Biography

Jed Smith is in his second year an Instructor and Strength and Conditioning Coach at UNI, joining the staff in June of 2005. Prior to his employment here at UNI, Jed spent two years as the Explosive Strength and Conditioning coach for the Minnesota Vikings. During this time he also served as a faculty member at Dakota County Technical College in Minnesota where he helped develop a two year Exercise and Sports Science Associates of Arts Degree program. For the college, he served as a Coordinator of the degree program as well as instructed numerous courses. In 2002, Smith worked to create a Community Olympic Development Program and Regional Training Center for the Olympic Sport of Weightlifting in a satellite training center associated with the college. At the US National Championship level in the Sport of Weightlifting, Smith has to his credit, 2 national Champions, 4 silver medalists, and 6 bronze medalists. Internationally, Smith has coached one athlete, a UNI Student, to a Pan American games. Smith has also served as the strength coach for the Minnesota Wild NHL players during the 2004-2005 lock out. Coach Smith also had the opportunity to work as the Head Strength Coach for the Minnesota Thunder professional soccer team for the 2004 season. Prior to 2002, Smith spent 6 years as the Head Strength Coach and a Social Studies and Physical Education Teacher at Rosemount High School in Rosemount Minnesota . Jed has been married to his wife Tammy since 1996.

• As a first year teacher in 1996, Smith was hired as the new strength and conditioning coach at Rosemount High School in Rosemount , MN.

• • Smith was on a task force to design a new 5000 square foot Strength Training Facility that was added to the high school the following year. In 1997 the facility opened and was dubbed the most impressive high school facility in the Midwest at the time. The facility was visited by numerous colleges in the area as a model for their collegiate facilities layout and design.

• • In 2001 Smith was able to get $100,000 of equipment donated from Lifetime Fitness to add to are already impressive high school facilities.

• • As a high school strength coach, in 1999, Smith started an Olympic Weightlifting team to help boost athletics and to try and motivate athletes to train. He coached the first National Champion in Minnesota history since 1968, a student at RHS.

• • After starting the Olympic Weightlifting Team and implementing explosive strength training at RHS, the football team went from being 0 – 8 to 6 – 2 in two years.

• • In 2002, Smith started Team Minnesota, an All Star Team of Weightlifters in Minnesota, with the goal in mind of trying to win the national team title at a competition which is plagued with All Star Teams from other states around the country, such as Team East Coast Gold (the top lifters on the East Coast), Team Florida, Team Vermont, Team Hawaii, Team California, Team Texas, Etc.

• • 2002 Team Minnesota placed 4 th in the Nation.

• • 2003 Team Minnesota placed 4 th in the Nation.

• • 2004 Team Minnesota Placed 3 rd in the Nation.

• • In 2002, Smith took a position with Dakota County Technical College (DCTC) to help start athletics and an Exercise and Sports Science program. Smith established a Community Olympic Development Program (CODP) at DCTC, a little brother program to United States Olympic Committee programming designed to find and develop young talent in Olympic sports to feed the national teams.

• • DCTC received the prestigious designation that existed only in 5 cities in the United States . Smith worked to establish a satellite Exercise and Sports Science school in Apple Valley , Minnesota that housed the CODP for the sport of Weightlifting. The facility was also given the designation by USA Weightlifting of a Regional Training Center , one of five nationally.

• • In 2002, Smith was a consultant for the Minnesota Vikings, directed to design a new Vikings Strength and Conditioning Program that was implemented in to the franchise.

• • In 2003, Smith set up a press conference for Dakota County Technical College on the opening of the new facility in Apple Valley Minnesota that involved the CEO of the United States Olympic Committee, Jim Scherr, and Wes Barnett , the Executive Director of USA Weightlifting, bringing national recognition to the college.

• • In 2003, Smith was able to obtain donated equipment for the youth Weightlifting program, valued at over $400,000.

• • In 2003 Smith was invited to do a strength training course for a health club chain in Ohio called Neolimits/Profitness. Smith taught all of their personal trainer's explosive and athletic strength training techniques and taught them programming that they could implement to train athletes in their clubs.

• • In February 2004, Smith was hired by the Minnesota Vikings to be the Explosive and Power Lifting Coach.

• • From September of 2004 until June 2005, Smith worked for the Minnesota Wild players during the NHL Lockout.

• • From November 2004 through the Spring of 2005, Smith served as the strength coach for the Minnesota Thunder professional soccer team.

• • Smith has conducted clinics for strength and conditioning programs at such colleges as Penn State University , Indiana University, and Iowa State University .

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• • Smith is a national instructor for USA Weightlifting and certifies coaches for the organization.