Anthony Ponzo has been a strength and conditioning coach for all 11 athletic programs here at Sonoma State University since he began his career in the fall of 2019. Ponzo worked exclusively with the men’s and women’s basketball teams during the 2019-20 season before taking over the head strength and conditioning position during the 2020-21 academic year. Ponzo now works with all of SSU's athletic programs and student-athletes to design and implement speed, strength, and conditioning programs.
Coach Ponzo is a Santa Rosa native as both he and his wife Wendy were born and raised in Sonoma County. Ponzo attended Santa Rosa Junior College where he was coached by SSU Hall of Famer Lenny Wagner. He received a full athletic scholarship to Northern State University, South Dakota, as a football player where he went on to become a captain for the NSU program. At NSU, coach Ponzo graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Kinesiology, specializing in Human Performance and Fitness with an emphasis in Strength and Conditioning.
After college, he returned home to take a position working for Northern California Medical Group, where he led cardiac rehabilitation fitness classes for older adults. He also kicked off his coaching career as the varsity Defensive Coordinator for the Windsor High School football team.
He later apprenticed under legendary strength coach Cal Dietz at the University of Minnesota. There, his passion to train athletes was ignited. Working with Cal Dietz exposed coach Ponzo to new theories and methods of training. He had the opportunity to use these methods to train collegiate, professional, and olympic athletes. Coach Ponzo owns his own Sports Performance Facility in Santa Rosa called Complete Athlete. Along with training Sonoma State student-athletes, coach Ponzo also works closely with local high school athletic teams at Cardinal Newman High School, specializing in football, baseball, soccer, and basketball.
Integration within the community and mentoring young adults are always at the forefront of his professional philosophy as coach Ponzo enters his third full year with the Sonoma State athletics department and programs.
