Football
Mannie, Ken
Ken Mannie
- Title:
- Head Strength & Conditioning Coach
- Email:
- mannie@ath.msu.edu
- Phone Number:
- 355-7514
Ken Mannie spent 25 years as Michigan State’s head strength and conditioning coach for football, while additionally directing and overseeing the strength and conditioning programs for all men’s and women’s sports. A 45-year coaching veteran, Mannie was the longest-tenured head football strength and conditioning coach in the Big Ten Conference at the time of his retirement in March 2020.
During his coaching tenure at Michigan State, the Spartans won three Big Ten Championships (2010, 2013, 2015) and played in 18 bowl games, including seven traditional New Year’s Day games. For his role in helping lead Michigan State to the 2015 Big Ten Championship and an appearance in the College Football Playoff, Mannie was named the FootballScoop Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Year.
Mannie received the Admiral U.S. Grant Sharp Trophy during MSU’s visit to the USS Essex in San Diego as part of the Holiday Bowl week team activities in 2017. The trophy was given to a person in the program who best exemplified the spirit of unselfish dedication and teamwork which resulted in little recognition or acclaim, but contributed significantly to an outstanding 2017 season for the team. The 2017 Spartans achieved the greatest single-season turnaround in school history, winning 10 games, defeating No. 18 Washington State in the Holiday Bowl, and finishing No. 15 in the final Associated Press rankings.
In July 2014, Mannie was inducted into the USA Strength/Conditioning Coaches Hall of Fame, Collegiate Division, in recognition of over three decades of service and contributions to the strength and conditioning profession.
In May 2018, Mannie was named to the board of directors for the USA Strength and Conditioning Hall of Fame. He has also been on the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCa) Board of Directors since 2015.
Mannie is a certified strength and conditioning specialist with the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCa), the National Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (NSCA) and holds an honorary certification with the International Association of Resistance Trainers (IART). In May 2002 at its annual conference in Salt Lake City, the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association awarded Mannie the title of Master Strength and Conditioning Coach (MSCC).
Mannie has been a keynote speaker and roundtable participant at several national conventions and seminars.
In both 2006 and 2007, he was named to Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers in recognition for his numerous and ongoing educational efforts in the field of strength and conditioning and in bringing awareness to the anabolic drug abuse problem in sports. He has been recognized and is widely published on his adamant stance against performance-enhancing drugs.
In June 2007, the Michigan State Varsity S Club inducted him as an honorary member.
He has written over 300 articles and four book chapters on the various aspects of strength/conditioning, speed/power development, sports nutrition, motivation, athletics, and the anabolic drug abuse issue. In 2019, Mannie was one of 32 strength and conditioning coaches selected to write a chapter for the book, The Golden Age of Strength and Conditioning: Stories of 32 Coaches Who Helped Lay the Foundation of What the Strength and Conditioning Profession is Today.
Since 2000, Mannie has written the monthly column “Powerline” for Coach and Athletic Director, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious coaching publication. He is also a frequent contributor to the Championship Performance newsletter.
He also serves on the advisory boards for the National Strength Professionals Association (NSPA), the information-based Athletic Strength and Power (ASAP) website, and the Ultimate Strength and Conditioning website.
Mannie has coached numerous All-Americans, as well as a host of players who have gone on to have highly successful NFL careers. Additionally, he has served as a consultant to several NFL teams on training equipment, program design, and the organization and administration of testing protocols.
Three of Mannie’s former graduate assistants are currently strength/conditioning coaches in the NFL: Aaron Wellman (head strength/conditioning coach, New York Giants), Mondray Gee (assistant, Tennessee Titans) and Aaron McLaurin (assistant, New York Jets). The Spartan strength/conditioning coaching tree includes several former full-time, graduate assistants, or interns who are now either head or assistant strength and conditioning coaches in the Big Ten, SEC, ACC, Big 12 and MAC.
Prior to his arrival at Michigan State, Mannie spent nine years in a similar capacity at the University of Toledo (1985-94). He worked for Nick Saban in 1990 when the Rockets won a share of the Mid-American Conference title and finished 9-2.
Mannie served as a graduate assistant along with MSU head football coach Mark Dantonio at Ohio State in 1984, working with the Buckeyes’ Big Ten championship football team.
A native of Steubenville, Ohio, Mannie taught and coached on the high school level for 10 years (1975-84). He spent nine of those years at his alma mater Steubenville Catholic Central where he coached football, wrestling and track.
He began his coaching career as a student assistant at Akron in 1974, working with the offensive guards and centers.
A former walk-on, Mannie became a three-year letterman and two-year starter at offensive guard for Akron from 1971-73. He started on the 1971 Zips team that finished 8-2 and ranked eighth nationally in the Division II polls.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in health and physical education from Akron in 1974 and received a master’s degree in exercise science from Ohio State University in 1985.
Married to the former Marianne Saccoccia, he and his wife have a daughter, Alaina Mannie Burghardt, who is a 2010 graduate of Michigan State University, and two grandchildren: Annabelle and Liam Burghardt.
During his coaching tenure at Michigan State, the Spartans won three Big Ten Championships (2010, 2013, 2015) and played in 18 bowl games, including seven traditional New Year’s Day games. For his role in helping lead Michigan State to the 2015 Big Ten Championship and an appearance in the College Football Playoff, Mannie was named the FootballScoop Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Year.
