Posted: Mar 09, 2018
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – There's no denying the impact Casey Kramer had on Tennessee Tech Athletics during his tenure as the Director of Athletic Performance.
Under his guidance, Tech's student-athletes became faster, stronger and soared to new heights.
And when the National Football League's Chicago Bears came calling, looking for a new assistant strength coach, Kramer had to jump at the chance.
"It's a good career move," Kramer said. "It was a good thing to do to move forward, improve and grow as a coach."
And opportunities like this one don't happen too often or are easy to come by.
"They're definitely not," Kramer continued. "You really have to be in the right place at the right time."
Matt Hewett took over in the position, filling in the shoes of his role model, and Kramer couldn't be more thankful for the people who gave him the opportunity in Cookeville.
"I wouldn't be able to do this without Tech," Kramer said. "I can't thank (Tech director of athletics) Mark (Wilson), (associate athletic director for sports/compliance) Frank (Harrell) and (associate athletic director/SWA) Tammie (McMillan) enough. The athletes here have led me to improve and get better. I wouldn't be in any position to go anywhere if it wasn't for that and using every day that I had to work with the athletes to get better and improve, grow and learn – not just as a coach, but in my administrative duties and as a professional."
Kramer joined the Tech staff in December 2014 after coaching at Washington State, Boston College and Auburn, as well as a stint training special forces units with the U.S. Army. He moved on to Tech and became a valued member of the staff.
Still, there's no doubt that it's tough to leave an amazing group of student-athletes and coaches, much less the college game.
"It's tough because I've been here for over four years," Kramer said. "I've seen the full cycle, from recruiting to student-athletes coming in for the development process. For me, I'm always in the state of mind of developing them and helping them grow and get better year-by-year, instead of just leaving in the middle of that process.
"They're going to do really good things. There are some amazing student-athletes here. They're great kids and they work hard. It's been a pleasure to work with them, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do in the future."
Then, there's the city of Cookeville which has grown to become Kramer's home the last few years.
"The city is something I have grown to love," Kramer said. "It's really a great community. People really support Tennessee Tech. My neighbors, when they see me outside, always ask me about the game. When we hire new coaches, they ask about them and how everything's going with them. If one of our athletes has a big performance, everyone knows about it. It's just a really great community. It's got a family atmosphere. I feel like people here really love Tennessee Tech and it's done great things for the community. It's going to be a tough place to walk away from, but I'm excited for a new opportunity."
And to go from Cookeville to Chicago?
"It's a big-time departure," Kramer said. "I lived in Boston early in my career, so it's just going back to the city and all they have to offer."
With so many games played under his tenure, there's no question that there's plenty of great memories while working with Tech's athletes. The harder task is to pick just one that just personifies what means the most to him.
"I'm not sure, to be honest with you," Kramer said. "There are so many games, from the Eastern Kentucky comeback in the 2014 football season (when Tech scored 29 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to beat the Colonels 39-31). There's been so many basketball games. Baseball, whether it was my first season here when we won the regular season title or last year winning the OVC tournament. Softball had its run in 2015 where they went on a tear and won a lot of games.
"It's all been fun. There have been so many great events that has happened while working here. It's just so hard to just single it all down to one event. All of that has been incredible to watch."
He continued, "If I had to pick one, the EKU comeback in 2014 was pretty amazing. Being down all of those points and coming back. They blocked a kick and ran it back for a touchdown and I was thinking, 'Yeah, this game is over.' Then we just went on a tear. That probably sticks out in my mind more than anything."
And what an impact Kramer left to the coaches he worked with:
- Head baseball coach Matt Bragga: "Coach Kramer has been a joy to work with. He is very good at what he does. He brings incredible knowledge and enthusiasm to each team, and he has always tried to best accommodate each programs schedule. Our guys love him and Coach Hewett. We have had so many positive remarks about our guys' strength and size over the years and this is directly correlated to him and his staff. We thank him so much for all that he has done for TTU athletics."
- Head women's basketball coach Kim Rosamond: ""I can't say enough about the impact Casey Kramer has made in our program since he took over our team in August. Coach Kramer demands our player's best each and every day as athletes, but he also demands and encourages their best as young women. He has helped our players grow on and off the court, and he understands and values his relationships with each player. As a coach, one of the greatest gifts you can receive is your player's trust, and our player's trust him completely. He will be greatly missed, but we are also excited for the tremendous opportunity he has earned. Casey is a class act, a talented coach, but more importantly, a man of character and integrity."
- Head football coach Dewayne Alexander: "Casey Kramer has been the 'backbone' of the athletic department for the past four years. He is an outstanding technician and strength coach who has not only developed our players on the field, but has developed their character as well. He has been a mentor and a friend but has done a tremendous job holding our athletes to a high standard through accountability and hard work. He has been a difference maker."
- Head cross country/track and field coach Wayne Angel: "Casey is a super person who cares about our athletes and is committed to the mission. Mediocrity is not in his vocabulary. He looks for the best in all of our athletes."
- Head golf coach Polk Brown: "Casey is an awesome guy. He did a great job with our teams. He was always willing to listen in terms of what we thought we needed for our players. I wish him nothing but the best. Heck of a guy."
Photo by Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
