Assistant Sports Performance Coach Tony Bixler began working at Campbell University in October 2023. Bixler works with the Fighting Camels men’s basketball, men’s golf, and women’s golf teams – coming to Buies Creek from Fort Liberty where he was contracted to the US Army as a
tactical strength and conditioning coach. At Fort Liberty, he oversaw the physical readiness training for approximately 130 soldiers of the 18th Field Artillery Brigade. Prior to his time at Fort Liberty, he served as an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for the University of Washington football program where he gained experience training elite college football athletes.
Bixler worked at Newberry College from 2019-2022 where he served as the Director of Strength, Conditioning, and Sports Performance (2020-2022) after being promoted from assistant strength and conditioning coach (2019-2020). Bixler managed a staff of three assistant strength and conditioning coaches and several student-interns. Bixler’s staff served 23 teams and 700+ male and female student-athletes. He specifically managed the annual training programs for football, women’s basketball, women’s soccer, softball, baseball (pitchers), and wrestling. During Bixler’s time at Newberry the football team won the South Atlantic Conference championship in 2021, wrestling won the 2020 Conference Carolinas championship, and the baseball team won the SAC championship in 2019.
Prior to working at Newberry College, Bixler had the opportunity to work for the Chinese Olympic Committee as the Head Performance Coach for the National Men’s Rifle Team (2018-2019). His rifle athletes won the team Silver Medal at the 2018 World Championships. He worked directly with individual world champions Yang Haoran, Yao Yuncong, and Hui Zicheng (Asian Games).
Prior to working in China, Bixler operated a personal training and sports performance business from 2010-2018. He also coached football at several Columbia area high schools in South Carolina, where he assisted in design and management of off-season strength and conditioning programs. Prior to his career in sports performance, he served in law enforcement (2004-2010) for the Richland County Sheriff’s Department in Columbia, SC – initially as a Uniform Patrol Deputy and later as a Criminal Investigator.
Bixler earned a Master of Science in Exercise Science from the University of South Carolina in 2017 and a Bachelor of Science in Criminology and Criminal Justice in 2004. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association and a Level 1 Weightlifting Coach through United States Weightlifting (USAW-1).
