Meet the Former New York Yankees Coach Who Now Calls Greene Home
A former coach who spent twelve years working with some of the greatest within the New York Yankee organization has opted for the country life and now calls Greene his home.
From 2002 to 2014, Dana Cavalea served as the Director of Strength and Conditioning and Performance for the New York Yankees, working with greats such as Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and Mariano Rivera and helped to lead the team to the World Championship in 2009.
Not only did Cavalea help lead the New York Yankees to a World Championship but that same year, he was honored with the Nolan Ryan Award which is given to the top Strength and Performance Coach in Major League Baseball as voted on by their peers.
The story of Cavalea's career with the New York Yankees is a dream, really. While attending the University of South Florida and interning with the school's football team in strength and conditioning, 19-year-old Cavalea was informed by a professor that the Yankees, who were in nearby Tampa for spring training, were looking for an intern.
The very next day, Cavalea drove to spring training camp and began a three-year internship, working on stretching with legends Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte. After his internship, Cavalea became an assistant, and then at the age of 23, he became a coach for the New York Yankees.
The Southern Tier seems to have a special draw to former figures within the Yankees organization. Before his death, former New York Yankees manager Billy Martin lived in Port Crane, Broome County. Now, Cavalea a native of Mount Sinai, a hamlet on Long Island, calls neighboring Chenango County his home.
For the last two years, Cavalea and his wife Lauren have lived on 180 acres of land and operate a farm they call Freedom Farms. The Cavalea family raises grass-fed beef, pasture-raised pigs, and free-range meat chickens as well as egg-laying chickens.
When he's not managing his massive farm, Cavalea helps business executives worldwide through his online performance coaching business.