University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics David Blackburn announced the hiring of Chad Pearson as the Mocs' Director of Athletic Performance today.  Pearson comes to UTC after six years on the strength and conditioning staff at Minnesota.

"We are excited to add Chad Pearson to our staff," stated Blackburn.  "He has a wealth of experience and a proven track record in strength and conditioning.  Our student-athletes are sure to benefit from his leadership in athletic performance."

At Minnesota, Pearson assisted in the planning and programming of off-season speed development, agility training and overall energy-system advancement for the Gophers. He also helped direct team training schedules, while assisting with student-athlete data management and analytics.

Prior to his time at Minnesota, Pearson spent two seasons at Northern Illinois University.  There he worked with the Huskies' women's basketball, football, baseball and softball teams.

His previous experience includes work as a graduate assistant at Southern Illinois University and also at NIU while finishing up his master's degree in kinesiology. He earned his master's degree from Southern Illinois in 2009.

Pearson was a two-sport athlete at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa.  He played tailback for the Beaver football team and was a sprinter on the track team, earning all-conference honors on both before graduating in 2006.

A native of Polk City, Iowa, Pearson is a certified strength and conditioning specialist through the NSCA and also a member of USAW as a USAW Sports Performance Coach. He is also a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner.

Pearson is married to the former Rachel Green. The couple has one son, Roman.