Bio

Ferris State University Athletics has announced the appointment of Michigan native Andrew Thiede as the Bulldogs' new Strength & Conditioning Coach in January 2021.

Thiede took over the position formerly filled by John Hammersmith, who was the school's first full-time strength and conditioning coach for past three years before departing for another opportunity. As FSU's Strength & Conditioning Coach, Thiede works with the Bulldogs' nearly 400 student-athletes on a daily basis, helping them to maximize their potential as competitive collegiate athletes.

"We're thrilled to have Andrew on board and believe he'll hit the ground running and be an outstanding fit as our Strength & Conditioning Coach," said FSU Athletic Director Perk Weisenburger. "He's a young and very energetic coach and his addition will help enable our student-athletes to become the best that they can be."

For the previous year, Thiede had served as a personal trainer and chiropractic assistant at Midland Sports Rehab, but he also brings significant collegiate experience in the strength and conditioning field. He served as a football strength and conditioning intern at the University of Michigan in 2019-20 and formerly was the Strength and Conditioning Coordinator at Kalamazoo College from 2017-19.

"Andrew has a great deal of experience in working with collegiate student-athletes and is very passionate about what he does," said FSU Senior Associate Athletic Director Sara Higley, who led the search process. "His energy and enthusiasm will be contagious for our student-athletes and he'll have a direct impact on the success of our programs moving forward."

A certified strength and conditioning specialist, Thiede played collegiate football on the NCAA Division III level at Kalamazoo College, serving as a team captain on the defensive line as a senior in 2017. He later served as the Hornets' Defensive Line Coach for two years and was on the strength and conditioning staff as an intern at Western Michigan University in 2018 where he obtained hands-on experience with off-season team workouts, introductory training and helping train athletes for pro day opportunities.

During his time as the strength and conditioning coordinator at Kalamazoo College, Thiede worked with over 200 student-athletes and 11 programs on a daily basis. His stint included helping the football program to its biggest turnaround in school history while also impacting the softball program, which more than doubled its home run total due in part to improved strength and conditioning efforts.

While on the staff at the University of Michigan, Thiede worked directly with the football strength and conditioning staff over an entire annual training cycle and assisted in all aspects of running an effective weight room. He also was involved in the implementation, data collection and analysis of Athos, Catapult, Push, Elite Form and Sparta Science data recording devices for the Wolverines while conducting in-depth baseline evaluations on new enrollees, working along with the athletic training staff to develop return to play protocols and assisting in all aspects of soft tissue work prior to competition.

Thiede's time at Midland Sports Rehab has allowed him to provide individualized training to a wide array of individuals of various athletic abilities based on specific health and fitness goals. He's also assisted in the operations of a chiropractic office, including rooming patients, charting and administering modalities to patients, including ultrasound, STEM, K-Lazer and combination therapies.

"I'm extremely excited for the opportunity to take on this role at Ferris State University," Thiede said. "Ferris State has a strong winning tradition established from a hard-working culture that I am fortunate to join. 

"Many of the student-athletes are returning to campus after an extended winter break, which provides us with a great opportunity to start with a clean slate and push forward with their development right away," he added. "I plan to bring a tremendous amount of energy and knowledge to the table and I look forward to building strong relationships with the student-athletes, which will help us achieve our goals as a program and bring more championships back to Big Rapids."

Thiede earned his bachelor's degree in biology and chemistry from Kalamazoo College in 2017 and received a master's degree in exercise physiology from Western Michigan University in 2018. He's certified in CPR/AED by the American Heart Association and was the 2018 recipient of the Dr. Susan K. Bullard Endowed Scholarship.

Thiede was selected following an extensive review from a search committee that included FSU administrators, head coaches and staff.