STAFF
SHEA THOMPSON
Sports Science Specialist
Shea is in his 2nd season as the Bengal’s Sports Scientist/Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach. In his role Thompson assists Coach Marvin Lewis with the implementation of GPS technology to manage practice volumes and intensities for the team. Thompson continues to add technologies to the team with the goal of individualizing player’s recovery needs and optimizing wellness. Along with the Sports Scientist role, Thompson assists in the daily strength & conditioning program.
Prior to joining the Bengals, Thompson worked as an Assistant Strength & Conditioning coach in a similar Sports Science role at the University of Minnesota. He spent four seasons on Jerry Kill’s staff at Minnesota and two at Northern Illinois University.
As an assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach at Minnesota, Thompson was responsible for the design and implementation of strength training and on-field drills for the Defensive Line. In his Sports Science role, Thompson assisted Coach Kill with monitoring player wellness and providing recommendations to improve player performance. At Minnesota, Thompson implemented various monitoring technologies such as GPS, wellness and subjective measures, and Heart Rate Variability (HRV).
While at Minnesota, Thompson was one of a select group of featured speakers at various Sports Science workshops dealing with various topics under the umbrella of Sports Science & GPS. In January 2015, he served on a panel (“Common problems with technology”) at the Catapult GPS Football Performance work-shop. In 2016, he presented (“Using Catapult to Problem Solve”) at this same workshop. This past February at the NFL Combine, Thompson was invited to sit on a panel at the NFL Football Performance and Technology Symposium sponsored by the NFL.
Prior to Minnesota, Thompson’s previous experience includes work at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Northern Illinois University, and the University of Nebraska.
Thompson holds a master’s degree from Northern Illinois University and an undergraduate degree from Buena Vista University. He played football for Buena Vista and also holds a blue belt in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.
