Stone works with University of Houston football

Joseph Stone III still has a screenshot of his career choice from his senior portfolio at Holly Springs High School.

“I knew what I wanted to be,” said the 2017 graduate who played football and competed in powerlifting. “In high school, I really started to focus on my own personal strength and conditioning. It helped me to be my best, and I wanted to have that same impact on other athletes.”

Eight years later, he continues to climb the career ladder. He just recently accepted a job as assistant strength and conditioning coach for football at the University of Houston, a Power Four school in the Big 12 Conference. He moved to Houston after two years at Abilene Christian, a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) school.

“It has added some stress, moving up to the higher level,” said Stone, 26. “It’s a big jump, but at the same time it is helping me grow. There’s a lot more that goes into it here. It has been a good transition for me. We have a brand new football facility, and wow, it’s amazing.”

Stone has both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Delta State University, completing those programs in just five years. He also played football at DSU. His first job as assistant strength and conditioning coach was at Millsaps College in Jackson. He worked with athletes in several sports, including football, soccer, softball and tennis. He then took the same position at Jackson State University, where the head football coach was Deion Sanders. He also worked with other sports programs.

“I think I was so focused on being the best strength coach that I could be that I didn’t really soak up the environment,” Stone said about his one year at JSU. “There were celebrities in there almost every football game, and I didn’t even think to get any photos with them. As a young coach, I had to stay locked in on my job and do it well.”

Next came Abilene Christian, and then he applied for the Houston job in April of this year.

“I had no connections at the school,” Stone said. “They pulled my resume, called me on the phone, and we talked. Then I went to a conference that their staff members were also attending, and I was interviewed. They later told me that I was a finalist, but they were going in a different direction.”

A month later, one of the assistant strength and conditioning coaches at Houston left, and he got a call asking if he was still interested.

“I said yes, they offered me the job, and here I am,” he said.

The Cougars, led by head coach Willie Fritz, started fall camp on Tuesday, July 29. Stone is working with wide receivers and defensive backs in the weight room.

A major part of his role as assistant strength and conditioning coach is tracking a GPS devise worn by each football player.

“It monitors all sorts of performance metrics, like speed, distance and heart rate,” Stone said. “I zoom in on certain ones and report to the coaches. I keep track of the athlete’s load. It plays a big part in their health.”

Stone is married to the former Delandria Dowdy, also a Holly Springs native. They were high school sweethearts, and they just celebrated their one-year wedding anniversary. She graduated from Itawamba Community College and attended Mississippi State University. She works as a veterinary technician.

“God gave me a vision and the discipline to work at it and achieve the things I set out to do,” Stone said. “The goal was always to work at the highest levels, and I’m grateful to be doing that here at the University of Houston at such a young age.”