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach at Memphis for 3 years (2006-08), working with the football, baseball and softball programs.Â
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In 2005, he was a strength and conditioning intern at Chattanooga, his alma mater.  He also interned at South Florida.Â
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He was a 3-year (2002-04) letterman fullback on Chattanooga’s football team.  Â
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He earned his bachelor’s degree in exercise science in 2006 from Chattanooga and a master’s degree in human movement sciences from Memphis in 2009.Â
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He holds certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association, United States Weightlifting Federation and American Red Cross.Â
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He prepped at Bradley Central High in Cleveland (Tenn.).Â
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He was born on June 15, 1981.