Ross Kolodziej – Photo Courtesy of UW Athletics
Ross Kolodziej helped lead the Wisconsin Badgers to a pair of Big Ten championships as a player and has led the highly-regarded strength and conditioning program at his alma mater for the last six seasons. Now, the Stevens Point, Wisconsin native has been promoted to Paul Chryst’s coaching staff as UW’s defensive line coach for the 2021 season.
Kolodziej has spent the last seven seasons as a head strength and conditioning coach under Chryst, including the last six at Wisconsin. He spent the 2013 season as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Pittsburgh before being promoted to head strength coach a year later. He has served in the same capacity since returning to UW in 2015.
Prior to joining Chryst’s staff, Kolodziej served as a graduate assistant at Wisconsin in 2012, working with the Badgers’ defensive line. That followed a professional career that spanned seven seasons in the NFL and three in the United Football League, where the two-time team captain helped Las Vegas claim back-to-back league titles.
Kolodziej becomes the sixth UW alumnus on the Badgers’ coaching staff, joining Chryst, Jim Leonhard, Joe Rudolph, Jon Budmayr and Mickey Turner.
Kologziej was a 45-game starter on the defensive line for the Badgers, playing on the 1998 and 1999 Big Ten championship teams and in the 1999 and 2000 Rose Bowls. He was also a member of UW’s indoor and outdoor Big Ten championship teams in track and field in 2000 and 2001.