Mark Watts is the Director of Strength and Conditioning, Physical Education Instructor & Practicum Supervisor, and Assistant Football Coach at Denison University. This will be Watts' seventh year overall and his fourth year since returning to Denison after a year and a half as an Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach at the United States Military Academy at West Point.  Watts is responsible for the performance enhancement and injury prevention of 17 of the 23 varsity men and women’s sports at Denison throughout the year. 

Watts teaches several classes in the Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation department at Denison.  Courses under Watts’ tutelage include various lecture and activity classes including Principles of Strength Training & Conditioning, Intermediate Strength Training and Speed & Agility Training within the department.  He also supervises a Physical Education Practicum which encompasses Strength & Conditioning and Sports Management Internships and has included students from Denison University, Ohio University, The Ohio State University, Otterbein College, Ashland University and Columbus State Community College.  Watts is a certified mentor for the Collegiate Strength & Conditioning Coaches Association approved internships.  Last year, Watts was also awarded the prestigious Coach Practitioner Distinction from the National Strength & Conditioning Association and is now a Registered Strength & Conditioning Coach with the NSCA .

While serving as an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at Army, Watts was solely responsible for organizing and implementing the speed, strength and conditioning programs for the wrestling, baseball, softball, men's and women's soccer and sprint football teams for the Black Knights. He also assisted with football, lacrosse, ice hockey, swimming, and the men and women's basketball teams. During his time at West Point, Watts became Strength and Conditioning Coach Certified by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association.

During his last tenure at Denison, Watts has the Defensive Coordinator and Head Strength & Conditioning Coach from August of 2002 until February of 2005.  Watts coached the secondary, linebackers and finally the safeties in those three years.  While coordinating the defense, Watts helped the Big Red improve in all but one defensive statistical category over the course of three seasons. In 2004, Denison was in the top half of the NCAC conference defensive statistics in seven out of eleven categories including 4th in total defense, 3rd in turnovers and 2nd in Pass Defense Efficiency helping the Big Red earn a 6-4 record, their best since 1991.  Subsequently, Watts received his second Master's degree in Exercise Science and Health Promotion from California University of Pennsylvania. Along with this degree, he received his Performance Enhancement Specialist Advanced Certification through the National Academy of Sports Medicine.  Watts is certified by USA Weightlifting as a Sports Performance Coach and completed a Strength and Conditioning Summer Internship at the University of Tulsa in the summer of 2004.

While coaching at Denison, Watts has been diligent about professional development. Watts has served as a volunteer Strength & Conditioning Coach at The Ohio State University and a Strength & Conditioning Consultant for the Licking County Settlers Baseball Club.  He has presented at seven different coaching clinics including the Northeast Ohio Strength & Conditioning Clinic and the NSCA Ohio State Strength & Conditioning Clinic.  Watts is also the clinic director and speaker at the Central Ohio Strength & Conditioning Coaches Clinic held at Denison University each year since 2007.  This past year, Watts coordinated a Level 1 Coaches Certification Course for USA Weightlifting and helped organize the 1st annual Keith Piper Memorial Football Coaches Clinic.  Last summer, Watts has served as a non-credit instructor at Columbus State Community College teaching physical education as part of the Upward Bound Program.  He has also been added as a Strength & Conditioning consultant on LaxSpeedTV.com, as part of the advisory board for TheEquipmentGuys.com, and authored several articles for Elite Fitness Systems.  Watts has co-founded the Central Ohio Strongman Classic which was one of the largest North American Strongman Inc. sanctioned contests this year.

Watts has been active in the community since his arrival at Denison. Over the last several years he organized "Bench Press to Beat Breast Cancer" to raise money on behalf of the American Cancer Society. The event runs in conjunction with Relay-for-Life and raised over $10,000 in five years for breast cancer research.  Last year was also the second year for the “Strongest on the Hill” and this past year was the 3rd annual Joe Torrens Memorial Team Strongman Competition.  The latter included men’s, women’s, and co-ed teams from seven different colleges, universities, and gyms over the last three years. Watts has also provided a free Seminar for parents, coaches and athletes on injury prevention for the female athlete the past two years as well.

Before coming to Denison, Watts was the defensive line and strength and conditioning coach at Allegheny College (Pa.) in 2001. While at Allegheny, Watts coached three All-NCAC defensive linemen.  During Watts' tenure, the Gator's defense was ranked 10th nationally against the run in Division III. As the Gators' Strength Coach, he became a Certified Strength and Conditioning specialist by the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
Prior to Allegheny, Watts served as defensive line coach and assistant strength coach at Clarion University (Pa.) from 1998 until 2000. In 2000, Watts helped the PSAC West Champion Golden Eagles earn a conference-leading 55 sacks, while also coaching first and second team all-conference nose guards.

Clarion University is also where he earned his Bachelors of Science Degree in Elementary Education and his Masters in Elementary Education degree. While working on his masters, Watts managed to be on the Dean's list twice and was selected as Clarion University's 2000-2001 Outstanding Graduate Student. While at Clarion, Watts founded the Clarion Barbell Club in 1998, which in turn won the university's Community Service Award in the spring of 2001. Watts played nose guard on the Golden Eagle football team, including the 1996 NCAA Division II semi-finalist squad.  Watts still competes in amateur strongman competitions.

A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., Watts attended Brashear High School and earned 1990 All-Pittsburgh City League honors as a nose guard. After graduating high school in 1991, Watts served just under three years in the United States Marine Corps where he earned the rank of Lance Corporal. His unit was part of the 26th MEU and participated in operation "Deny Flight/ Provide Comfort" in Bosnia in 1993. Watts is 37 and he and his wife, Nikki, have a daughter, Claire, and reside in Reynoldsburg.

Certifications

2006 - CSCCa Strength & Conditioning Coach Certified
2004 - NASM Performance Enhancement Specialist
2003 - USA Weightlifting Sports Performance Coach
2002 - NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist

Coaching Experience

2006-pres.   Denison University - Director of Strength & Conditioning/Defensive Line Coach
2005-2006   United States Military Academy - Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach
2002-2005   Denison University - Head Strength & Conditioning Coach/Defensive Coordinator
2004           University of Tulsa - Strength & Conditioning Internship
2001-2002   Allegheny College - Head Strength & Conditioning Coach/Defensive Line Coach
1998-2001   Clarion University - Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach/Defensive Line Coach