Chip Morton is in his 10th season as Bengals strength and conditioning coach. During his tenure, Morton and his staff have established a program that features innovative ideas, while never straying far from the fundamental principles of productive training.
Chip Morton is in his 10th season as Bengals strength and conditioning coach. During his tenure, Morton and his staff have established a program that features innovative ideas, while never straying far from the fundamental principles of productive training.
“But any program is only as good as its players,” Morton says, “and we have a group that is accountable, consistent and diligent in their efforts.”
In order to build a quality product, the previous year’s programming is evaluated, and adjustments are made to help the team reach its goals for the upcoming season. The Bengals strength and conditioning program is characterized as comprehensive and progressive in nature. At its very core lies a foundation of traditional training principles, with an emphasis on teaching, communication and service to the players. Morton and assistant S/C coach Jeff Friday both have coached on successful teams that have reached the Super Bowl.
“Under Chip’s direction, our strength and conditioning program remains on the cutting edge of training techniques and philosophy,” says head coach Marvin Lewis. “I am very pleased with the outcome, using this program to both improve our players’ football performances and to increase their resistance to injuries.”
Morton was a coaching colleague of Lewis with the Baltimore Ravens from 1999-2001, serving as Ravens assistant strength and conditioning coach, and he was with Lewis in ’02 at Washington, serving as head strength and conditioning coach for the Redskins.
Morton is in his 21st NFL season, having also served as strength and conditioning assistant at San Diego from 1992-94 and as head strength and conditioning coach at Carolina from ’95-98. He has coached with two Super Bowl teams — the 1994 Chargers and the 2000 World Champion Ravens.
He started his career in the collegiate ranks, serving as assistant strength coach at Ohio State (1985-86) while completing his master’s degree in physical education. He moved to Penn State in 1987 as the first-ever full-time strength and conditioning assistant for the Nittany Lions football team. He also worked with 14 other men’s and women’s sports during his five years (1987-91) at Penn State.
Morton’s hometown is Hamden, Conn. He graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1985 with a degree in zoology, where he also earned a varsity letter in swimming.
Continuing education has always been a hallmark of Morton’s coaching career. Chip recently was recertified as a Level One Sports Performance Coach by the United States Weightlifting Association and has been a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (C.S.C.S.) through the National Strength & Conditioning Association since 1990. In 2006, he became the first NFL strength coach to receive the Russian Kettlebell Instructor’s Certification (RKC), and in ’08, Chip was certified as a Level I coach in John Brookfield’s Battling Ropes training system.
Chip is married, and he and his wife Stacey have seven children.
COACHING HISTORY - 1985-86: Assistant strength and conditioning (S/C) coach, Ohio State. 1987-91: Assistant S/C coach, Penn State. 1992-94: Assistant S/C coach, San Diego Chargers. 1995-98: Head S/C coach, Carolina Panthers. 1999-2001: Assistant S/C coach, Baltimore Ravens. 2002: Head S/C coach, Washington Redskins. 2003-present: Head S/C coach, Bengals.
