Van Halanger out, Tereshinski in, as Dogs’ strength coach
Dave Van Halanger, who has been the Georgia football program’s director of strength and conditioning for the past decade, was reassigned Thursday.
Van Halanger was shifted to a new position as administrative assistant to coach Mark Richt, who named Joe Tereshinski, a former Georgia player and long-time staffer, to succeed Van Halanger as strength and conditioning director.
Van Halanger –- one of the first people Richt hired upon arriving at Georgia in January 2001 — has more than three decades experience as a strength coach and is well known for his grueling off-season “mat drills.” But Georgia’s strength training, like many other aspects of the program, has drawn criticism as the Bulldogs have posted back-to-back disappointing seasons.
The reassignment of Van Halanger, 57, came exactly one year after Richt’s last staff shakeup. On Dec. 2, 2009, following a 7-5 regular season, Richt fired three assistant coaches, including defensive coordinator Willie Martinez.
Georgia completed a 6-6 regular season last week.
For Van Halanger’s replacement, Richt turned to a man with deep ties to the Georgia program.
Tereshinski, 57, has been an assistant strength coach at Georgia since 1982. He also has doubled in other roles through the years: offensive line and special teams coach (1982-84), administrative assistant to coach Vince Dooley (1985-86) and video coordinator (since 1987).
“Joe has had a hand in Georgia’s strength and conditioning program for nearly 30 years,” Richt said in a statement Thursday. “I’m excited about what he can bring to our program in this capacity and the direction he’ll set as we move forward.”
In addition to being a former Georgia player — the starting center in 1975 and ‘76 — Tereshinski is the son, brother and father of former Bulldogs. His father, Joe Tereshinski Sr., lettered in the 1940s; his brother, Wally Tereshinski, in the 1970s; and his son, Joe Tereskinski III, in 2004-06.
According to UGA, Van Halanger’s new role will include involvement in areas such as players’ character education, mentoring and community-service initiatives.
“Dave has made immeasurable contributions to our football program and been a major factor in our 96 victories over the last 10 years,” Richt said. “This role for Dave will allow us to tap into many of his strengths that will be of great benefit to Georgia, to me, and most of all to our student-athletes in a very unique way.
“He will be outstanding in working with and motivating our young people in these many areas that will bring strong guidance to them in their daily lives.”
Van Halanger, who followed Richt to Georgia from Florida State, was the Seminoles’ strength and conditioning coach for 18 years (1983-2000). Before that, he was the strength coach at West Virginia, his alma mater, for five years. His teams have reached bowls for 30 consecutive seasons.
He was inducted into the Strength and Conditioning Hall of Fame in 2003.
Van Halanger and Tereshinski will assume their new duties on Jan. 1, UGA said.
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351 comments Add your comment
Rogerdawgfan
December 3rd, 2010
10:01 am
Enter your comments here
builder dawg
December 3rd, 2010
10:04 am
oh boy, what sweeping changes. i couldn’t be more underwhelmed. i know and like Joe T. , but he was old when i met him in 1980!!!!!!
layinlow
December 3rd, 2010
10:06 am
Okay I think I may be able to add some rational to the happenings with the UGA program. I am no insider and would never claim to be such. But looking at the big picture as a loyal UGA fan I have to put trust in Greg McGarity. Lets not lose sight of the fact that this guy just came from a program that won three National championships in football and two in basketball.
He was second in command to jeremy foley for 14 years and he was very involved down there. Does anyone really think that McGarity is now clueless? No.
I strongly believe that Joe T. will serve as a CEO type of the S&C program and this area is going to be built up with new hirings going forward. New blood and new techniques and more manpower are coming to athens.
McGarity is a smart guy and he is doing everything in his power to help Richt succeed. These changes are due to McGarity getting involved and I believe more are to come. McGarity knows what a winner looks like and he is pushing Richt to make the neccessary changes.
If the football program doesn’t make strides towards improvement next season then McGarity will make the ultimate change at the top. Richt is feeling some pressure to change the status quo and I believe his job depends on making those tough decisions.
Larry
December 3rd, 2010
10:10 am
paragraph: a subdivision of a written composition that consists of one or more sentences, deals with one point or gives the words of one speaker, and begins on a new usually indented line.
Thanks to all who employ this most basic of writing fundamentals.
