LAS CRUCES, N.M. — NM State Director of Sports Performance Don Decker has been named the College Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association President.

The veteran of over 30 years, including 19 in the SEC at Arkansas and Ole Miss, has spent the last 10 seasons at NM State.

Decker began his career as a graduate assistant at the University of Arkansas back in 1981, before moving on to the Head Strength Coach position at Kent State. In 1993, Decker accepted an Assistant Strength Coach position at Arkansas before being promoted to the Head Strength Coach in 1998.

After an illustrious 16 year career at Arkansas, Decker accepted the Head Strength Coach position at the University of Mississippi in 2008. After moving on from Ole Miss in 2011, Decker landed at NM State in 2012.

“I’m so humbled to have started this journey back in 1990 at the University of Arkansas as a graduate assistant,” Decker said. “To have worked through this profession and to be at a point where you’re selected by your peers to be in a leadership position such as this is very humbling. To be able to look back and see how you’re thought of by your peers is a really humbling moment for me.”

Decker arrived in Las Cruces in February of 2013, and has helped mold and coach all-time Aggie greats like Jason Huntley, Terrill Hanks, Jaleel Scott and Larry Rose III.

Both Scott and Hanks were named to the Reese’s Senior Bowl after working with Decker, becoming two of the six Aggies to be invited to nation’s premiere talent showcase in program history.

Under Decker’s tutelage in 2017, the Aggies recorded the programs first bowl game in 57 years, defeating Utah State in the Arizona Bowl.

Named a Master Level Strength Coach by the CSCCA back in 2004, Decker was also named the Collegiate Strength Coach of the Year by the Professional Football Strength & Conditioning Coaches Society back in 2010. The coach is one of 248 S&C coaches in the country to be bestowed the distinction of Master Level Strength Coach.  

In 2014, Decker was elected to the CSCCA Board of Directors. A 1988 graduate of Evangel University and former star QB for Crusaders, Decker was given the Evangel University Department of Kinesiology’s Distinguished Alumnus Award back in 2019.

Throughout his time in coaching, Decker has worked with eight first round NFL selections including Arkansas RB Darren McFadden who finished twice as the runner-up for the Heisman back in 2006 and 2007.

“Coach Decker has been the backbone of our program here,” head coach Doug Martin said. “When you coach at a place like New Mexico State, you have to develop players. You’re not going to be able to get the finished products. The way he’s built our weight room and our strength program has accomplished that. When you look at guys like Jaleel Scott and Jason Huntley they came as average players and left as NFL players. Sage Doxtater is going to be one this season too. And then you look at all of the assistants’ coach Decker has had that are now at different places from the Los Angeles Rams to the University of Florida. He’s put strength coaches all throughout the country. He’s great at what he does.”