Photo by: Zachary Lucy
NDSU Football Strength Coach Jim Kramer Retires
1/20/2026 8:00:00 AM | Football
FARGO, N.D. - North Dakota State University earned a reputation as one of the toughest, hard-nosed, physical teams in the Football Championship Subdivision thanks to the behind-the-scenes work of the NDSU strength and conditioning staff led by Jim Kramer, who retired this month after 22 years at NDSU.
Kramer joined the NDSU football staff as the director of athletic performance in 2004, the program's first year of NCAA Division I competition. The Bison won 13 conference championships and 10 national championships under four different head coaches: Craig Bohl, Chris Klieman, Matt Entz and Tim Polasek.
Kramer oversaw the strength training, conditioning, agility and nutrition programs for the Bison football team. He trained 16 NFL draft picks and 42 professional players at North Dakota State while positioning the Bison for success nationally. NDSU went 9-5 against FBS-level teams.
He was selected as the 2013 Samson Equipment/American Football Monthly FCS strength and conditioning coach of the year following a 15-0 season that included an opening-night win over Kansas State and ended with NDSU's third of five straight FCS national championships.
Kramer came to NDSU in November 2003 from Colorado Springs, Colo., where he was a strength and conditioning coordinator at the U.S. Olympic Training Center for a year-and-a-half assisting in the development of Performance Enhancement Teams and the testing and training of elite-level athletes.
He spent five years as the head strength and conditioning coach at the University of Northern Iowa from 1997 to 2002. He was responsible for developing UNI's first strength and conditioning program and was named the National Strength and Conditioning Association's Coach of the Year in 1998-99.
Kramer spent five years as the assistant director of player development at Georgia Tech from 1992 to 1997 and two years as a graduate assistant in strength and conditioning at Appalachian State from 1990 to 1992.
A native of Platteville, Wis., Kramer graduated from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse with a bachelor's degree in physical education and earned a master's degree in exercise science from Appalachian State.
Kramer joined the NDSU football staff as the director of athletic performance in 2004, the program's first year of NCAA Division I competition. The Bison won 13 conference championships and 10 national championships under four different head coaches: Craig Bohl, Chris Klieman, Matt Entz and Tim Polasek.
Kramer oversaw the strength training, conditioning, agility and nutrition programs for the Bison football team. He trained 16 NFL draft picks and 42 professional players at North Dakota State while positioning the Bison for success nationally. NDSU went 9-5 against FBS-level teams.
He was selected as the 2013 Samson Equipment/American Football Monthly FCS strength and conditioning coach of the year following a 15-0 season that included an opening-night win over Kansas State and ended with NDSU's third of five straight FCS national championships.
Kramer came to NDSU in November 2003 from Colorado Springs, Colo., where he was a strength and conditioning coordinator at the U.S. Olympic Training Center for a year-and-a-half assisting in the development of Performance Enhancement Teams and the testing and training of elite-level athletes.
He spent five years as the head strength and conditioning coach at the University of Northern Iowa from 1997 to 2002. He was responsible for developing UNI's first strength and conditioning program and was named the National Strength and Conditioning Association's Coach of the Year in 1998-99.
Kramer spent five years as the assistant director of player development at Georgia Tech from 1992 to 1997 and two years as a graduate assistant in strength and conditioning at Appalachian State from 1990 to 1992.
A native of Platteville, Wis., Kramer graduated from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse with a bachelor's degree in physical education and earned a master's degree in exercise science from Appalachian State.
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