Brandon M
December 3rd, 2010
10:26 am
Can you ask Coach Richt to please find a better O-line coach to the current one has been a bust since he came from LSU. Our line was possibly the most disappointing unit on the offense this year. And also can you tell us if Coach Grantham has any big bodies coming in to help out the d-line next year. It seems the only way a 3-4 can succeed is with big bodies up front.
big dawhg
December 3rd, 2010
10:36 am
can i get a what what?!?!? Joe T is average rate just like his son….why dont we hire someone that can teach our boys to squat 400 ten times and bench 500 3 times. I want the old Miami thug mentality….i want to rip peoples heads off and dance in the end zone….ill take a personal foul over a 6-6 season any day of the week…..
stevo
December 3rd, 2010
10:42 am
It was inferred that there will be more additions to the S&C program. Someone has to be the overseer of that arm in the program. Joe T is just that man. UGA football does need a younger person who can actually do the work with the players. Someone who can lead by example in the weight room. Someone who can challenge the guys with his own strength and drive in the weight room. It will happen, just be patient.
stevo
December 3rd, 2010
10:43 am
Larry…this is a blog not a writing composition class.
mark
December 3rd, 2010
10:45 am
Cannot believe the total morons here. Bill Goldberg???? The same one who got suspended, missed the bowl game for smoking pot?
"Whatchagot Loran?"
December 3rd, 2010
10:51 am
Thanks DollarDawg. Good info. Similar to what we’ve been hearing from Lowndes25.
Dawg H8R
December 3rd, 2010
10:52 am
Enter your comments here
ALDawg
December 3rd, 2010
10:54 am
Why do we continue to make in-house hires? Where is McGarity? Mark Richt is the worst executive ever. Ever. Was the janitor at Butts-Mehre too busy?
schmeckdawg
December 3rd, 2010
11:05 am
What a freaking JOKE!!!!!! Heck if CMR is going to make this move, he should have just kept Van Halanger. We need a guy like they have over at Bama. Young, enthusiastic, rowdy andknow what is going on in today streength & conditioning field. Not some video tape glorified cheerleading hack like Tereshinski! And we need them by the time mat drill start. We don’t need to wait until July, what good is that going to do us? CMR needs to realize that the rope he has been given, is just about to reach its length. Tereshinski, REALLY!!!!!!
schmeckdawg
December 3rd, 2010
11:06 am
Sorry about the typos DAWG fans!
I-DOG
December 3rd, 2010
11:06 am
I actually think that this might be a positive move. It tells me that Richt is willing to change some things. I will admit that I don’t know what Tereshinksi brings to the table for the strength and conditioning program and I don’t know what we need there.
I like the timing of this. We are going to a lousy bowl game, but at least it gives us the extra practice time and we can start getting guys in better condition right away. Richt should be able to see how the team is progressing over the next 4-6 weeks and can get a new S&C crew in January or February if he doesn’t like what he is seeing.
I also like that the new position MIGHT help keep a couple of guys from making mistakes that would either get them kicked off the team or suspended from the first few games. That alone could help the team over the next few years if it works.
This is the second positive thing I have seen from Georgia Football since the start of the season. The first was the play of Aaron Murray.
William
December 3rd, 2010
11:10 am
LISTEN UP, PART II:
Just an addendum to what I put out there. There is no bigger soldier for UGA football than Joe T. I adore him and respect him considerably–I am mocking him only to make a point that I have experienced as fact. If we are looking for the fundamental skills of yelling and babysitting, he’s right for the job. But we don’t need a rabid fan running an offseason training program. Guys, he is our video coordinator. He’s been captive to UGA for over 30 years. We need deserve more cutting edge experience, in my opinion.
It’s a given that we are getting elite athletes, for the most part. It’s a given than we need football players who know how to play football well. Strength training is about maximizing that football talent so that we have enough edge to win championships. The competition is too fierce to dismiss any facet of the game. For the fan that mentioned Herschel only required push ups and sit ups: how many Herschell Walker’s exist? Can we get 11 of them on the field?
Olympic athletes don’t just show up to events and compete. They train 95% percent of their competitive life for an additional edge (cheating aside of course). Winning in the strength/conditionion aspect is one of several factors in addition to ability, intelligence, coaching, turnovers and luck that must come together for us to play for and win championships.
Delbert D.
