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People SearchFind an individual who either played a sport or was a member of a support group. Search by last name by clicking on the first letter of the person's last name.
Mr. Rob Phillips
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Home Phone: -- Phillips Leaving Ragin’ Cajuns for Tulane 0731_LAF_PHILLIPS STORY Jparrott@theadvertiser.com Following a five-year stint as UL’s strength and conditioning coordinator, Rob Phillips is ready to tackle another challenge. He won’t be traveling far to do so. Phillips has accepted an offer to become the new director of strength and conditioning for Conference USA member Tulane in New Orleans. He will replace Gavin Ozaki, who resigned in June for unknown reasons after eight years at the school and the last three seasons leading the strength and conditioning program. According to UL athletic director David Walker, Thursday was Phillips’ last day on the job with the Ragin’ Cajuns. “We are very sad to see Rob leave,†Walker said. “We felt he was a tremendous benefit to our program and was highly respected by our coaches and student-athletes. “He will be difficult to replace, but we wish him well and hope he and his family are very happy with the move.†Before coming to UL, Phillips worked with the Cleveland Browns (2001-05), University of Miami (1999-2000), Western Carolina University (1997-99) and his alma mater, the University of Tennessee (1995-97). Phillips, a Memphis, Tenn., native, was unavailable for comment Thursday. With Phillips gone, Walker has formed a search committee chaired by UL senior associate athletic director Scott Farmer to find a suitable replacement. Other committee members include associate athletic director/director of athletic training John Porche, head football coach Rickey Bustle and softball co-head coach Stefni Lotief. The strength and conditioning coordinator will report to Porche. Walker said the remaining strength and conditioning staff members are fully capable of working with UL student-athletes until a replacement for Phillips is found. “We have started the search,†Walker said. “Once the search committee makes a recommendation to me, I will make a recommendation to (UL president) Dr. (E. Joseph) Savoie. “The most important thing to us is to get a quality coach.†* * * * * * * * * * Strength and Conditioning Coach at UL since 2005. Cajun Conditioning: Notjust about pumping iron June 30, 2006 – Dan McDonald Think all strength coaches have overdeveloped muscles and underdeveloped brains? The University of Louisiana’s head strength and conditioning coach takes care of those stereotypes and more, and at the same time has brought a 21st-century approach to what used to be a race to see who could lift the most iron. “It’s just like the country’s approach to fitness,” Phillips said. “It’s all fads. You take this nutritional supplement or buy the Abdomenizer and you’re going to achieve some results, but not for long. Phillips arrived at his theories on strength and conditioning, and the development of strength, power and speed, at several stops during his career. The most recent came with the Cleveland Browns of the NFL prior to coming to UL last August, just before the start of the athletic year. “That was exciting, fun, seeing all the excitement that the college guys have,” Phillips said. “We try to put them on a program from day one and let it evolve for four or five years. The goal is for them to be better when they walk out the door in four years.” To do that, Phillips and UL’s strength and conditioning staff – full-time assistant and new arrival Jake Rayburn and graduate assistants Nick Briley and Medgar Harrison – tailor development programs for each Ragin’ Cajun athlete. That in itself is no small task, considering that between 350 and 400 athletes use the UL weight room nine months of the year. “It all depends on the athlete,” Phillips said. “Everyone is an individual, a little different, and then there’s different sports, different positions in each sport. Someone who’s tall has different needs than someone who’s short. Every one of them has different weaknesses. With the small staff we try to generalize it and then make it specific for the sport and individual.” Those individual programs are a quantum leap from watching athletes bench press and squat lift massive amounts. “Not everything we train here is body building,” Phillips said. “The thing we see the most when high school athletes come here is that they’ve developed the stuff you see in the mirror. We try to develop what you don’t see … hamstrings, glutes, abdominal strength. That’s where we see the biggest weaknesses.” That’s also where Newton’s Laws come into play. Simplified, it’s force equals mass times acceleration and its more technical derivatives. “Mass can be very large and acceleration very small,” Phillips said. “Or acceleration can be very quick and mass small. There’s an optimal relationship. It’s not just about lifting weight. We do speed work, mechanics drills. We try to eliminate any weaknesses and make their bodies function biomechanically as efficiently as possible.” “We don’t train the squat just to train the squat. We want it to enhance what they do on the field.” Phillips and his staff normally spend an hour per day with each UL athlete during the school year, with that hour built in as part of each team’s practice and preparation. In the summer, all strength workouts are voluntary by NCAA rule, but once the athlete is there Phillips can work with them directly both in the weight room and outside with conditioning drills. “That’s to insure the safety of the athlete,” he said. “We can monitor technique, make sure they’re stretched and warmed up, that they’re hydrating. They choose whether they want to come or not, but it’s my experience that we have the most enthusiastic and hard-working athletes. That’s one of the things that attracted me here … the type of athlete we have.” It’s doubtful, though, that many of those athletes work as hard as Phillips, who literally has a sunup-to-after-sundown schedule during the school year. He hasn’t taken any time off since last August. “No time for that,” he said. “After we win a bowl game, I may take a week off.” Originally published June 30, 2006 Strength & Conditioning: Facility will carry heavy load June 30, 2006 – Home for the University of Louisiana’s athletic strength and conditioning program is a 6,500-square-foot weight room located in the UL athletic complex. “We can comfortably work about 20 at a time in here,” Phillips said. “It’s a good college weight room. But with the limited staff we have and having 350 or 400 athletes using this room, there’s not enough time to work it the way we want it. “A larger room could take care of more people, but you might need more staff because we try to monitor every person that’s working in here.” “It becomes a fine juggling act,” Phillips said. “Coaches want their athletes to work out at the same time, and a lot of them want to do that at specific times. With 16 sports trying to get their work in, it’s not easy.” There are talks of expansion or multiple weight rooms, both of which would likely require additional staffing. Phillips will have his full-time assistant, former Tulane strength coach Jake Rayburn, on staff next week. “What you’ve got to ask, is it important for your athletes,” Phillips said. “The weight room can be a huge recruiting tool. If I’m a developing young athlete, that’s something I’m going to look at.” Originally published June 30, 2006 Phillips takes over as strength coach August 24, 2005 – You can’t miss Rob Phillips. He’s the one striding purposefully between rows of Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns, exhorting them, talking to them and cajoling them through their pre-practice stretching routine. UL’s new strength and conditioning coach has been on duty for a week and has already brought an enthusiastic personality to the scene. It’s a good mix with coach Rickey Bustle’s staff. “Rickey Bustle and Brent Pry are pretty good recruiters,” Phillips said of the two Cajun coaches most active in bringing him on board. “I was really impressed with the things they believe in. I got a chance to watch their practice, and I saw the intensity and the discipline they had. “I also wanted to get back to the South.” Phillips worked previously at Tennessee, at Western Carolina and then at the University of Miami, before following Butch Davis from the Hurricanes to the NFL’s Cleveland Browns. That’s where UL found him, ready for a new challenge. He has jumped gleefully into the mix, eager to make a difference for the Cajuns in each of their sports. Published August 24, 2005
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