In 1978, Dana LeDuc was hired as the University of Texas' first titled strength and conditioning coach.  Prior to becoming a strength and conditioning professional, the Tacoma, Wash., native competed for the University of Texas as a shot putter and amassed Southwest Conference championship titles in 1974, 1975 and 1976.  During this time, LeDuc set the school record in shot put at 67-0 1/4 feet.  Additionally, during his senior year he won the 1976 National Championship with a throw of 65-5 1/2 feet, in addition to placing fifth at the Olympic trials.

Following a career ending elbow injury in 1977, LeDuc was hired on by the athletic staff at the University of Texas to work as an assistant under Charlie Craven.  Although his duties with strength and conditioning revolved mainly around football, LeDuc was a huge advocate for enhancing all UT sports through weight room training.  LeDuc stated, "I really believe there is no type of athlete that weight training and strength work can't help."  Along with colleague and mentor Craven, LeDuc was also an early pioneer of unitizing strength and flexibility exercises to combat joint injuries.  Even though some critics, such as UT Professor Karl Klein, believed "over-developed muscles caused pressure on ligaments and tendons," LeDuc argued that strength exercises, "when done properly, should stabilize the joints."

 LeDuc's coaching philosophy was based around strength development as a means to increase on-field performance for football players.  He allowed athletes to transition into more power and sport specific movements once a standard level of strength was attained. 

LeDuc also adopted more anaerobic movements based on "quick bursts of speed over shorter distances" compared to the "lap after lap" of long-distance runs.  In addition, he implemented Olympic lifting movements, particularly the clean and jerk and the snatch, to mimic the physiological demands of football.

 

 These movements, accompanied by other exercises which challenged the central nervous system, resulted in what LeDuc considered, "better results on the field."  His findings were that "80 to 85 percent of the athletes showed improvement of speed" after doing explosive lifting movements compared to athletes who followed standard off-season workouts.

In his program, LeDuc imposed a hard-nosed team-first philosophy.  During the 1990 off-season, players were required to start lifting at 5:30 a.m., and in the beginning off-season training, LeDuc programmed condition-based exercise circuits three days a week, with weight-based circuits in between these days. 

As soon as his athletes were able to attain a strong conditioning base and body fat standard appropriate to their position, Leduc prescribed power-building exercises to mimic more unified group of athletes.  Defensive back Mark Berry (1988-1991) considered LeDuc's program to be "old school" - one that would "develop pride [and] teamwork."

Charlie Craven, Jody Conradt, Johnny "Lam" Jones, and Oscar Giles talk about Dana LeDuc and his contributions as a strength coach

LeDuc also believed in maintaining off-season strength gains throughout the duration of the season, and so he implemented four weekly weight-room sessions, (compared to the standard two or three sessions), in order for athletes to endure the longevity of the football season.  He placed great focus on in-season programs for offensive linemen, focusing on lower body strength maintenance, which helped to produce the sort of durable athlete who was suited to Head Coach David McWilliams' run-based scheme.

During his career at Texas, LeDuc initiated weight room design change as well.  Having studied at the Institute of Sports and Physical Education in Moscow, Russia in 1987, he was able to provide ideas for state-of-the-art equipment during the design phase of the Vernon F. Neuhaus - Darrell K. Royal Athletic Facility.  LeDuc added machines that allowed athletes to work through a range of 360 degrees of motion during exercise and thus become a more forceful athlete.  LeDuc also developed a computer program that customized workouts to meet the specific physical needs of each athlete.  This allowed for more intensified programs for younger athletes in order to accelerate their weight room development.

LeDuc left Texas in 1992 after accepting a job as the head strength and conditioning coach at the University of Miami.  In 1995, he moved to the Seattle Seahawks as their head strength and conditioning coach.  In 1999, LeDuc accepted a job as the head strength coach for the St. Louis Rams and helped lead the team to a Super Bowl victory in 2000.  He remained with the Rams until 2008. This is Dana's first year coaching at St. Andrew's Episcopal. 

Houston-bred, Liz studied at and ran CC and Track for UT. While there, Liz was a seven-time

conference champion, five-time All American and four-time NCAA Champion. She competed in

events ranging from the 800 meters up to the 5K. On three separate occasions, Liz pulled off the

“double,” or back-to-back conference titles in the 800 and 1500/mile with less than an hour of

rest in between races. She capped off her senior year in 2000 by earning Big 12 Indoor Athlete of

the Year and winning a title at the prestigious Penn Relays. After graduation, Liz ran post-

collegiate for Asics and competed in multiple national and international meets, including the

NACAC Championships in Mexico, the Ekiden in Japan and competing at the 2000 Olympic

Trials where she placed 7th in the 800 meters finals and came home with three PR’s. Nowadays,

she keeps it local and has started competing in triathlons. For fun.

