Randy Bird Named Director Of Sports Nutrition For Virginia Athletics Department
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CHARLOTTESVILLE—Randy Bird, sports nutritionist at the University of Kansas the last five years, has been named director of sports nutrition for the Virginia athletics department. Virginia Executive Associate Director of Athletics Jon Oliver announced Bird’s appointment on Friday (Aug. 6).
Bird created and implemented the first sports nutrition program at Kansas where he provided nutrition education and counseling for the Jayhawks’ 18 intercollegiate athletics teams. He worked with Kansas’ sports medicine, sports performance and coaching staffs to promote enhanced performance and optimal health for each student-athlete.
Bird will be responsible for the development and coordination of optimal nutritional services at Virginia and for the nutritional development and care of student-athletes. He will consult with teams and individual student-athletes to provide direction and communicate the value of nutrition programs specifically designed to promote their health and performance. He will also work with the chef to develop menus for the training table and organize cooking demonstrations and grocery store visits for student-athletes to help them make better food choices.
“I am very pleased that Randy Bird has agreed to join our staff as director of sports nutrition,” Oliver said. “Proper nutrition is a critical component in athletic development and performance. This position impacts the daily nutrition of our student-athletes and they will benefit from Randy’s knowledge and experience. His hiring is consistent with our desire to enhance the success of our student-athletes and support our teams in their pursuit of ACC and national championships.”
Prior to his position at Kansas, Bird was a clinical dietitian at The Washington Hospital in Washington, Pa., for two years and also worked as a sports nutritionist in the Greater Pittsburgh area. He also served as a clinical dietitian for Carilion Health Services, Inc., at Giles Memorial Hospital in Giles, Va., and NRV Medical Center in Radford, Va., for one year.
Bird spent three years at Virginia Tech serving as a strength and conditioning intern, sports nutrition intern and a graduate teaching assistant in the department of human nutrition, foods and exercise science.
He earned a bachelor’s of science degree in human nutrition, foods and exercise science from Virginia Tech in 1999 and a master’s of science degree in nutrition for sports from Virginia Tech in 2005. He served a dietetic internship at the University of Delaware in 2002.
“I am excited to be the new director of sports nutrition for the University of Virginia athletics department,” Bird said. “I look forward to returning to the Commonweath of Virginia and am eager to help the Cavalier student-athletes perform their best on and off the field.”
Bird is a registered dietitian and a certified specialist in sports dietetics with the American Dietetic Association, and a certified strength and conditioning coach with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He is an executive committee member of the Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietitians Association.
Bird assumes his responsibilities at Virginia on August 16. He replaces Rob Skinner who resigned to accept a position with Navy Special Warfare in Virginia Beach, Va.