Staff Directory
- Title:
- Director of Strength and Conditioning
- Email:
- Phone:
- 215-895-2026
Michael Rankin joined the Drexel University Strength and Conditioning program in 2002 and has served as its director since 2008. Rankin is a National Strength and Conditioning Association Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, a Registered Strength and Conditioning Coach and is also a Registered Strength & Conditioning Coach Emeritus (RSCC*E).
Rankin has played an integral role in the success of Drexel University Athletics. During his time with the Dragons, he has coached over 20 all-Americans. Notable team performances include Colonial Athletic Association championships for men's and women's basketball in 2021, women’s basketball in 2009, field hockey in 2012, men’s soccer in 2013 and men’s lacrosse in 2014 and a WNIT championship in 2013. The women's lacrosse team has also been to back-to-back NCAA Championships after winning the 2022 CAA title.
The 2007 NSCA Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year, Rankin came to University City in September 2002 as a graduate assistant following an internship with Mike Boyles Strength & Conditioning in Woburn, Mass. Just five months later, he was named the interim head strength and conditioning coach and was elevated to director in 2008.
With a dedication to improve himself as a coach, Rankin interned with the Cleveland Browns in 2013. Additionally, Rankin has presented at the NSCA National Conference and the Juniata Strength and Conditioning Clinic. In 2015, he co-founded the Philadelphia Area Strength & Conditioning Association.
Beginning in 2016, Rankin has served as an adjunct professor with Drexel University Online. He has sat on the exercise science advisory board at his alma mater, West Chester University, since 2014.
Rankin is deeply committed to the fight against lupus and is a board member of the Philadelphia Tri-State chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America after serving as a committee member since 2014. Additionally, he has captained Team Jeanne at the Lupus Loop 5k Run and 2.5K Walk from 2002 onward.
A competitor at heart, Rankin is a 2004 national champion dragon boat racer and attended the 2013 skeleton combine at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, N.Y. He has also competed in two Red Bull 400s, a 400-meter race on an extreme uphill slope.
Rankin graduated with a degree in kinesiology from West Chester in 2002. Prior to West Chester, he attended Western Maryland College, now McDaniel College, and was a member of the 1997 Centennial Conference champion football team that went 10-0 in the regular season and received an NCAA berth. He completed his master’s degree in sport management at Drexel in 2016.
Rankin is an NSCA certified personal trainer and holds club coach and sports performance coach certifications from USA Weightlifting. He holds additional certifications from USA Track & Field, YogaFit, TRX, RKC, Precision Nutrition Level 1, Precision Nutrition Level 1 Sleep, Stress Management, and Recovery Coaching, RPR Level 1 and Jump Stretch.
