NIU athletics took a big step out of the Dark Ages this year with the hiring of Huskie almnus Jim Zielinski as the school’s first strength coach.

Actually, “Zee’s” status is that of an acting coach, but the 5-foot-11 (he claims 6-foot even), 242-pound former NIU football player said only “red tape” is keeping him from being a full-time coach.

If it was up to the NIU coaches, Zielinski would be a permanent fixture in the Huskie athletic program. One of Zielinski’s biggest early supporters was men’s basketball coach Jim Rosborough, who petitioned for a strength coach since he arrived at NIU three years ago.

“We’ve hired a great person,” Rosborough said. “That’s the most important thing, that he relates well with the kids. You couldn’t ask for a more ideal situation.”

Wrestling coach Ed Vatch agreed. In the past, Vatch, like many of the NIU coaches, had to oversee his team’s weightlifting regimen. Zilienski’s presence has removed that burden.

“As a coach, you can’t be proficient in everything,” Vatch said. “We’re ecstatic about having him with us. He knows his stuff.”

Fourth-year Huskie football coach Jerry Pettibone, who played a major role in seeing that Zielinski return to NIU this season, said he was happy to have him back.

“We’ve integrated more team-oriented things in fall camp than ever before,” Pettibone said. “He (Zielinski) brought some excellent ideas about team stretch, where we stretch together as a team before and after practice now. That’s a new thing that’s been added that I think is very positive for our program. It’ll also be a part of our pre-game warm-up with Akron.”

Though all 16 Division I sports have access to Zielinski and the Huskie Stadium weight room, at least one NIU coach has expressed some reservations.

Soccer coach Willy Roy, who has played on and coached professional and college teams most of his adult life, said he did not think his players needed to lift weights.

“I’m sure he (Zielinski) knows his job,” Roy said, “it’s just that soccer players don’t need to look like bodybuilders.”

Zielinski understands such reactions and said it is a matter of educating some coaches about the benefits of lifting.

“I would tell him (Roy) I could make (his players) quicker and more agile,” Zielinski said. “I think there’s always ways to enhance their performances.

“I don’t want to build a power-lifter. I want to build a better athlete.”

Zielinski said many people are afraid to lift because of stories of people getting hurt. That’s why he insists the athletes under his direction learn proper technique using light weights before moving up to heavy lifting.

The new NIU strength coach knows what he’s talking about.

After earning his B.S. in business management from NIU in 1985 (the year he set the still-standing Huskie football bench-press record of 500 pounds), Zielinski received his specialist certification from the National Strength and Conditioning Association in June of 1987.

Then, with a little help from Pettibone, he became an assistant strength coach at Nebraska for one year before returning to DeKalb.

“Nebraska is the Cadillac of strength places,” Zielinski said. “Four of these (NIU) gyms could fit inside their gym. We need to get bigger facilities.”

He would also like to hire some assistant coaches to help him out, but he knows both of those wishes will have to wait until funds can be raised.

As one of the last Division I athletic programs in the nation to get a strength coach, NIU had even fallen behind some prep programs.

“In Texas, a lot of the high schools have strength coaches,” Zielinski said. “We’re playing catch-up now.”

Meanwhile, NIU athletes have begun discovering what proper lifting can do for them.

Zielinski said he has seen great enthusiasm from all the Huskies who have visited him, especially the women’s gymnastics team. He also said softball team outfielder Sue Conway told him she was throwing harder than she ever had after several workouts.

Zielinski said such results were only the beginning. And he’s happy to be a part of it.