Samson Equipment and American Football Monthly Tab Delaware Strength & Conditioning Coach Augie Maurelli FCS Coach of the Year
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Photo Courtesy of Chris Permar
February 28, 2011
NORTH PALM BEACH, Fla. -- University of Delaware strength and conditioning head coach Augie Maurelli (at right), who played a key role in helping the Blue Hen football team advance to the national championship game this past January, has been honored by Samson Equipment and American Football Monthly Magazine as the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Year.
Maurelli, who joined the Blue Hen staff in August after serving the previous seven years at Georgetown, was among nine strength & conditioning coaches honored and was selected from among the 125 NCAA FCS programs.
Samson Equipment annually sponsors the awards and honors coaches at the National Football League, NCAA FBS, FCS, Division II, and Division III, NAIA, Junior College, and high school levels.
“I want to thank Samson and American Football Monthly for this prestigious honor,” said Maurelli. “In selecting me for this award, they really are honoring my staff and our student-athletes for their hard work during the year. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to work with a group of players committed to making themselves and their team better every day through their work in the weight room and on the practice field. I also want to thank our director of athletics Bernard Muir and our head coach K.C. Keeler for their support and their faith in me and for providing at atmosphere here at Delaware where football student-athletes can strive to be their best.”
The staff at Samson met regularly and looked at the various programs at all levels throughout the year, nominated a small group in each category, and then determined the winners. Samson noted that Maurelli runs a tremendous program at the University of Delaware that is highly-respected.
Delaware enjoyed one of its finest seasons in school history in 2010 under head coach K.C. Keeler as the Blue Hens posted a record of 12-3, shared the Colonial Athletic Association title with William & Mary, and stormed through the NCAA playoffs with wins over Lehigh, New Hampshire, and Georgia Southern before falling to top-ranked Eastern Washington 20-19 in the national championship game in Frisco, Tex. on Jan. 7.
“As I said throughout the season, Augie played a pivotal role in the success of our football team,” said Keeler. “He didn’t join our program until after pre-season drills began but he hit the ground running and immediately earned the respect of our players and motivated them to work hard and become better. I believe every week we hit the field this past season we were the stronger and faster team. Certainly Augie had a lot to do with that.”
Maurelli is responsible for supervising the strength and conditioning efforts for Delaware's 22 sports programs and over 600 student-athletes and designing and implementing strength and conditioning plans for all of the Blue Hen men's and women's athletic teams.
Maurelli earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering with a bio-mechanical focus from Johns Hopkins University in 1997 and later earned a master's degree in business administration from Georgetown University in 2002.
He joined the Georgetown athletics department staff in January, 2001 as the strength and conditioning coach for the football program. After leaving for two years, he returned in 2004 and was named Director of Strength and Conditioning for all Hoya student-athletes. In August of 2008, he was promoted to Assistant Athletic Director for Performance and Leadership, where he coordinated Georgetown's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and Leadership Academy. He also aided in student welfare initiatives in addition to all performance-related programming.
Maurelli played four years of varsity football at Johns Hopkins and later served as an assistant strength coach for three years under former Olympian and Olympic Coach Bill Starr. A current University record-holder, Maurelli trained as an Olympic lifter and National Qualifier from 1994-2000 under coach Starr and continues to promote the sport. From 2000-02, Maurelli oversaw the training of the Georgetown football program while completing his graduate studies.
In addition to his service at Georgetown, Maurelli has worked at Columbia University and University of Maryland and credits the mentorship of strength & conditioning directors Craig Fitzgerald (University of South Carolina), Eric Ciano (Buffalo Bills) and Dwight Galt (University of Maryland) for much of his departmental approach, administration, and overall program implementation.
Maurelli is certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA-CSCS) and the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCa). He is also a registered USWF lifter and Club Coach, has been featured in Ironman magazine, and has contributed to the re-publication of The Strongest Shall Survive and Defying Gravity.
American Football Monthly is considered the primary source of information for football coaches across the country. Samson Equipment has designed, manufactured, and sold heavy duty 'Built for Strength' weight training equipment since 1976 for top professional teams,colleges, and high schools.
