(Dog safety Eugene Clinton go through the paces.)

The seven tests measure how much athletes can bench press, squat, and clean lift, as well as how fast they can run the 40-yard dash and how high they can jump vertically. In addition, they must do a specified numbers of pull ups and dips.

Grant said the benchmarks a player must achieve in each category are based on the athlete's weight because "it's the only way I could come up with a fair measurement scale."

As a result of their performance, if the athletes reach the benchmark in five of the seven categories, they qualify to be an "Iron Dawg," and will be pictured on the annual poster. Anyone achieving the benchmarks in all seven categories attains "Elite Iron Dawg" status.

"The program is designed to be an off-season motivational tool for the players," explained Grant. "The program starts in January and runs for about two and a half months. It ends with a week-long series of tests.

"We do the program in the spring when there's really nothing going on," said Grant. "It's hard for the guys to come over here every day to work out, so we started it to get them over here and give them goals to work toward."

The testing takes place right before spring break and coincides with when the pro scouts are on campus timing juniors in the 40-yard dash. "I work the testing into that week for our 40-yard dash times," Grant explained. "During the testing week we do two lifts a day, and on Friday players can come back any time and try to improve on their lift."

The program has really grown. "We had 17 players on the first poster in 1997, and the number has grown each year," stated Grant. "We had 52 guys make the 2000 poster. The guys look forward to it each year."

While Grant acknowledges that the growth is good, he said it has created a few problems, especially when it comes to the annual Iron Dawgs poster, which has become a hot commodity.

"This has grown way beyond what I expected it would," explained Grant. "I have so many calls for the posters now that I don't have time to do all of the mailing. I want to get all of the posters out because I want everyone to see the guys that really worked so hard."

Grant said the Iron Dawg program and the resulting posters are all about only one thing: the players. "I do this (create and mail the poster) for the guys, to show and promote them for all of the hard work and effort they put in during the off season," he explained. The demand for the posters aside, Grant said the increasing number of players achieving either Iron Dawg or Elite Iron Dawg status has created another problem for him.

(Bulldog strength coach Mike Grant originatedthe Iron Dawgs program five years ago.)

"I'm going to increase the standards for next spring," he said. "We need to make sure that being an "Iron Dawg" is something special and meaningful." Grant said three players, Eugene Clinton, Edward Yeates, and Rob Knight have made their fifth Iron Dawg poster.

"They are fine young men and they have worked very hard," said Grant. Clinton, a 190-pound senior from Jackson plays the Bulldog's DOG position (strong safety) on defense. He has been an Elite Iron Dawg the past two years.

"I wanted to be there (Elite Iron Dawg status)," he said "I missed in one area, and all year long I kept working and working, but I missed again the next year. I just kept working hard until I made it. And, when I made it, I felt great!"

Clinton said the program definitely motivated him in several different ways. "You see the posters in hundreds of different stores," he explained. "I live in Jackson and almost every store I go in, I see an Iron Dawgs poster. It's something special to be on the poster." In addition to being on the poster, Clinton said the program has made him a more knowledgable person and a better person. "The program has made me grow into a young man that understands what life is about and what it takes to succeed," he explained. "It has taught me how to approach, understand, and talk to different people, and has shown me what is out there waiting for me when I graduate." Clinton believes that in addition to motivating the players, the Iron Dawg program also brings them closer together as a team.

"It definitely brings the team together," he explained. "The program's all about working hard, dedication, and the love we have for one another." One of the ways players develop their closeness is through their training regimen. In addition to working in the weight room, Clinton said the players also work out on the track and in an obstacle course area. "Most of the guys go up to the course to work out," said Clinton. "We do things like climb 20-30 foot ropes with no knots, pull 50-60 pound tires through a 40-yard sand pit, and push 40-50 pound sleds with someone on them."

Yeates, a senior linebacker from Starkville, has been an Iron Dawg for five years and an Elite Iron Dawg for four of those. "After that first year, everyone wanted to get in the weight room and get on that poster," he said.

Yeates said a strong belief in Christ has enabled him to be an "Elite Dawg." "I bring my spiritual discipline into Iron Dawgs," Yates said. "I believe my spiritual strength helps me with my physical strength. There was a time when I was hurt and had to have two surgeries (one on his shoulder and one on his knee), and my spiritual strength helped me come back after the surgeries to make it as an Elite Iron Dawg."

(fullback Darnell Jones urges on quarterback Wayne Madkin)

While he has been a five-year Iron Dawg, Knight, a linebacker from Erial, N.J., became an Elite Iron Dawg for the first time this past spring. "Coach Grant has come in here and done a great job," said Knight. "His program has made me a lot bigger and stronger, and the competition it creates has really helped us as a team." Knight says that aside from being bigger and stronger, he is more confident. And, that confidence is not just on the football field. "Coming from a bad neighborhood in a town in New Jersey, I never thought I would be a college graduate," he explained. "The program has made me believe that I can do as much as anyone else, and as a result of the confidence I have gained, I graduated with a degree in marketing last May, and am now working on my master's degree."

Clinton echoed Knight's praise for the program the staff. "I love this program and this school," said Clinton. "It's been one of the best things in my life to have come to Mississippi State."