Brian Gearity headshot

Brian Gearity

Professor & Dir MA Coach Sports Education; Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, GSPP

What I do

I lead the Master of Arts in Sport Coaching program and the graduate certificate program in Strength, Conditioning, and Fitness Coaching.

Specialization(s)

sport, psychology, sociology

Professional Biography

Dr. Brian Gearity, ATC, CSCS, FNSCA is founding Director and Assistant Professor of the Master of Arts in Sport Coaching program, the Graduate Certificate in Strength and Conditioning (S&C) and Fitness Coaching, and specialized graduate certificates in S&C and the Psychology of Coaching at the University of Denver. Dr. Gearity has been a S&C coach for youth, high school, collegiate, and professional athletes, including stops at the University of Tennessee and Cleveland Indians. A Fellow of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), he is Editor-in-Chief for NSCA Coach, the NSCA’s journal dedicated to the practice of coaching, and Associate-Editor-in-Chief for Strength & Conditioning Journal. He also serves on the editorial board for Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, Sport Coaching Review, International Sport Coaching Journal, and the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity. Dr. Gearity’s research uses sociological and psychological theory to enhance quality coaching. He is co-editor of Coach Education and Development: Instructional Strategies [https://www.routledge.com/Coach-Education-and-Development-in-Sport-Instructional-Strategies-1st/Callary-Gearity/p/book/9780367367343], and co-author of Understanding Strength and Conditioning as Sport Coaching: Bridging the Biophysical, Pedagogical and Sociocultural Foundations of Practice[https://www.routledge.com/Understanding-Strength-and-Conditioning-as-Sport-Coaching-Bridging-the/Cassidy-Handcock-Gearity-Burrows/p/book/9781138301825], both published by Routledge in 2020.

Degree(s)

  • MBA, Executive Leadership, University of Denver, 2023
  • Ph.D., Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, University of Tennessee, 2009
  • MS, Human Performance & Sport Studies, University of Tennessee, 2003
  • BA, Physical Education & Exercise Science, John Carroll University , 2001

Licensure / Accreditations

  • USA Track and Field Level III Certification Sprints
  • Strength and Conditioning Coach Certified
  • Certified Athletic Trainer
  • USA Track and Field Level II Sprints, Hurdles, & Relays
  • USA Track and Field Level 1 Certification
  • Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist
  • United States of American Weightlifting Club Coach Certified

Media Sources

Areas of Research

sport
psychology
sociology
kinesiology
strength and conditioning
coaching
qualitative research
philosophy of science
Foucault
social theory

Presentations

Gearity, B. (2019). 1. Theoretical lenses and conceptual bricks: Organizing and mobilizing critical sport coaching research in neoliberal times. 5th International Cluster for Research into Coaching (CRiC). Worcester, England: Cardiff U., U. of Worcester, Manchester Met U.
Gearity, B., & Maloney, S. (2018). Becoming a culturally competent coach. US Lacrosse - Western Regional Conference. Las Vegas, NV: US Lacrosse.
Kuklick, C. R., & Gearity, B. (2016). A foucauldian intervention implemented for strength and conditioning coaches. North American Society for the Sociology of Sport Conference. Tampa, FL: North American Society for the Sociology of Sport .
Kuklick, C. R., & Gearity, B. (2015). Reflective practice in a coach education practicum. National Commitee for Accreditation of Coaching Education. National Coaching Conference.
Gearity, B., & Henderson Metzger, L. (2017). Intersectionality, microaggressions, and microaffirmations: Towards a cultural praxis of sport coaching. Annual Meeting of the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport. Windsor, Canada: North American Society for the Sociology of Sport.

Awards

  • Fellow of the National Strength & Conditioning Association, National Strength & Conditioning Association