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Rainer Sabin / Reporter
A man who was on the Cowboys' staff during their last dynasty agreed to rejoin the organization Friday as the team's strength and conditioning coach. Mike Woicik, who has spent the last 11 seasons serving in a similar capacity with the New England Patriots, will return to the franchise where he earned three of his six Super Bowl rings.
From 1990-1996, Woicik worked behind the scenes in Dallas, where he made a major impact. Before he arrived at Valley Ranch, the Cowboys had an outdoor weight room and sub-standard equipment. He pushed for renovations and upgrades, persuading owner Jerry Jones to invest the funds necessary to make them.
As former coach Jimmy Johnson attempted to reshape the Cowboys, he charged Woicik with overseeing their offseason workouts and gave him the authority to administer fines. The team, at Woicik's suggestion, also created incentives for players who performed well in the training sessions.
By the end of his third season with the Cowboys, Woicik was honored by his peers when he was named the best strength and conditioning coach in the league. Years later, in his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech, former Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin thanked Woicik for his efforts.
But Woicik left the team in January 1997, only months after he was involved in a heated argument with Johnson's successor, Barry Switzer, when both men were on the sidelines during a game against Green Bay. The altercation began when Switzer elected to send Chris Boniol on the field to attempt to convert his seventh field goal of a game the Cowboys would win 21-6.
Now, 14 years later, Woicik has returned to the city where his NFL career took flight.
A man who was on the Cowboys' staff during their last dynasty agreed to rejoin the organization Friday as the team's strength and conditioning coach. Mike Woicik, who has spent the last 11 seasons serving in a similar capacity with the New England Patriots, will return to the franchise where he earned three of his six Super Bowl rings.
From 1990-1996, Woicik worked behind the scenes in Dallas, where he made a major impact. Before he arrived at Valley Ranch, the Cowboys had an outdoor weight room and sub-standard equipment. He pushed for renovations and upgrades, persuading owner Jerry Jones to invest the funds necessary to make them.
As former coach Jimmy Johnson attempted to reshape the Cowboys, he charged Woicik with overseeing their offseason workouts and gave him the authority to administer fines. The team, at Woicik's suggestion, also created incentives for players who performed well in the training sessions.
By the end of his third season with the Cowboys, Woicik was honored by his peers when he was named the best strength and conditioning coach in the league. Years later, in his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech, former Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin thanked Woicik for his efforts.
But Woicik left the team in January 1997, only months after he was involved in a heated argument with Johnson's successor, Barry Switzer, when both men were on the sidelines during a game against Green Bay. The altercation began when Switzer elected to send Chris Boniol on the field to attempt to convert his seventh field goal of a game the Cowboys would win 21-6.
Now, 14 years later, Woicik has returned to the city where his NFL career took flight.
