Rankin

The scene includes beads of sweat dripping down athletes’ faces as they visualize and psych themselves up for the next rep.  The soundtrack blasting through the speakers varies anywhere from 2 Chainz Pandora radio to a 90’s hits playlist and is accompanied by the pounding and clinking of weights being lifted.  A motivational tone is constant as Michael Rankin, Director of Strength and Conditioning, oversees his weight room with pride.

            Referred to solely as “Rankin” by his athletes, Michael Rankin trains and motivates Drexel’s 18 varsity teams, rounding out to be over 480 student athletes.  His typical day starts with his first team at 6:30 am, followed by another 5 teams streaming in every half hour.  Rankin and his staff coach the athletes through their training programs that have been custom designed by Rankin himself.  He always tries to get his own workout in before he heads home for a just an hour’s break.  When asked about maintaining his personal training schedule throughout all of the mayhem, he emphasized the importance of setting an example for the students with the mindset that it will always be manageable to train.  “I’m not going to come up with an excuse, the same way I’m not going to let the kids come up with an excuse.” After returning, Rankin works with more teams until he ends his day at about 8:00 pm.  From sun up to sun down, the weight room runs like a well-oiled machine.

Rankin’s determination for success and commitment did not appear over night.  His passion for health and wellness began on his first day of school as a child.  “I hated going to school but I remember loving P.E,” he says.  In 5^th grade, Rankin was farming and performing manual labor, putting the money toward a home gym in his basement until he was old enough to join a larger facility.  Just about a decade later, Rankin was a collegiate football player at Western Maryland College until neck and back injuries forced him to transfer to West Chester University. As he was closer to his doctors and trainers, he moved on from football and focused on Olympic and power lifting programs.  After graduation, Rankin interned at a private training facility under Mike Boyle, the Director of Strength and Conditioning at Boston University. “Mike Boyle was the one who really showed me what a varsity weight room should like,” he states. From there, Rankin’s competitive spirit has driven him to pursue many different sports and training programs.  “I’ll do anything,” he says.  Rankin has competed in lifting, races and triathlons, but has also tried out for an Olympic team, American Gladiators, and was interviewed for MTV’s Made.  His most recent adventure was a charity bike race to the shore that took around six hours.  With it being only his second time on a road bike, Rankin is still feeling the aftermath about a week later.

As he works with both collegiate and professional athletes, Rankin describes the work ethic that is mandatory to find true success in his weight room. “Look, you can’t train heart.  So, you can try to motivate, try pick people up, try to create an atmosphere but if you don’t have heart, you don’t have heart.  All the yelling in the world, the best program in the world, doesn’t matter if you put forth no effort.” He has had experience with athletes from the NFL, NHL and the Olympic team and continues to practice an open door policy for anyone interested in taking advantage of his experience and knowledge.  “Once an athlete here, always an athlete here, in my eyes.  I love when people come back and train.  That’s probably my favorite part of this job,” he says.  The relationships that he has with his own coaches allow him to recognize the impact that he and his staff can have on the lives of his athletes.  “It’s pretty overwhelming and it’s something I take pretty seriously,” he says.

When asked about his dream job, Rankin was very clear by stating, “This is it.”  Although he’s been associated with top programs, including the Cleveland Browns and the Olympic Training Center, he recognizes the family atmosphere that surrounds him at Drexel.  Rankin also shared his desire to turn the single weight room into an entire performance center in years to come. “I’d rather focus on making the grass greener where I am, than continuing to move spots every few years with the hope that the grass is already greener there.  I’d rather tend to the grass where I am now and make sure it’s the best that I can make it.  That’s more rewarding than going to a big name and keeping it status quo.”

            From a young age, Rankin’s motivation and curiosity has taken him through experiences that most people only dream about.  Sharing his education and expertise along the way, he continues to inspire athletes of all levels to be the best version of themselves.  Teresha Bradley, a senior varsity athlete at Drexel University, states, “Rankin has always recognized my full potential as an athlete.  He’s always known I could do it, even before I did.”  As he pursues his long-term goals for a program that has reached new heights under his direction, Michael Rankin exemplifies dedication to Drexel Athletics.