Every spring, Urban Meyer hands over his team to strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marotti for summer training. On Wednesday, Marotti was handed more than just a football team.
Marotti was named the Football Bowl Subdivision’s strength and conditioning coach of the year in his fourth year at Ohio State.
Marotti has worked for and with Meyer for years, dating back to 1987, when both were graduate assistants under Earle Bruce with the Buckeyes. That same year, Marotti was the head strength coach at Grove City High School.
The strength coach also worked with Meyer at Notre Dame from 1998-2000, and at Florida from 2005-10. He stayed at Florida in 2011 before joining Meyer in Columbus in 2012.
While not working with Meyer, Marotti spent time on the strength and conditioning staffs at West Virginia University (1989-1990) and the University of Cincinnati (1990-1998) after earning his undergraduate degree from West Liberty State in West Liberty, W.Va.
Meyer said in a press release that he has full confidence in Marotti’s abilities as the Buckeyes are set to defend their first national title in more than a decade.
“There are times in the year when the strength staff has more contact with the team than the coaching staff,” Meyer said. “And I have complete trust in Mickey Marotti’s abilities to prepare our student-athletes to be the strongest, fastest and mentally toughest football players they can be.”
Marotti was awarded the FBS level of the award, and joined six other award winners all the way from the high school ranks through the NFL.