December 3rd, 2010
11:13 am
“Dye made All American playing both ways”
Yes he did. To educate some who weren’t around back then, most players played both ways. The late 50s to early ’60s was a period when college football transitioned from limited substitution (a player could leave the field and return only once during a quarter), to the same, with exceptions for the quarterback and kickers and ultimately, to free substitution.
Paul Deitzel and LSU won the national championship with a unique system of 3 platoons. The White Team played both ways; the Go Team was a team of offensive specialists; and the Chinese Bandits were a team of defensive specialists.
volfan
December 3rd, 2010
11:14 am
As a Vol fan I think this is a great hire! I can’t imagine why Coach D. Dooley didn’t think to hire the video guy to do our S&C. Plus I LOVE Coach Mark Richt and I hope uga keeps him forever. But I was sorry to see Wille M. gone. But Todd the choker looks like a fine repacement. GO VOLS!!!!
suwaneedawg
December 3rd, 2010
11:14 am
William, you make the most sense of anyone who has posted here. You looking for a job in S&C around the Athens area? (:
bigdawg88
December 3rd, 2010
11:16 am
Hmmm…. how’d President Obama creep up on here?
I rather like the job he’s doing. Stimulus only cost $25B and saved our butts. Economy is turning around after only two years. If business leaders weren’t all sitting around on their profits waiting on the next bubble and actually did some leading we might actually lower unemployment.
I thought Van Halanger was a good SC coach, according to all the articles I’ve been reading IN THE AJC! What’s up with that? I never heard anyone complain about S&C a few years back when we were good. Maybe coach Van just got tired of it all and wanted to do something else anyway. Maybe Coach T will be good. Who really knows? Is one program’s training that much different than another?
Iowa may have some strong guys, but they aren’t even the top team in their sorry conference.
“All that swollness for no d*** reason!”
wildbill
December 3rd, 2010
11:21 am
Ok, now that Joe T. is S & C coach, next step is give BoBo a pink slip.
Dawg to the tomb
December 3rd, 2010
11:23 am
@ bigdawg88 I COMPLETELY agree! Someone with an open mind finally! I think the man has done a great job as well seeing how bad the unemployment and economy was before. We have an enormously large mountain to go, but at least we’re moving up!
suwaneedawg
December 3rd, 2010
11:26 am
Can we please keep the political views out of here. It is bad enough that you think Obama has done a great job but, come on! Tucker and Bookman will love you two and they are open for buisness. Now back to UGA and Football….please.
dawg fan
December 3rd, 2010
11:31 am
Heard they were also bringing JT Wall back to help as an assistant. Any truth to that rumor
William
December 3rd, 2010
11:43 am
suwaneedawg:
God no. I am not looking for the S&C job even though I may be as qualified as Joe T (although, he’s got me on video coordination). I just want what I hope you want: more wins, more championships and more fear of our football program.
Dawg to the tomb
December 3rd, 2010
11:54 am
No wonder everybody else calls UGA fans “good ol boys” most of you are closed-minded and oblivious to the facts and anyone who voted for Bush definitely wouldn’t and couldn’t see the good that has been done by our president! Like it or not that’s what he is! Good thing I’m a Georgia fan for the team and NOT for the “fans” or else I would be a fan of a team that isn’t followed by such bigots! My political rant is done… Trying to speak English to a Frenchmen is plain old stupid. GO DAWGS!
Paul N Destin
December 3rd, 2010
12:04 pm
Obama…give me a damn break…Free homes for everyone..
Who Cares???
December 3rd, 2010
12:21 pm
Enter your comments here
Delbert D.
December 3rd, 2010
12:24 pm
On the off chance you may have missed it:
PRAGUE (AP) — The prime minister of the Czech Republic says it could have been his taste for the rock group AC/DC — not his study of economics — that inspired him to describe President Barack Obama’s nearly $2 trillion economic plan as “the road to hell.”
“Last week, AC/DC played the Czech Republic,” Mirek Topolanek told the Lidove Noviny daily newspaper Friday. “And their cult song ‘Highway to Hell’ may have influenced me to use, in my very improvised speech, ‘the road to hell.’”
DawginTX
December 3rd, 2010
12:39 pm
Richt’s success is not so much tied to the Strength and Conditioning coach as it is the Defensive Coordinator.
