Jan. 11, 2012

TEMPE, Ariz.--Shawn Griswold, whom head coach Todd Graham calls "the best strength and conditioning coach in America," has been named the Director of Strength and Conditioning at Arizona State University. Griswold comes to ASU from the University of Pittsburgh, where he was one of Graham's first hires upon taking over that program.

Prior to joining the Pitt staff, Griswold spent three seasons as the Director of Strength and Conditioning at Tulsa under Graham. Griswold's efforts were instrumental in helping Tulsa field one of the country's most explosive teams over the past decade. The highly conditioned Golden Hurricane averaged nearly 80 plays a game in 2010, ranking fifth nationally in total offense, sixth in scoring and 15th in rushing yards. Tulsa's mentally tough defense ranked third in turnovers forced.

"Shawn is instrumental in everything we do," Graham said. "His work in strength and conditioning provides the necessary foundation, both physically and mentally, for our football program to succeed on the field."

Griswold had two stints at Tulsa (2004-06 and 2008-10) as Director of Strength and Conditioning. During thattime the Golden Hurricane earned four bowl berths and captured the 2005 Conference USA championship. In addition to working with the football team, he also had oversight of the entire strength and conditioning program for Tulsa athletics. He spent the 2007 season in Louisville as an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Cardinals.

Prior to Tulsa, Griswold spent five years as Head Strength and Conditioning Coordinator at his alma mater, UtahState. He oversaw the athletic development for 16 varsity sports and was directly responsible for designing the strength and conditioning programs for football, basketball and volleyball.

A former football student-athlete at USU, Griswold's career began as a graduate assistant coach for the Aggies before he was promoted to Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coordinator.

Griswold earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees from Utah State. He received a bachelor's degree in exercise science in 1996 and a masters of science degree in 1998.

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