Pittsburgh Steelers’ longtime head strength and conditioning coach Marcel Pastoor will leave the organization after 23 years with the team. Pastoor announced the news on his LinkedIn account, stating that he was ready for a change, and now the team will look for someone new in that role.
“Steelers Nation, and all my connections, Thank you so much. I have been unbelievably gifted to work for the greatest company, greatest owners, and coaches and staff for the past 23 years, and I am ready for a change. Startins at the top, whatever you heard about the Rooney family, you dont even know half of it. They truly are amazing people, and the character every day. I can not be grateful enough to them, and would do anything ever asked for the Rooney family, and for Coach Cowher, and for Mike Tomlin,” Pastoor said.
Pastoor became the Head Strength and Conditioning coach after Garrett Giemont was named the team’s Senior Conditioning Coordinator. He explained a desire to stay in the Pittsburgh area and thanked mentors like former strength coach Chet Fuhrman and Giemont. That will mean the Steelers organization is looking at some significant turnover in the coaching department already. Pastoor is the second staff member known to be leaving after Glenn Thomas took the quarterbacks coach job with Matt Rhule’s Nebraska program.
Pastoor had been with the Steelers since 2001 when he started as a strength and conditioning intern. He was promoted to strength and conditioning assistant in 2004 and was part of the team’s Super Bowl wins in 2005 and 2008. Before joining the Steelers, Pastoor spent one season with the Washington Football Team and two with Radford. He is a Virginia Tech alum.
Rodain Delus is the team’s Strength and Conditioning Assistant, and while it is unknown if he will assume the role or if someone new will come in from the outside, he at least has to be considered for the role. Delus has been with the team since nine years.