We are excited to announce that Tony Heath has joined our team of advisors as a Senior Consultant at Athlete Training and Health. Many of you know him as Coach Heath, as he lead the Pearland Oilers to a 2010 state championship and a 2013 title appearance. However, after 20 seasons, it was time to take on a different challenge. He is now working full-time as a business development manager for Hellas Construction. Having an extensive background in athletics and love guiding the athletic careers of many great athletes, aligning with Tony was a no brainer.
Tony Heath grew up in Abernathy Texas. Heath began his coaching career in 1985 as a Graduate Assistant at the University of Texas – Arlington and joined Santa Fe High School as a varsity assistant in 1986. Beginning in 1989 he joined the La Marque High School staff and was a part of four state championship appearances which included back-to-back state championships (’95 and ’96) during his eight year tenure.
Coach Heath's final record was 195-53, making him the winningest coach in Pearland history.
In 1997, Heath was hired as Head Football Coach and Athletic Coordinator at Pearland High School. He inherited a football team that had a 9-90-1 record over the previous ten seasons and led them to the playoffs in his very first season (1997). After missing the playoffs in ’98 and ‘99, he led the Oilers to the playoffs each season since 2000 – a streak which that spanned 17 seasons. During that span, the Oilers made 6 trips to the regional finals, 4 to the state semifinals and 2 to the state championship. His 2010 Oiler squad was Class 5A Team of the year and set a new Pearland record at 16-0 and won the school’s first Class 5A Division I State Championship by defeating then No. 1 nationally-ranked Euless (TX) Trinity 28-24. His final record was 195-53, making him the winningest coach in Pearland history.
Over the course of his tenure at Pearland, he received numerous awards and accolades: 2001 Houston Chronicle Coach of the Year, Touchdown Club of Houston Coach of the Year Finalist from 2000 – 2008, Touchdown Club’s Coach of the Year in 2010, District Coach of the Year in 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2010. He has served on the Board of Directors for both the Greater Houston (President) and Texas High School Coaches Associations and was inducted into the Ronnie Bell Hall of Honor in 2012. Heath also had the privilege of coaching in the Bayou Bowl in 2003, 2007 and 2009.
We took a moment to learn more about Tony and why he chose to work with Athlete Training and Health in our Houston training centers.
Coach Health and his Pearland Oilers state title of the Class 5A, Division 1 state championship game at Cowboys Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 18, 2010, in Arlington. Photo Courtesy of the Houston Chronicle: Smiley N. Pool, Staff
ATH: Why did you choose to work alongside ATH?
TH: I believe in what ATH is all about. I believe they have the athletes best interest in mind. I have seen the results of athletes training with ATH. They truly care about the athletes they work with. The environment around ATH is always a positive one.
ATH: What is your connection to Houston?
TH: I have lived/coached in Houston area 30 plus years. I have been involved in different athletic organizations during this time.
ATH: What are some of your best experiences with Texas athletics?
TH: Getting to see athletes grow physically as well as mentally. Using athletics as a platform to teach life lessons.
ATH: What motivates amateur athletes?
TH: I think being able to see results from the work they put into it.
ATH: What lessons would you want to make sure amateur athletes believe and buy into to be the best they can be?
TH: That becoming a better athlete is not a quick fix. It takes commitment and hard work to get what you want out of it. Simply, you get out of it what you put into it.
ATH: What’s the importance of training the right way?
TH: It is very important that an athlete trains and diets the proper way. This helps prevent injuries and enables an athlete to get maximum benefit from their training.
ATH: How has an athlete’s overall “health” become a more important aspect of their sports life recently?
TH: It is very important that an athlete takes care of all aspects of one’s health to achieve what one wants to achieve on the athletic field. And that is physically, mentally, and socially.
ATH: What’s the importance of athletics and fitness to a person’s overall well being?
TH: Simply it is never too late to train and care about one’s self. I truly believe one has to care about themselves before they can care about others.
We have two training centers in the Houston area. We have our South Houston center located at the Houston Sports Park just north of Pearland. Our second, North Houston, location is at the Memorial Hermann Sports Park home of the Farm League in Spring, Texas. Our dedicated team of expert coaches are prepared to help your athlete reach their full potential. We are committed to aligning with trusted people, like Tony Heath to help make your athletes experience top notch. Our training centers combine performance for athletes of all levels and ages — from youth to pro as well as active adults — with advanced wellness and sports medicine. Athlete Training and Health’s elite coaches and world-class facilities will help athletes reach their goals using data and science in a fun, athletic environment.
In our Houston locations, we work in collaboration with Memorial Hermann to bring together experienced sports performance and sports medicine professionals so we can provide thorough assessments of sports or exercise injuries.
If you have more questions, please contact us or give us a call at either of our Houston locations. (North Houston: 832.698.9821 or South Houston 713.909.0085).