Steve Wetzel

It all started with Steve Wetzel's interest in physical education.

And it's led to a 16-year career in the National Football League.

A native of Washington, D.C., and 1985 graduate of Slippery Rock University, Wetzel is entering his third year as the head strength and conditioning coach for the Arizona Cardinals.

Wetzel's road to the NFL began while in high school in Sterling, Va.

"I had a football coach and a track and field coach who felt that strength and conditioning were very important in all aspects of sports," said Wetzel. "I became interested in physical education and narrowed my college choices down to Elon College in North Carolina and Slippery Rock.

"I chose SRU because I believed it to be the best fit for me."

Wetzel competed on The Rock's power-lifting team and he once held a bench-press record in the American Drug Free Power Lifting Association at 386 pounds.

He was a member of the team until graduating in May of 1985 with a degree in physical education.

"I knew I wanted to be involved in sports somehow, and strength and conditioning was becoming a viable profession at that time," said Wetzel.

Following stints with football teams at the University of Maryland and George Mason University, Wetzel found himself as an assistant strength and conditioning coach with the Washington Redskins in 1990.

"To have the chance to go back to where I grew up and work for the hometown team, it was a terrific opportunity," he said.

Getting an NFL job is special enough. Getting a Super Bowl ring is even more exclusive.

Though it was his second and final year with the Redskins, 1991 proved to be a very memorable season, as Washington steamrolled through its regular season with a 14-2 record before dispatching three playoff opponents, the last being Buffalo, to win Super Bowl XXVI.

"To have so many different personalities with one common goal and to be able to win it all, I was fortunate to be part of that," Wetzel said.

Being a part of a championship team can only help your standing. By the start of the 1992 season, Wetzel had been hired by the Minnesota Vikings as their head strength and conditioning coach under first-year coach Dennis Green.

In Wetzel's 12 seasons with the Vikings (1992-2003), the team compiled a regular season mark of 112-80

and qualified for the playoffs eight

times. That included trips to the NFC Championship Game in the 1998 and 2000 seasons.Another sign of Wetzel's status in the league is the fact that three of his assistants in Minnesota have gone on to get head strength and conditioning coaching jobs with other NFL teams — Mike Wolf (Philadelphia), Mark Asanovich (Jacksonville) and Jeff Friday (Baltimore).

"To see those guys running their own shows, it makes me proud," said Wetzel. "You always want to see the people you work with do well."Green became coach in Arizona in January 2004 and soon after contacted Wetzel about running the Cardinals strength and conditioning program."I was very happy when he called and asked me to come to Arizona," he said.Attention to detail is a big part of Wetzel's job."We work with every player on an individual basis," he said. "Not just the linemen — we spend an equal amount of time with every single player."All the work Wetzel and his two assistants put in behind the scenes is geared toward one goal: helping the Cardinals win football games.And it appears the team is poised to do a lot more of that.Since moving from St. Louis to Arizona in 1988, the Cardinals have made the playoffs just once (1998).But with the additions of free agent running back Edgerrin James and USC quarterback draftee Matt Leinart, along with established stars like wide receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, the Cardinals are looking to challenge for an NFC playoff berth.The team will also be unveiling its new 63,000-seat stadium in the pre-season opener Aug. 12 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.Needless to say, the buzz around the Cardinals is being heard all over the league."To go from having 15,000 fans for our pre-season opener last year to being sold out for the Steelers game, it's pretty exciting out here," Wetzel said.

<I>This is one in a series of articles on Slippery Rock University graduates who have moved on to athletic careers elsewhere.</I>