Kurt Hester - Director of Strength & Performance - Football Support Staff

Kurt Hester

Title:
Director of Strength & Performance
Email:
klhester@central.uh.edu

Kurt Hester on X, formerly Twitter

• Kurt Hester joined University of Houston Football in January 2024 as its Director of Strength & Performance. The 2025 season will be his second with the Cougars after spending two seasons in the same capacity at Tulane (2022-23).

• Hester played a crucial role in Tulane’s record-setting success between 2022-23 highlighted by 23 victories (fourth nationally), 15 conference wins (fifth nationally) and two American Athletic Conference Championship game appearances.

• In 2023, Tulane reached the American Championship game for a second consecutive season behind a perfect 8-0 league mark. The program’s 11 victories were tied for the third most in team history and alongside the team’s 12-2 record in 2022, it marked the first time in school history Tulane had notched consecutive 10-plus win seasons.

• In 2022, the Green Wave captured their first American Athletic Conference Championship en route to defeating #8 USC in the 2023 Cotton Bowl Classic. The program tied the school record with 12 victories and finished ranked No. 9 in the AP Poll one year after finishing 2-10 overall. For his outstanding efforts he was named the 2022 Football Scoop Strength Coach of the Year.

• Hester arrived at Tulane after playing a pivotal role in one of the most successfully runs in college football history during his nine years at Louisiana Tech. He aided the Bulldogs’ seven straight bowl appearances (2014-20), including six straight bowl victories from 2014-2019, which was tied for the fifth-longest streak in FBS history. In 2016, Hester was the only Group of 5 finalist for the Football Scoop Strength Coach of the Year.

• Hester joined Louisiana Tech after he served as a National Director of Training for the D1 Sports Training Center in Nashville, Tennessee – a position he began in 2008. He worked with training several professional athletes from leagues such as the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), National Basketball Association (NBA), Major League Soccer (MLB), National Hockey League (NHL) and the NFL Combine classes.

• In addition to his tenure at D1 Sports Training, Hester also worked as the Director of Training at the Manning Passing Academy as he designed a training program for over 1,300 high school athletes and delivered a specific training seminar for high school and college coaches.

• From 1997-2008, Hester was the owner and Director of Performance at HS2 Athletic Performance in Mandeville, La. There, he developed and mentored area coaches for college and professional coaching careers with several going on to BCS-level schools and NFL teams. Over 500 athletes he worked with received collegiate scholarships during that time as he oversaw the development of over 400 junior and senior high students per day.

• Hester was an assistant strength coach at LSU from 1995-98, working with the speed development program for then-football coach Gerry Dinardo and worked primarily with the LSU baseball team as it won two national championships under legendary coach Skip Bertman. Hester also worked with Men’s Basketball, Women’s Soccer and Women’s Golf as well as with the varsity cheerleaders.

• In addition to his work with collegiate athletes, Hester spent time training with Navy SEALS.

• He graduated from Tulane in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science in exercise physiology. He also served as a graduate strength coach at Tulane for two years.

• Hester has certifications as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) from the National Strength & Conditioning Association as well as his Speed Agility & Conditioning certification as well as his Level 1 certification from the United States Weightlifting Association.

• Hester is married to the former Seana Durman. The couple have three children: Sydney, Rieleah and Remy.