CINCINNATI \u2014 Bengals legendary strength coach Kim Wood passed away on Tuesday night. He was 80 years old. <\/p>\n
Wood was the NFL’s first full-time strength coach. He joined the Bengals in 1975, which was Paul Brown’s final season as head coach. He remained in Cincinnati through the 2002 season. <\/p>\n
Brown had a vision for what NFL strength and conditioning should look like and Wood was the perfect person to lead the charge. <\/p>\n
Legendary Bengals linebacker Reggie Williams reacted to the news on Facebook:<\/p>\n
“Sadly, I was told that Cincinnati Bengals Strength and Conditioning Coach Kim Wood passed away.” Williams wrote<\/a>. “No other one person is responsible for turning an Ivy League prospect into a 14 year starting linebacker in the NFL than Kim Wood. If he demanded one more rep, I would give him two. Absolutely no steroids! Just 8-12 perfect reps to failure, three times a week, keep a chart, don\u2019t cheat yourself, and always improve, every workout, no matter where you are on the planet. Pain is your friend. Only appears when making you stronger. Rest In Eternity my friend.”<\/p>\n Wood pushed the Bengals to the limit and did it in a clean way\u2014especially with so many professional athletes turning to steroids in the 1970s and 1980s. <\/p>\n “The great athletes would do what Paul Brown talked about,” Wood told Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com<\/a> in 2016<\/a>. “They had fierce hearts and they ran on their own gas. The great athletes didn’t take drugs. And if you ever asked them to ‘Hey, try this,’ they’d probably punch you in the face. It was not a part of their ethic.”<\/p>\n Wood leaves behind four children and nine grandchilden. A celebration of life will be announced in the spring according to Bengals.com.<\/a><\/p>\n Great being an the annual Cincinnati Iron League meeting…listening to my friend former #Bengals<\/a> strength coach Kim Wood give his wisdom on training, strength, toughness, life, and more \ud83d\udc4d\ud83c\udffb\ud83d\udc4d\ud83c\udffb pic.twitter.com\/ucg3YcGKXT<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Rocky Boiman (@ROCKYBOIMAN50) July 20, 2019<\/a><\/p>\n Sign UP For Our DAILY Newsletter for MORE FREE Coverage of the Cincinnati Bengals Delivered to YOU Directly<\/a><\/p>\n For more on the Bengals,\u00a0subscribe to our YouTube Channel<\/a> and be sure to check us out on your favorite audio platforms, including Apple Podcasts<\/a>, Spotify<\/a>, iHeartRadio<\/a> and Amazon<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Make sure you\u00a0bookmark BengalsTalk.com\u00a0for the latest Bengals news<\/a>, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more! We’re a one-stop shop for all things Cincinnati Bengals!<\/p>\n —–<\/p>\n Join the\u00a063,000+ Bengals fans that subscribe to us on YouTube.<\/a><\/p>\n Follow us on Twitter\/X:\u00a0@BengalsTalkSI<\/a><\/p>\n Join the 115,000+ Bengals Fans That Have Liked Our Facebook Page<\/a><\/p>\n Subscribe and follow the Locked On Bengals Podcast: the ONLY Daily Bengals Podcast<\/a><\/p>\n Join the 49,000+ Bengals Fans That Follow Us on TikTok<\/a><\/p>\n