Stephen Hess ’91, M.S. ’94, coaches the Denver Nuggets with a single purpose in mind.

by Dan Broslovsky ’00

Growing up in Johannesburg, South Africa, Stephen Hess ’91, M.S. ’94, always envisioned a career in professional sports. Now, seven years after obtaining his master’s degree in physical education with a concentration in sports medicine, Hess is in his fifth season as the strength and conditioning coach with Colorado’s National Basketball Association team, the Denver Nuggets. "I have the world’s greatest job," says Hess.

Hess moved from South Africa to Zimbabwe and then England before arriving in the United States at age 18 to attend Ithaca College. In 1991 he received a B.S. in exercise science and cardiac rehabilitation and moved to Denver to work as a fitness trainer in an athletic club, where he met his wife, Alicia. They came back to Ithaca in 1992 so Hess could complete his master’s degree.

After he graduated, Hess and his wife decided to settle in Denver. Hess started at Greenwood Athletic Club, working his way up to head trainer before being approached for the job with the Nuggets. "I probably owe this job to my schooling and professors in IC’s exercise science department," says Hess, who oversees the team’s weight training, conditioning, and nutritional programs. He says that his classes at IC also provided the tools he needed to coordinate the design of the Pepsi Center’s 1,200-square-foot weight room, regarded as one of the top facilities in the National Basketball Association. "I designed it with equipment that fits the players and homes in on the sport of basketball. I also," he laughs, "made sure it looked pretty cool. The players spend a lot of time in here and I want them to be proud of it."

With almost half his year spent traveling with the team, Hess makes the most of his downtime. He’s an amateur bodybuilder and one of a few trainers contracted as a corporate spokesperson. He does that for V3S, a Denver-based nutrition company.

"I have a three-year-old son, Jordan Daniel," says Hess. "I try and spend as much time at home as I can, but it’s fragmented. I’m not going to lie and tell you I’m a superhero. There are times when I just want to crash, and all my little dude wants is to play. But he and my wife are understanding."

Associate professor of exercise and sport sciences Betsy Keller supervised Hess on his master’s thesis. She remembers him as an enthusiastic and good-natured student. "He took on an ambitious project that analyzed bone densities in sedentary and resistance-trained women," says Keller. "Had he not been as organized and motivated, the project would have been tough to pull off." Keller also recalls Hess’s strict dedication to his meals. "Steve would routinely come into lab with a gallon jug of distilled water and a large Tupperware container full of brown rice and boneless, skinless chicken breasts."

Hess’s life is hectic, but he enjoys waking up every day with a purpose: helping his team do well. "Every day I’ve got to be on top of my game," he says, "because with everything I do, the ultimate goal is to win a championship ring.