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Ron Randleman Strength & Fitness Center
The centerpiece of the Bearkat Strength & Conditioning program is Sam Houston State's 11,000-square foot Ron Randleman Strength and Fitness Center.
One of the finest intercollegiate strength and fitness centers in the Southwest, the facility consists omen's and women's dressing rooms, a 9,000-square foot area for weights and training and offices which house each of Sam Houston’s three full-time strength coaches. The center is used by all 17 Bearkat intercollegiate athletic teams.
The center was made possible by a gift of $250,000 by Houston businessman and Bearkat alum Ron Mafrige with the formal dedication ceremony for the center being held Saturday, Oct. 28, 2006.
The facility is named for Ron Randleman, head football coach at Sam Houston for 23 years (from 1982 to 2004). Randleman totaled 132 victories and led the Bearkats to five conference championships and four national playoff appearances during his coaching tenure.
He also served as director of athletics from 1984 to 1990, coordinating the University's move from the NAIA and Lone Star Conference to membership in the Southland Conference and competition at the NCAA Division I level.
In 2010, a gift from Joe and Nancy Bickley in honor of Nancy Gaertner - wife of then university president Dr. James Gaertner - was utilized to purchase 10 Hammer Strength fitness apparatus for the Bearkat women’s sports teams.
