Shea Thompson is in his first season with the Cardinals after joining the team as Director, Football Performance on 3/1/23.
He came to Arizona from the San Francisco 49ers where he spent the past four years (2019-22) as the director of performance monitoring/assistant strength & conditioning. During his four years with San Francisco, the 49ers played in three NFC Championship games (2021-22, '19) and advanced to Super Bowl LIV following his first season with the team.
Prior to working with the 49ers, the 38-year old Thompson spent three seasons (2016-18) with the Cincinnati Bengals strength & conditioning department as a sports scientist. During his time in Cincinnati, he also served as a sports science specialist with Ignition Athletic Performance Group.
He previously spent four years (2012-15) as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at the University of Minnesota and interned at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO in 2011. Thompson also served as the head of athletic physical preparation at Fit2Live Gym in Iowa City, IA, in 2011.
Thompson served as an assistant strength & conditioning coach at Northern Illinois University between 2008-10 after spending three years (2006-08) at the University of Nebraska as an assistant strength & conditioning coach with the football team where he began as a volunteer in 2006.
A native of Woodbine, IA, Thompson played linebacker at Buena Vista University for four years (2003-06) where he earned his bachelor's in Exercise Science. He later earned his master's in Kinesiology from Northern Illinois University in 2009.
Thompson is a certified strength & conditioning specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association and also holds a blue belt in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. In 2019, he began working on his Doctorate in Human Performance & Innovation through the University of Limerick in Ireland under Dr. John Kiely.
He and his wife, Brynja, have two sons, Wylder and Oakes.
