Andy Ward has been named Assistant Athletics Director for Sports Performance
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State Director of Athletics Terry Tumey announced Andy Ward as the department's Assistant Athletics Director for Sports Performance.
Ward will lead the athletic department's strength and conditioning staff, and serve as the head football strength and conditioning coach.
Ward returns to the Fresno State Athletics staff for his second stint. Ward, who previously worked for the Bulldogs from 2017-21, returns to Fresno after a brief stop at Colorado where he served as the Buffaloes' Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach in 2021.
While at Fresno State during his first tenure and inheriting a 1-11 football program, Ward was an integral part of strengthening the Bulldogs to become one of the top turnaround stories in college football history. Ward's training and coaching in his first season as the Bulldogs' strength and conditioning coach lifted Fresno State to a 10-win season in 2017, its 10th 10-win season in program history.
The success continued under Ward as the 'Dogs won the 2018 Mountain West Championship and Las Vegas Bowl, finishing that season with a 12-2 record. The 2018 season remains as the winningest season in Fresno State program history.
While at Fresno State, Ward has trained NFL Draft picks in wide receiver KeeSean Johnson, offensive lineman Netane Muti and linebacker Mykal Walker.
Before his time with Fresno State, Ward worked full-time with the Stanford football program for three seasons and with the department for six total seasons. Before going full-time with football, he also oversaw developing strength training aspects for the Cardinal track and field program.
Prior to arriving at Stanford, Ward split the 2010-11 academic year with internships at UC San Diego and Sacramento State. At UC San Diego, Ward assisted with the design and implementation of 13 sport-specific programs. His time at Sacramento State was spent implementing programs for the men's soccer, women's soccer and men's golf teams while assisting with 11 other programs.
Ward earned an undergraduate degree in physical education from Cal State Stanislaus in 2009, where he was a student assistant in the strength program while serving as a performance trainer at nearby Custom Built Personal Training.
The Sutter, California native earned his master's degree in exercise science at California University (Pa.). He is married to Erin Blech-Ward.