University of Tennessee Athletics
Softball
- Title:
- Director of Olympic Sports Performance - Softball/Rowing
- Email:
- dwirth1@utk.edu
Updated: September 2022
In his sixth year with Tennessee Athletics, Dan Wirth is responsible for the supervision and development of all strength, speed, and conditioning programs for baseball, basketball, cheer/dance, golf, rowing, tennis, track & field/cross country, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, and volleyball.
Wirth came to Rocky Top in November of 2017. He is instrumental in working with the Sports Performance staff to develop and coordinate Tennessee Athletics' performance science initiatives and serves on the Athletics Sports Performance Team and Sport Science Committee.
A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Wirth, 55, was promoted to Director of Strength and Conditioning at the University of Arizona in 1994. He directed all aspects of UA's varsity athletic strength training program for six years and managed strength and conditioning facilities for 19 sports and more than 550 student-athletes. He also worked directly with Arizona's football and men's basketball teams.
During his tenure at the helm of the Wildcats' strength and conditioning efforts, Wirth developed programming for numerous All-Americans and Olympic champions in swimming, golf, basketball and football, as well as world-record holders in Power Lifting.
He trained Arizona's 1997 national championship men's basketball team as well as the Wildcats' 1998 football team, which went 12-1 and attained a No. 4 national ranking. In 2000, Wirth was selected as the NSCA Pac-10 Strength and Conditioning Professional of the Year.
Arizona posted six consecutive top-10 finishes in the NACDA Learfield Directors' Cup with Wirth overseeing the Wildcats' comprehensive strength and conditioning efforts.
As a competitive powerlifter, Wirth once held Arizona state titles in both Power Lifting and Olympic Lifting, including the 1999 Arizona State Olympic Lifting Superheavy Weight Division title, and the 1998 John Davies Memorial Olympic Lifting Superheavy Weight Division title.
Wirth was a four-year, scholarship football letterman (linebacker) at the University of Iowa under legendary head coach Hayden Fry from 1985-88. Wirth then began his training career as a graduate assistant strength coach at his alma mater.
His career ascension also included stints at Iowa Wesleyan College (1989-90) and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (1990-91) before he joined the strength staff at Arizona.
Wirth holds two degrees from Iowa—a bachelor's degree in Fitness and Wellness Administration, and a master's degree in Exercise and Sports Science.
He is certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist and was previously certified as a Level 1 Club Coach by the United States Weight Lifting Federation. Wirth also holds current CPR/AED certification.
Wirth and his wife, Beth, have a son, Zak, and a daughter, Cassie.
