Feb. 13, 2008
IOWA CITY – Raimond Braithwaite has been hired as the new assistant strength and conditioning coach for the University of Iowa football team. The announcement was made Wednesday by Head Coach Kirk Ferentz.
“We feel very fortunate to have Raimond rejoin our program,” Ferentz said. “Ray was a key contributor to Delaware State’s recent ascension in football. He is very familiar with our program and community and I know Ray will work extremely well with our staff and players – it’s great to have him back at Iowa.”
Braithwaite served as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Iowa from 2002-04 before accepting the position of head strength and conditioning coach at Delaware State in June of 2005. He helped the Hawkeyes appear in three-straight January bowl games while winning 31 games over the three-year period.
At Delaware State, he helped lead the Hornets to a 25-9 record over three seasons. In 2007, Delaware State finished 10-2, the best season in school history. The Hornets also won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference with a perfect 8-0 record. Delaware State was ranked as high as eighth during the season and finished the 2007 season ranked 15th after a first round loss to Delaware in the playoffs. Braithwaite assisted in opening a new 10,000 square-foot weight room at Delaware State, which is one of the largest in the region. Delaware State is coached by Al Lavan, who served on the Baltimore Ravens staff with Ferentz.
“I’m happy to be back with the football program at the University of Iowa,” Braithwaite said. “I look forward to contributing to the future success of Iowa football.”
Before his time at Iowa, Braithwaite was a graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach at Florida State during the spring of 2002. He worked with the football and women’s golf teams at Florida State, where his responsibilities included lifting technique instruction, organization of football lifting groups, assisting in the administration of torso development and dynamic warm-up to football lifting groups and assisting in the maintenance of equipment in the weight room facility. He also served as an intern at Florida State during the fall of 2001, where he assisted in the instruction of workout programs for various FSU athletic teams.
From March to December of 1999, Braithwaite was employed as a Rehab Tech at NovaCare Outpatient Rehabilitation, assisting in the set-up and provision of patient care.
Braithwaite earned a bachelor’s degree in Sports Science from the University of West Florida in 1999 and earned his master’s degree in Science in Exercise Physiology from Florida State University in 2001. He is a certified strength and conditioning specialist and is a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
Braithwaite replaces James Dobson, who left Iowa to become the head strength and conditioning coach at Nebraska.
“Everyone here is happy for James Dobson and his family,” Ferentz said. “He is very deserving of his new opportunity at Nebraska and I know he will do a tremendous job.”
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