James Hester arrived on "The Hill" in January of 2002, having most recently served as the assistant strength and conditioning coach at South Carolina.

He serves the Bulldog athletic department as the strength and conditioning coach for football, men's and women's basketball and women's softball.

Hester, a native of Durham, N.C., got his start in 1994 as the assistant strength and conditioning coach at South Carolina State under head coach Willie Jeffries. He spent four seasons with the Bulldogs before heading to USC in 1998, where he would spend the next four years.

At USC, he assisted with the football team, and was in charge of the women's golf team, and men's and women's cheerleading squads. Hester also served as a personal trainer for three years for then-Philadelphia Eagles starting running back Duce Staley (currently with the Pittsburgh Steelers). During Hester's last two years at USC, he was a part of the Gamecocks' winning back-to-back Outback Bowls against Ohio State.

As an athlete, Hester played free safety for four seasons at South Carolina State before graduating in 1993. While in Orangeburg, he was named first-team all-conference in 1993 and served as defensive team captain. That same year, Hester was also named a Sheridan Black College All-America and Honorable Mention Division I-AA All-America.

Hester is a certified strength and conditioning coach and a member of the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCA).

James and his wife, Telesa, are the parents of one son James, Jr.