When we’ve been good, 2002-2005 and in 2007, we were top 20 in scoring and total defense. This year, we were 58, and we gave up over 30 points 3 of our last 4 games and 29 to Colorado. In Van Gorder’s tenure (2001-2004), Georgia gave up 30+ one time, vs LSU the eventual national champion. Richt had better hope that Grantham starts looking a lot more Van Gorder-like and a lot less Martinez-like. Richt will shine or burn with Grantham.
Dawg H8R
December 3rd, 2010
12:54 pm
Any chance that tereshinski will call plays? How about coach?
Delbert D.
December 3rd, 2010
12:57 pm
What if the Czech PM was an R.E.M. fan…
techlogic
December 3rd, 2010
12:57 pm
The mc-rib is back!
aprilglaspie
December 3rd, 2010
12:59 pm
Valdosta: Bill Romanowski is bemoaning the shrivelling of his testicles from all those PEDs he ingested.
Dawgtards ruin this state
December 3rd, 2010
1:54 pm
Here’s a motto, more time in the weight room, less time in jail?
suwaneedawg
December 3rd, 2010
1:59 pm
Dawg to the tomb
December 3rd, 2010
11:54 am
Another idiot country heard from. Keep the damn politics out of here! WTF?
ConcernedDawg
December 3rd, 2010
2:30 pm
This is the all time worst hire, of all time. Let me repeat myself the WORST of all time. I cannot begin to stress how bad this is I have worked in the Strength and Conditioning field for five years, I also know Coach T and this is the beginning of the end of the CMR era. Yesterday CMR made his last big decision of his career at UGA. You heard it here first this will be CMR’s last year at UGA. I Promise
Dawg to the tomb
December 3rd, 2010
2:35 pm
Suwaneedawg… One of your fellow comrades brought politics up, not me! Get your facts first before you comment again on what you DON’T know! Thanks and that is all!
Bob
December 3rd, 2010
2:41 pm
Good move CMR. If we can get a tried and true Dawg to get the job done, than that is the best course to take. New blood for new blood’s sake is the blather of fools who aren’t running elite football programs, because they’re too busy posting idiocy on ajc blogs.
Yes, I am in that group.
Give me a break...
December 3rd, 2010
4:05 pm
Most of the idiots criticizing the Joe T hire have never even stepped one foot inside a gym and have no idea what it takes to gain strength and conditioning. All you people touting the bama guy – it’s obvious several of his guys are on the juice, and anyone who’s ever been around any guys on the stuff can recognize the tale tale signs. The physical development of some of their guys is like 5th year vets in the NFL, and no amount of reps, or training styles will get 18-21yr olds that way without some help. Coach Van has never been a big “supplement” guy if you know what I mean. Don’t get me wrong there are some natural freaks out there but not THAT many.
That being said there are several ways to skin the “strength and conditioning” cat from pumping iron to polymetrics, and different positions require different approaches. It sounds like Joe T will be more of an overseer and will probably bring in a skill player specialist, a lineman specialist, an overall cardio/conditioning guy and an overall strength/lifting coordinator. Age has nothing to do with being innovative. I’ve seen 25 yr olds who still pump iron the old fashioned way, and I’ve seen 50yr olds using new techniques. The science behind strength and conditioning is just that it’s a science and everything from training to nutrition plays a vital role. In other words all of you critics wouldn’t know a good strength and conditioning guy from a bad one. Not one person here who’s saying Joe T is a bad hire has any idea what his plan is and even if you did, probably wouldn’t know enough to know if it would be an effective one or not. Screaming and yelling for someone to “C’MON!!! GIVE ME ONE MORE!!!” doesn’t mean squat, and the fact that you’re basing bama’s guy on being a good one based on what you saw in a 5 min clip on ESPN speaks volumes about your knowledge. Don’t get me wrong it’s obvious he’s an effective trainer, you can see that on the field, but it has more to do with his PLAN and the execution of it than it does how he yells and screams at them in the weight room.
Rickster
December 3rd, 2010
4:09 pm
If they really wanted to get someone who would GATA, they should have hired that Jillian Michaels lady from “The Biggest Loser.”
Give me a break...
