Mike Blasquez Position: Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Experience: 10th Season at Cal Alma Mater: Cal State Hayward ('91)

Mike Blasquez is in his 20th year as a strength and conditioning coach and his ninth season at Cal in 2011, which marks his first campaign working primarily with the football team. Blasquez worked directly with the Cal men's basketball program from 2003-10 before assuming his current responsibilities with the Golden Bears' football program at the beginning of the 2011 calendar year.

Blasquez began his tenure at Cal in 2003 and has overseen the school's entire strength and conditioning program since 2007. He manages training programs for all athletic teams in that role and has also been instrumental in planning the strength and conditioning elements of the Student-Athlete High Performance Center currently under construction and scheduled to open in the fall of 2011. Blasquez has been directly involved with the strategic planning, operations and design of the facility.

"Coach Blasquez has brought a new mindset to our strength and conditioning," head coach Jeff Tedford said. "His approach has been something different for the guys that they have all really enjoyed. I've seen transformation in their bodies through the workouts that they've done. Our players have really enjoyed the hard work, and I think it's going to pay off for us. I think we're going to be a stronger team than we've ever been this year, while continuing to work on speed and flexibility."

In addition to training current Cal student-athletes, many former players and local professional athletes work out with Blasquez and his staff at Cal during their offseason. Players that have recently completed their collegiate eligibility the previous season are part of the mix as they are afforded the opportunity to stay in the Berkeley area after they graduate, or as they finish up their academics at Cal while also preparing for events such as the NFL Scouting Combine and Cal's Pro Day.

"We want to provide a place for former Cal student-athletes and professional athletes who live in the area to come and train in their offseason," Blasquez said. "It gives our recent players a chance to stay in the area and finish up their academics while getting an opportunity to train with elite athletes at the professional level. It's a great mix."

Among those that have trained recently at Cal are Jahvid Best (Detroit Lions), Chris Conte (Chicago Bears), Justin Forsett (Seattle Seahawks), Matt Gutierrez (Chicago Bears), Lavelle Hawkins (Tennessee Titans), Jason Hill (Jacksonville Jaguars), Maurice Jones-Drew (Jacksonville Jaguars), Cameron Jordan (New Orleans Saints), Mike Mohamed (Denver Broncos), T.J. Ward (Cleveland Browns) and Demetrius Williams (Cleveland Browns) of the NFL. Former Cal basketball players Ryan Anderson (Orlando Magic) and Leon Powe (Memphis Grizzlies) are also in this group.

The Bay Area native arrived at Cal in 2003 after spending 11 seasons from 1992-2002 as the head strength and conditioning coach at De La Salle High School in Concord. During his tenure at the local legendary prep football national powerhouse, Blasquez worked alongside head coach Bob Ladouceur to lead the Spartans to a perfect 138-0 record as part of the team's national-record 151-game win streak from 1992-2004. During Blasquez' 11-year stint the Spartans were named national champions six times (1994, 1998-2002), were honored as the top team in California on 10 occasions (1992, 1994-2002) and won North Coast Section titles in each of his 11 seasons. Blasquez coached several future NFL players while at De La Salle, including current standouts Jones-Drew and D.J. Williams.

During his time with the Spartans, Blasquez was named the Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year by the Professional Strength and Conditioning Coaches Society in 1998. From 2001-03, he was also the director of outreach at the Muir Hospital Orthopedic Center in Walnut Creek.

Blasquez received his bachelor's degree in kinesiology from Cal State Hayward in 1991, and holds certifications in athletic training (ATC) and strength and conditioning (CSCS). He and his wife, Mary, have two daughters, Makena and Bianca.

LAST UPDATED: August 4, 2011