Rolla, Mo. – The Missouri S&T Athletics Strength and Conditioning program is now under new leadership as Heinrich Thomas has been named the Miners' new strength and conditioning coach in an announcement made by S&T Director of Athletics Mark Mullin.
 
Thomas arrives to S&T from Lane College in Jackson, Tenn., where he had served as the Dragons' head strength and conditioning coach since 2017.  While at LC, Thomas was responsible for sport performance programming and training student-athletes for all 12 of the Dragons' athletics programs in addition to serving as an adjunct instructor in the College's Physical Education Department.   
 
"I could not be more excited to be at Missouri S&T," said Thomas.  "Since I began my journey as a strength coach, I have dreamed of being at a university that is competitive not only on the field and court but in academics and life.  It's the best of worlds and I'm honored that I can contribute to the further development of that legacy. 
 
"My family and I are excited to be here at S&T and are thrilled to call Rolla (Missouri) home," added Thomas.
 
"We're extremely pleased to have Heinrich as part of the Miner family," said Mullin.  "His outstanding experience and passion will touch all of our programs in a positive way.  As head strength and conditioning coach, Heinrich will not only have a significant impact on performance, but also injury prevention.  I'm confident he will do an exceptional job for our Miner student-athletes." 
 
Prior to his stint at Lane College, Thomas spent a little over three years (2013-16) as the head strength and conditioning coach at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Mo., where he directed the Blue Tigers' 11 varsity sports to go along with his adjunct physical education instructor duties.
 
Thomas' first full-time strength and conditioning position was at Culver-Stockton College in Canton, Mo., from 2011-12.  At C-SC, Thomas served as the head strength and conditioning coach where he was responsible for the student-athletes in the sports of football, basketball, track and field, softball, soccer, and cheerleading.  He also was an assistant coach on the Wildcats' football staff and instructed the wide receivers.  Thomas then accepted an assistant strength and conditioning coach position at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Md.  Thomas spent one season (2012-13) at MSU where he was in charge of women's basketball, women's volleyball, softball, tennis, and cheerleading for the Bears while assisting with football and men's basketball.
 
A native of Toledo, Ohio, Thomas was a strength and conditioning intern at Morgan State for three months in 2010 before moving on to the University of Toledo (Ohio) in a volunteer capacity for six months between the 2010-11 calendar years.  He then accepted a volunteer position at Bowling Green (Ohio) State University in 2011 and assisted with the implementation of the Falcons' football workouts for four months.
 
Thomas began his strength and conditioning career at Thomas Martial Arts in Toledo, Ohio, where he was the president and lead martial arts instructor of the business for seven-plus years (2003-11).  
 
A 1995 graduate of Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Mich., Thomas received his bachelor of science degree in public relations and was a member of NMU's Rugby team from 1990-95.  Thomas then attended Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, from 2011-13 and earned a Master's Degree in recreation and sports sciences in 2013.  
 
Thomas, a 1989 Temperance (Mich.)-Bedford High School graduate, competed in football all four years along with three years apiece in wrestling and track. 
 
Thomas is married to the former Elizabeth Minor and has two stepsons, Logan and Tanner Stone.  He holds membership in the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). Thomas is also a National Council on Strength and Fitness (NCSF) member as a certified personal trainer (CPT) and is a bronze level coach with the United States Wrestling Association (USAW).