Photo by: Andrew Pedersen
Bobcat Director of Strength and Conditioning John Sauer Inducted into William & Mary Athletics Hall of Fame
9/18/2025 4:48:00 PM | General
Native Montanan honored for more than three decades of service at W&M
BOZEMAN, Mont. (Sept. 18, 2025) – John Sauer clearly remembers his reaction when College of William & Mary Director of Athletics Brian Mann called to inform him that he's been inducted into that school's athletics hall of fame.
"I said, 'Are you sure?'," Sauer recalled with a smile. "And he said, 'Yeah, I'm dead sure.' It's pretty cool."
Currently the Director of Strength and Conditioning for Bobcat Athletics, Sauer spent 31 years as the Director of Speed, Strength and Conditioning at the William & Mary. He arrived in Williamsburg, Virginia, after stops at Clemson, Utah, and Southern Methodist. Although he toured the facilities when he interviewed for the position, what he found on his first day at worked shocked him.
"When I first saw the campus I thought, 'What a beautiful place, beautiful campus,'" he recalled. "I ended up getting the job and a couple of weeks later I'm on the job, and I walk into the weight room, and I thought, 'What have I gotten into?' When I interviewed they had me in the room doing a demonstration, but I did not remember it being in such bad shape."
When Sauer returns to Williamsburg for his induction this weekend he'll not only find a facility four times larger than the 2,000-foot room he inherited, and he'll revisit a facility partially named in his honor. When he returned to his native Montana to join the Bobcats in 2019, he left behind a facility exceeding 8,000 square fee with 22 weight stations and state-of-the-art features such as video display monitors with student-athlete workout routines throughout the area.
This honor comes in recognition of Sauer's work with all facets of strength and conditioning for the Tribe's 23 varsity sports. He produced at least one football player with All-America strength honors for 30 consecutive seasons, 40 former William & Mary gridders earned a professional opportunity, including 35 in the National Football League (NFL). Nine of those players were drafted.
Sauer's peers have recognized his excellence throughout his career. From 1996 to 1998, the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) awarded him the Strength and Conditioning Professional of the Year Award for the Colonial Athletic Association.
Throughout his career, Sauer worked with all facets of strength and conditioning for the Tribe's 23 varsity sports. During his tenure, at least one Tribe football player earned All-America strength honors for 30 consecutive seasons. A total of 40 former W&M football standouts secured professional contracts, with 35 in the National Football League (NFL), including nine NFL Draft picks. From 1996 to 1998, the National Strength and Conditioning Association awarded Sauer the Strength and Conditioning Professional of the Year in the CAA.
Sauer remains active in the national strength and conditioning scene. He has earned more than a dozen certifications, and belongs to the National Association for Speed and Explosion, National Strength and Conditioning Association, National Sports Performance Association, United States Weightlifting Federation, International Sports Science Association, and the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association.
A native of Libby, Montana, Sauer will be in Virginia for festivities September 18-20. The induction ceremony is Friday, Sept. 19.
#GoCatsGo
"I said, 'Are you sure?'," Sauer recalled with a smile. "And he said, 'Yeah, I'm dead sure.' It's pretty cool."
Currently the Director of Strength and Conditioning for Bobcat Athletics, Sauer spent 31 years as the Director of Speed, Strength and Conditioning at the William & Mary. He arrived in Williamsburg, Virginia, after stops at Clemson, Utah, and Southern Methodist. Although he toured the facilities when he interviewed for the position, what he found on his first day at worked shocked him.
"When I first saw the campus I thought, 'What a beautiful place, beautiful campus,'" he recalled. "I ended up getting the job and a couple of weeks later I'm on the job, and I walk into the weight room, and I thought, 'What have I gotten into?' When I interviewed they had me in the room doing a demonstration, but I did not remember it being in such bad shape."
When Sauer returns to Williamsburg for his induction this weekend he'll not only find a facility four times larger than the 2,000-foot room he inherited, and he'll revisit a facility partially named in his honor. When he returned to his native Montana to join the Bobcats in 2019, he left behind a facility exceeding 8,000 square fee with 22 weight stations and state-of-the-art features such as video display monitors with student-athlete workout routines throughout the area.
This honor comes in recognition of Sauer's work with all facets of strength and conditioning for the Tribe's 23 varsity sports. He produced at least one football player with All-America strength honors for 30 consecutive seasons, 40 former William & Mary gridders earned a professional opportunity, including 35 in the National Football League (NFL). Nine of those players were drafted.
Sauer's peers have recognized his excellence throughout his career. From 1996 to 1998, the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) awarded him the Strength and Conditioning Professional of the Year Award for the Colonial Athletic Association.
Throughout his career, Sauer worked with all facets of strength and conditioning for the Tribe's 23 varsity sports. During his tenure, at least one Tribe football player earned All-America strength honors for 30 consecutive seasons. A total of 40 former W&M football standouts secured professional contracts, with 35 in the National Football League (NFL), including nine NFL Draft picks. From 1996 to 1998, the National Strength and Conditioning Association awarded Sauer the Strength and Conditioning Professional of the Year in the CAA.
Sauer remains active in the national strength and conditioning scene. He has earned more than a dozen certifications, and belongs to the National Association for Speed and Explosion, National Strength and Conditioning Association, National Sports Performance Association, United States Weightlifting Federation, International Sports Science Association, and the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association.
A native of Libby, Montana, Sauer will be in Virginia for festivities September 18-20. The induction ceremony is Friday, Sept. 19.
#GoCatsGo
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