Vikings Once Again Searching for Strength and Conditioning Coach
Sean Borman
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Vikings Once Again Searching For Strength and Conditioning Coach
According to Field Yates’ Twitter feed, Minnesota Vikings strength and conditioning coach Brent Salazar has left the team and has taken a position with the USTA. The United States Tennis Association is where Salazar wanted to be in light of his tennis background, as he played tennis in college at New Mexico.
Vikings strength & conditioning coach Brent Salazar has accepted a job with the USTA. Comes from a tennis background. Unique opportunity.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) June 19, 2017
Salazar was hired by the Vikings in February of 2016 with the hope he’d eliminate the freak pectoral injuries of seasons past. Before Salazar joined the staff, Josh Robinson, Brian Robison, Jerick McKinnon, Brandon Fusco, and Phil Loadholt were all injured in then-strength coach Evan Marcus’s free-weight program.
Unfortunately, the Vikings faced similar bad luck last season, losing a number of key players to on-field injuries. Teddy Bridgewater, Antone Exum, Scott Crichton, Sharrif Floyd, Matt Kalil. Andre Smith, Jabari Price, Jake Long and Adrian Peterson all hit the injured reserved list at some point during the 2016 campaign.
Look for the Vikings to move quickly in finding the replacement for Salazar. The successor will be the third strength and conditioning coach in Minnesota in four years.
Assistant strength and conditioning coaches Derik Keyes and Chaz Mahle remain with the team.