Liz has been coaching in Austin since 2000, helping athletes of all abilities. She was Assistant

Volunteer Coach for UT for a year before working with the SMU Cross Country girls’ team. In

2005 she began coaching marathoners and ½ marathons. She is excited about being part of the

St. Andrew’s family. On weekends, Liz can be found either running or biking around Austin or

swimming at Barton Springs Pool (her favorite place in town!). She loves traveling to Colorado

with her husband Jeffrey and their two dogs and can’t wait for her next adventure! Go CRU!

This is Ramonce’s 1st year at St Andrew’s, where he is serving as the wide receivers coach. Ramonce was named all-state in both football and track as a junior and senior in 2002-04 and was named the top long jumper in the U.S. in 2003. Taylor is considered by many as the greatest athlete in the history of Belton H.S. As a football player, he was a 1st team All-State running back as a senior and 2nd team All-State as a junior. In his junior year, he rushed for a then school-record 1,529 yards on 218 carries and scored 24 touchdowns. As a receiver, he caught 13 passes for 305 yards and 4 TDs scoring 28 total TDs, then a school record. Taylor was named 1st team All-District and 3rd team All-State at running back by the Texas Football Coaches Association. As a senior, Taylor rushed for 2,371 yards (a new school record) on 264 carries, averaging 215 yards per game and scored 32 touchdowns to best his previous school record. He also set school records for the most rushing yards in a game (347 yards) and for career rushing yards (4,010). He was named unanimous District 13-5A Offensive MVP and was named 1st team 5-A running back by the T.F.C.A. In 2005, Ramonce was named 2nd team running back on the Killeen Daily Herald’s All-Time Centex team. The Austin American-Statesman named him First Team Running Back of the Decade in 2010. He was rated one of the top 10 football recruits in state of Texas as a senior and signed with the University of Texas as one the most athletic (running back/corner back) recruits during the Mack Brown era. He was UT’s running back in 2004 -2005 and played in the Rose Bowl, and he still holds the record with the most yards for a kick returner average of 32.6 yards (7 returns for 228 yards). As a freshman at UT, Ramonce was awarded “The Newcomer of the Year”. In the 2005-2006 season, he was a versatile player and played running back, wide receiver and kick returner and awarded “Offensive Back of the Year” having 1,526 all-purpose yards with 15 TDs as the University of Texas Longhorns won the National Championship. In track, he was a State Champion in the long jump as a junior and senior while at Belton HS. His gold medal winning 25’3/4” Long Jump at the state meet was the top mark in the U.S. in 2003, and Ramonce was named a H.S. All-American and the top H.S. long jumper in the Nation by the USA Today. At the end of his H.S. career he held school records in the 100 (10.23), long jump (25' 0.7"), triple jump (48' 4.5"), 400-meter relay (41.80) and 800-meter relay (1:29.1). Ramonce was a 3-year starter in basketball at Belton HS. As a junior, he averaged 18.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game and was named 1st team All-District and All-Centex by the Austin American-Statesman. As a senior, Ramonce averaged 21.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.8 blocked shots per game. He was named 1st team All-District, 2nd team All-Region; and 2nd team All-Centex that season. He coached at All Saints in Fort Worth, Texas from 2008-2014. As the Junior High coach, Taylor led the team with two undefeated seasons. As an Assistant Varsity Coach, Taylor was a part of two SPC Championships with All Saints. He also coached High School Track and Field there, winning several track meets, something the school had never done prior to his arrival. He is a Personal Trainer in Speed and Agility. Taylor Fulfer and Ramonce are the parents of one son, Ramonce DeRon Taylor II, aka “Deuce,” and they are expecting a second son in December 2015. They reside in Austin, Texas, and Ramonce is currently completing his degree at the University of Texas.

Jack Wallace is entering his second season coaching the sprints and relays for the St.

Andrew’s track & field program.

Prior to coaching at the high school, Coach Wallace coached the middle school track team for

three seasons. During this time, the middle school team won three AIPL championships and

broke several AIPL records.

Coach Wallace has been involved with the middle school athletics program for five years. He

currently coaches cross country and boy’s basketball.

In 2010, Coach Wallace graduated from St. Andrew’s. During his time as a Crusader, he

participated in cross country, basketball, and track & field. He was a member of the first SPC

championship winning cross country team and earned All-Conference honors in track & field.

He ran on 4x100, 4x200, and 4x400 meter relay teams that hold school records and recorded the

third fastest 400m time in school history.

After graduating from St. Andrew’s, Coach Wallace received an Associate degree in health and

is currently a senior at St. Edward’s University, majoring in Exercise Science.

Coach Wallace has also received the following certifications:

? USA Track & Field Coach

? First Aid, CPR and AED

? Personal Trainer

? Youth Speed & Agility Specialist

? Safeguarding God’s Children