Pitt hopes strength, conditioning coach instills discipline, toughness
The third Buddy Morris era in Pitt football began with testing, from functional movement to flexibility to measuring the linemen's Body Mass Index in a hydrostatic tub.
The results spoke to the Panthers' new strength and conditioning coach, hired by Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt to shock the system of a program that has failed to earn a bowl bid the past two seasons.
"We," Morris said, "were fat."
Morris, of course, was speaking in the collective sense about the team. Even as he nears his 50th birthday, Morris still has a sculpted physique. Many of the Panthers' players do not, which is why Morris returned this past December to replace Mike Kent.
Wannstedt recognized the importance of the strength and conditioning staff, the lone coaches permitted to work out players when the rest of the staff is on the road recruiting from December to February and again in May.
Wannstedt wanted someone who would instill the discipline and toughness that was lacking the past two seasons and looked no further than Morris, who held the same position at Pitt from 1980-90 and '97-2001 and has extensive ties to Panthers greats.
"We needed to do something with our football team to let them know that things have got to change," Wannstedt said. "We're changing an attitude around here and doing things differently, because last season was not acceptable."
Neither is fat, Morris offers, as it cannot produce force. Several Panthers' body fat measured at 30 percent or higher, which Morris found "embarrassing."
The former Pitt sprinter is a self-described "fanatic on the technical application of movement." He speaks as passionately about the metaphysics of strength and speed training. Video coordinator Chad Bogard taped early sprint and weight-lifting workouts so Morris could correct players' flaws.
Morris also is enlisting the help of Pitt's resources within the UPMC Sports Medicine Center, from director of human performance Bob Robertson to sports nutritionist Leslie Bonci, to teach the Panthers about lifestyle habits.
"This is the single-most important thing they do, train their bodies," Morris said. "They play with their body. They need to take care of them."
Morris seeks perfection, which starts with uniformity. The players must wear matching gold tops, blue shorts and black shoes to workouts. The exceptions are those who don't meet Morris' standards and are subjected to wearing pink shirts that read, "I work out at Curves," a women's fitness center.
The Panthers were given freedom under Kent, but they now adhere to Morris' strict regimen. Morris has separated the players in groups of two dozen or less, with workouts scheduled according to their classes, so he can give them personal attention and prevent malingering.
"It's definitely a shock to me," redshirt junior linebacker Scott McKillop said. "You have two different personalities. Coach Kent was more of a laid-back person; Buddy is more in your face. He's basically breaking us down and starting us from scratch."
Missing a workout, in Morris' mind, is unconscionable. When one Panthers player did, he was immediately subjected to 50 up-downs, an exercise that requires the repeated dropping from a stand-still position to a push-up. Morris also is designating leaders for each group, thereby holding Pitt players accountable for their teammates.
Although the program starts with discipline, it is based heavily on emphasizing static, or isometric, strength. One exercise designed to improve balance had players lying on their side, supporting their body with one hand while holding a weighted medicine ball aloft with the other. It wasn't so much a test of their strength, but of their resolve.
"Training is about an attitude," Morris said. "Don't show me a sign of weakness. Don't show me that you're tired."
Morris is setting an example there, after his assistant, former Steelers lineman Tom Myslinski, left to become strength and conditioning coach for the Cleveland Browns. Morris is left with graduate assistant Chad Lee and three interns.
Wannstedt hopes to make a hire within the week, although he recognizes the importance and difficulty of finding someone who can meet Morris' demands.
"You have to find a way to instill toughness in the team off the football field," Wannstedt said. "The No. 1 way is in the weight room, with the offseason program. I like Buddy's no-nonsense, tough-guy attitude. I know we'll be a tougher team, a stronger team. I also know we'll lose some guys, but the ones we lose will be the ones who surrender in the fourth quarter, when things are tough."