Mannie received the Admiral U.S. Grant Sharp Trophy during MSU’s visit to the USS Essex in San Diego as part of the Holiday Bowl week team activities in 2017. The trophy was given to a person in the program who best exemplified the spirit of unselfish dedication and teamwork which resulted in little recognition or acclaim, but contributed significantly to an outstanding 2017 season for the team. The 2017 Spartans achieved the greatest single-season turnaround in school history, winning 10 games, defeating No. 18 Washington State in the Holiday Bowl, and finishing No. 15 in the final Associated Press rankings.
In July 2014, Mannie was inducted into the USA Strength/Conditioning Coaches Hall of Fame, Collegiate Division, in recognition of over three decades of service and contributions to the strength and conditioning profession.
In May 2018, Mannie was named to the board of directors for the USA Strength and Conditioning Hall of Fame. He has also been on the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCa) Board of Directors since 2015.
Mannie is a certified strength and conditioning specialist with the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCa), the National Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (NSCA) and holds an honorary certification with the International Association of Resistance Trainers (IART). In May 2002 at its annual conference in Salt Lake City, the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association awarded Mannie the title of Master Strength and Conditioning Coach (MSCC).
Mannie has been a keynote speaker and roundtable participant at several national conventions and seminars.
In both 2006 and 2007, he was named to Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers in recognition for his numerous and ongoing educational efforts in the field of strength and conditioning and in bringing awareness to the anabolic drug abuse problem in sports. He has been recognized and is widely published on his adamant stance against performance-enhancing drugs.
In June 2007, the Michigan State Varsity S Club inducted him as an honorary member.
He has written over 300 articles and four book chapters on the various aspects of strength/conditioning, speed/power development, sports nutrition, motivation, athletics, and the anabolic drug abuse issue. In 2019, Mannie was one of 32 strength and conditioning coaches selected to write a chapter for the book, The Golden Age of Strength and Conditioning: Stories of 32 Coaches Who Helped Lay the Foundation of What the Strength and Conditioning Profession is Today.
Since 2000, Mannie has written the monthly column “Powerline” for Coach and Athletic Director, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious coaching publication. He is also a frequent contributor to the Championship Performance newsletter.
He also serves on the advisory boards for the National Strength Professionals Association (NSPA), the information-based Athletic Strength and Power (ASAP) website, and the Ultimate Strength and Conditioning website.
Mannie has coached numerous All-Americans, as well as a host of players who have gone on to have highly successful NFL careers. Additionally, he has served as a consultant to several NFL teams on training equipment, program design, and the organization and administration of testing protocols.
Three of Mannie’s former graduate assistants are currently strength/conditioning coaches in the NFL: Aaron Wellman (head strength/conditioning coach, New York Giants), Mondray Gee (assistant, Tennessee Titans) and Aaron McLaurin (assistant, New York Jets). The Spartan strength/conditioning coaching tree includes several former full-time, graduate assistants, or interns who are now either head or assistant strength and conditioning coaches in the Big Ten, SEC, ACC, Big 12 and MAC.
Prior to his arrival at Michigan State, Mannie spent nine years in a similar capacity at the University of Toledo (1985-94). He worked for Nick Saban in 1990 when the Rockets won a share of the Mid-American Conference title and finished 9-2.
Mannie served as a graduate assistant along with MSU head football coach Mark Dantonio at Ohio State in 1984, working with the Buckeyes’ Big Ten championship football team.
A native of Steubenville, Ohio, Mannie taught and coached on the high school level for 10 years (1975-84). He spent nine of those years at his alma mater Steubenville Catholic Central where he coached football, wrestling and track.
He began his coaching career as a student assistant at Akron in 1974, working with the offensive guards and centers.
A former walk-on, Mannie became a three-year letterman and two-year starter at offensive guard for Akron from 1971-73. He started on the 1971 Zips team that finished 8-2 and ranked eighth nationally in the Division II polls.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in health and physical education from Akron in 1974 and received a master’s degree in exercise science from Ohio State University in 1985.
Married to the former Marianne Saccoccia, he and his wife have a daughter, Alaina Mannie Burghardt, who is a 2010 graduate of Michigan State University, and two grandchildren: Annabelle and Liam Burghardt.
THE MANNIE FILE
YEARS AT MICHIGAN STATE: 25. Joined staff on Dec. 8, 1994, from Toledo. Retired in March 2020.
PREVIOUS COACHING EXPERIENCE: College - Graduate assistant at Ohio State (1984); head strength and conditioning coach at Toledo (1985-94). Also coached and taught at the high school level for 10 years.
EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree in health and physical education from Akron in 1974; master's degree in health and physical education with an emphasis in exercise science from Ohio State in 1985.
PLAYING EXPERIENCE: College - Three-year letterman and two-year starter at offensive guard at Akron (1971-73).
BOWL EXPERIENCE: Coach - 1985 Rose Bowl, 1995 Independence Bowl, 1996 Sun Bowl, 1997 Aloha Bowl, 2000 Florida Citrus Bowl, 2001 Silicon Valley Football Classic, 2003 Alamo Bowl, 2007 Champs Sports Bowl, 2009 Capital One Bowl, 2010 Valero Alamo Bowl, 2011 Capital One Bowl, 2012 Outback Bowl, 2012 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, 2014 Rose Bowl, 2015 Cotton Bowl, 2015 College Football Playoff (Cotton Bowl), 2017 Holiday Bowl, 2018 Redbox Bowl, 2019 Pinstripe Bowl.
Jonathan Smith | Football Press Conference | Sep. 8 2025
Monday, September 08
Jonathan Smith Post Game Comments | BC | Sep. 7 2025
Sunday, September 07
Jonathan Smith | Football Press Conference | Sep. 1 2025
Monday, September 01
Jonathan Smith Post Game Comments | WMU | Aug. 29 2025
Friday, August 29
