Stanford Director of Football Sports Performance Shannon Turley was named the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s coach of the year on Wednesday.

Turley joined the Cardinal when Jim Harbaugh took over as head coach in 2007. Since then, the Cardinal’s injury numbers have dropped dramatically. According to one statistic provided by Turley in April, Stanford suffered 26 injuries in 2006 that required season-ending or postseason surgery, but only 24 of them over a five-season span from 2008 to 2012.

Turley received a standing ovation from the team after its Wednesday practice. He is the first Stanford strength and conditioning coach to receive the honor in its 34-year history.

For more on Turley, see Winston Shi’s three-part feature from last spring.

Contact Joseph Beyda at jbeyda ‘at’ stanford.edu.