December 3rd, 2010
4:11 pm
ConcernedDawg
December 3rd, 2010
2:30 pm
“This is the all time worst hire, of all time. Let me repeat myself the WORST of all time. I cannot begin to stress how bad this is I have worked in the Strength and Conditioning field for five years, I also know Coach T and this is the beginning of the end of the CMR era. Yesterday CMR made his last big decision of his career at UGA. You heard it here first this will be CMR’s last year at UGA. I Promise”
Okay I’ll bite. I suppose your 5 YEARS of experience compared to Joe T’s 30 plus makes you a better expert. But I’d like for you to back up your statement. Break it down for us, WHY EXACTLY is this the worst hire ever. Share your knowledge with us. What is it about Joe Ts approach that you know so much about that makes him a bad hire. Enquiring minds want to know. Anyone can SAY it’s a bad hire but please enlighten us with your 5 YEARS of expert knowledge…
Larry the Cable Guy
December 3rd, 2010
4:13 pm
Rickster
December 3rd, 2010
4:09 pm
If they really wanted to get someone who would GATA, they should have hired that Jillian Michaels lady from “The Biggest Loser.”
Now that’s funny right there… I don’t care who ya’ are!
Dan
December 3rd, 2010
5:10 pm
LET JOE THROW!!!!
Coach Andy
December 3rd, 2010
11:30 pm
Bill Kazmaier would make an outstanding Strength and Conditioning Coach. Great character and he was a fine football player . Kaz also won three World Strongest man titles. Or Jim Bishop from from Forsyth county, Great morals and I standup indivdual, proven winner. Either of these two would be a positive in any program, at any level. GO DAWGS
Insider Knowlegde
December 4th, 2010
12:49 am
FYI — Joe T was SUPPOSED to start coaching immediately when he spoke with CVH yesterday and made the annoucment. However, when the news broke to the players, all Hell broke lose. The players are completely AGAINST this change. They refused to show up to workouts today with Coach T. During a conference today with the team, MANY of the Juniors actually stood up and said they were going to leave UGA because of this change.They don’t respect Coach T at all. When Coach T got up in front of the team he, of course, cursed and yelled at them like usual and told them that from now on he was requiring them to take a picture of EVERY MEAL they eat each day and show it to him. Needless to say, the you could hear the laughs from the players in the room. Needless to say, CMR quickly realized his team doesn’t respect or want Joe T as their S & C, let alone anywhere near them in the weight room.
To save his a** for the chaos that unfolded and is still unfolding with the players, CMR called Coach Van and basically begged him to stay on as S & C for the Bowl.
All in All, Joe T is a joke to the team. They don’t trust him, they don’t respect him, they don’t want him. This is all coming from the those who know the situation the best —- the players.
Al Gluchoski
December 4th, 2010
10:18 am
It’s a gutless move to use Dave Van Halanger as the scapegoat for a poor season. Coach Van’s performance can easily be measured by the level of strength increased in the bench press, squat and other lifts by the Georgia players. When you check those stats, Coach Van has done an outstanding job on a very consistant basis. His contribution to the lives of the players both on and off the field have been remarkable. Make no mistake, Dave Van Halanger, a Hall of Fame Strength Coach, is not the reason for Georgia’s poor season. To believe that is showing a glaring lack of knowledge of what it takes to be a winner. Coach Van Halanger will be missed.
stewballdog
December 4th, 2010
11:56 am
cmr should have hired the best strength coach avialable. This is a huge opportunity missed
JD
December 5th, 2010
7:55 am
I agree, everyone complained about Martinez, some complained about VH and the strengthe program. Why is Richt not listening about the Bobo Complainers. Somehow this blitz passing game that is scoring so many points in the history of UGA has to be tempered down so the defense will not have to be on the field so long after the offense scores so quick…Oops! I forgot we lose Green, Durham and are making sure our RB’s can pass block before we give them a chance to run the ball (which is why they were recruited from HS). The we have tons of WR’s recruited and committed for next year and not a commitment as a RB. How can you expect the defense to be better if they are on the field so long because the offense scores so quickly? Why would a good RB combe to UGA if he is a runner. Would Richt have made sure Lattimer could block before he gave him an opportunity to run if we had signed him. Would he sacrifice a great runners ability to run before he could block effectively to make the passing game what it is? What about another teams defense. What do they have to prepare for on defense. Certainly not the run…. The same goes for the OL. They could not run block well this year…Why? Suppose pass protection blocking got first priority and more repititions and the RB’s had to spend more time blocking for passes than running? I would like to see what the time of possession was this whole year and how many pass plays to run plays we had. It may reveal a lot of valuable information if evaluated correctly. As far as the strength coach. A little lame blaming the problems on the strength program. Fundamentals seemed to be lacking. Position coaches are responsible for fundamentals.
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