The Green Bay Packers finalized their strength & conditioning staff by promoting Chris Gizzi to strength & conditioning coordinator.  The team also retained Mark Lovat, Thadeus and Grant Thorne as strength & conditioning assistants.

Gizzi has spent the last five seasons as a strength & conditioning assistant for the Packers.  He joined Green Bay after spending the 2013 season at the University of North Carolina as the Tar Heels’ assistant football strength and conditioning coach.

Gizzi played linebacker for the Packers for two seasons, appearing in 23 games for the club in 2000-01.  He entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with Denver in 1998 and spent the 1998 and 1999 seasons on the Broncos’ reserve/military list while honoring his military commitment.  Gizzi lettered three times at Air Force (1994, 1996-97) and was named the Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year in both ’96 and ’97.

Lovat enters his 21st season with the Packers and served as the teams strength and conditioning coordinator since 2010.  Lovat was named the NFL Strength Coach of the Year for his work in 2011 by the Professional Football Strength and Conditioning Coaches Society, an award based on a vote of his peers in the field.