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The Green Bay Packers Thursday named Rock Gullickson strength and conditioning coach, Mark Lovat the assistant for strength and conditioning, and Brandon Johnson strength and conditioning assistant. Head Coach Mike McCarthy made the announcement.
"Our players are the organization's most important investment," McCarthy said. "They already have some of the finest resources and traditions in all of sports, but they also need people to equal those standards. Rock is without a doubt one of those people. He's the best person for this job, and I consider this position as important as any on my staff. I've seen first-hand what he can do with professional athletes. Our players will be impressed."
Gullickson, 50, has 28 years experience in a coaching career that started in 1978 at his alma mater, Moorhead (Minn.) State. From there, the veteran instructor advanced to Mayville (N.D.) State (1979-80), South Dakota State (1981), Montana State (1982-89), Rutgers (1990-92), Texas (1993-97) and Louisville (1998-99). In 2000, the year McCarthy joined the Saints as offensive coordinator, Gullickson accepted his first NFL post as strength and conditioning coach in New Orleans, where he spent the past six seasons (2000-05).
An offensive guard at Moorhead (1974-77), Gullickson as a senior earned Associated Press All-America honors for the Division III school.
Widely respected in his field, he earned the 2000 President's Award, voted by his peers in the Professional Football Strength and Conditioning Society.
Lovat, 36, spent the previous seven seasons as Green Bay's strength and conditioning assistant. In that behind-the-scenes role, Lovat not only helped keep the Packers in prime condition, he also played an important part in rehabilitating several injured players, most notably helping starting tackles Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher return from season-ending 2002 injuries. Before becoming full-time, Lovat previously had served two summer internships (1994, 1998) in the club's weight room.
An accomplished athlete himself, Lovat earned a Division I baseball scholarship to Butler University in Indianapolis, starting three seasons at shortstop and second base for the Bulldogs.
The son of former Green Bay offensive line coach Tom Lovat (1980, 1992-98), Mark earlier had graduated from Carmel (Ind.) High School, where he was a member of a state championship football team (1986) and captain of the baseball team (1988).
Like Lovat, Johnson had served as a summer intern in the Packers weight room, working in Green Bay last year. He rejoins the Packers from Purdue University, where he was in his second year as a graduate assistant strength coach. Before graduation, Johnson as an intern had helped Boilermaker athletes improve their strength and agility. He assisted with the football, baseball, track and wrestling teams, and oversaw the school's softball and men's golf squads.
Kyle Orton's teammate at Purdue, Johnson played defensive tackle from 2001-02. He is currently working on a master's degree.