IGCT Episode #294: Shelton Stevens "Everyday is a Job Interview"

Updated: Mar 16, 2019

Bio

Coach Shelton Stevens currently works as a Human Performance Specialist for the United States Special Operations Command where he trains the most elite Special Forces Units in the world. In his previous role, Stevens led the Liberty University Olympic Sports Strength and Conditioning Department. Serving in the Directors role Coach Stevens was responsible for the direction, development, and oversight of the entire department. His job is to work collaboratively with head coaches, assistant strength and conditioning coaches, team doctors, athletic trainers, nutritionists, exercise science, sport psychologists, and the entire sports performance team to ensure that all systems are efficient and effective to best benefit student-athletes.

Stevens arrived at Liberty in September of 2015 as the Head Baseball Strength Coach which he was quickly promoted to Director at the beginning of the 2016 academic year. While at Liberty Stevens got the opportunity of designing two multi-million dollar performance facilities. Prior to joining the Flames' staff, Stevens had served as Assistant Director of Strength & Conditioning at Arkansas State University beginning in January 2014. While at Arkansas State, he directed and designed the strength and conditioning programs for the baseball and 2014 Conference Champion volleyball team. He also assisted in the day to day operations for the Red Wolves football team under the guidance of Matt Shadeed who now is the Director of Sports Performance at the University of Massachusetts.

Stevens earned experience at Mercer, where he was Assistant Director of Strength & Conditioning from June 2013 through January 2014. His main responsibilities were with the baseball, softball and lacrosse programs, while he also assisted with football and men's basketball. While at Southern Miss from January 2011 through November 2012, Stevens served as Head Assistant of Strength & Conditioning under Paul Jackson who now serves as the Director of S&C for football at the University of Mississippi. His first season with the Golden Eagles the football team soared to its best record in school history at 12-2, a Conference USA championship and a victory in the Hawaii Bowl. Stevens also designed and implemented strength and conditioning programs for the baseball, soccer, volleyball and golf teams.

Stevens led Nova Southeastern's department from June 2009 through January 2011, where he served as an assistant strength coach for five months before being promoted to Head Strength & Conditioning Coach at the age of 24. He built a strength and conditioning program from the ground up, while overseeing 17 athletic teams and had the opportunity to design the Sharks first ever Athletic only weight room. Prior to working at Nova Southeastern, Stevens completed strength and conditioning internships at Florida State, Wofford and Louisiana State University.

While at LSU, he was mentored by renowned strength and conditioning coach Tommy Moffitt. He assisted with LSU's nationally ranked football team and 2009 national champion baseball team. Stevens is a member of the Certified Strength & Conditioning Coaches association (CSCCa), where he holds his Strength & Conditioning Coaches Certification (SCCC). He is also certified through the United States of America Weightlifting association (USAW), the national governing body for weightlifting in the United States. Additionally, Stevens is a member of the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA), where he is a certified Tactical Strength and Conditioning Facilitator and a Registered Strength & Conditioning Coach (RSCC) and is also certified in Reflexive Performance Reset (RPR). Stevens graduated with his bachelor's degree in exercise science from Palm Beach Atlantic in May, 2007. He earned a Master of Education degree, with an emphasis in athletic administration from Nova Southeastern in August 2010. A native of Waynesboro, Va., Stevens, and his wife, Macie, were married on May 16, 2015. They were blessed with a little boy on February 24th, 2018 (Steele Stevens). They currently reside in Cameron, NC.