Category: Professional Sports

Posted on by

Longtime Orioles head athletic trainer Richie Bancells retiring

Article reposted from The Baltimore Sun
Author: Eduardo A. Encina

Orioles head athletic trainer Richie Bancells, who has been a staple in the organization for more than four decades and is one of the team’s longest-tenured employees, told the club Sunday that this season — his 30th in his current role — will be his last.

Bancells told Orioles manager Buck Showalter before the Orioles’ season finale against the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday about his decision to retire.

“There’s not much more pertinent news than that from me today,” Showalter said. “A guy that has been such a fixture for us for so many years and made so many contributions for us. So many that people didn’t see, evaluations. Let’s face it, he was the trainer for Cal Ripken. The conversation starts and stops there for me.

“Seeing players come back and what Richie meant to them, the pureness of heart and how much he loves the Orioles. … It’s a loss for us. It’s like losing a really good player. It’s a loss for us. …”

“There were just a lot of great moments, whether it was postseason stuff,” Bancells said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to work with so many good, good players, some of them in the Hall [of Fame]. It’s just hard to pinpoint one or two things after all these years, but it’s just been a great time.”

Orioles Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. credited Bancells for getting him through his record consecutive-games-played streak, thanking him during his acceptance speed in Cooperstown in 2007.

“He’s one of the most respected trainers in the business,” Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette said “I’m sure he has some great war stories, but I want to thank him on behalf of the Orioles for his great work.

“There are a lot of players he’s helped over the years to be healthy and have great careers. He did it very professionally. He’s a great role model for young trainer coming into the big leagues and he grew as a professional over the course of his career. The Orioles owe a debt of thanks to Richie and we wish him all the best of luck.”

Over several generations, Bancells’ face was a recognizable face among Orioles fans as he would accompany the team’s manager to the field to attend to any injury concern.

“It makes you feel good,” Bancells said. “It does. It makes you know that they’re really true fans if they know who I am. And I actually have had the opportunity to help them. At times, they’ve asked me for advice and I’ve helped them with things and I’ve always enjoyed doing that. It touches you. It really does touch you.”

Bancells said he decided to retire to be able to spend more time with his wife of 39 years, Carol, his three children and seven young grandchildren.

“This has become pretty much a 24/7 year-round job,” Bancells said. “And that’s the thing, it’s realizing that you’re being dragged a little bit further from your family. And as I said, all of our kids are grown and they have spouses and I have seven beautiful grandchildren. I’m really anxious to spend time with them and do things and go places with my wife Carol that I haven’t had the chance to do.”

Posted on by

Twins athletic trainer Dave Pruemer decides to call it a career

Article reposted from StarTribune
Author: PHIL MILLER 

Even the excitement of a pennant race can’t beat the lure of home.

That’s what Twins athletic trainer Dave Pruemer has decided after 24 years in the organization, and 13 in the major leagues. Pruemer will retire once the season ends in order to move his family back to his and wife, Tina’s, tiny rural hometown of Teutopolis, Ill.

“It’s one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make,” said Pruemer, who will throw out the first pitch before Saturday’s game with the Tigers. But his children, Hannah, Dylan and Tyler, are now 16, 13 and 11, and “it was just time to get home and see the kids more. They’re at an age now where I realized, I don’t want to miss everything. I feel like I miss too much. I don’t want to travel eight months a year anymore.”

Pruemer, 46, was hired by the Twins in 1995, shortly after graduating from Southern Illinois, and he worked at nearly every level of the system, starting at rookie-level Elizabethton through Class AAA Rochester. He was promoted to the major leagues in 2005, and has been the team’s head athletic trainer in 2013.

“I’ve think I’ve known Dave my entire career,” said Joe Mauer, drafted by the Twins in 2001. “We shared a lot of laughs, and a lot of not-so-good times, too. But he’s been consistent the whole way through, every day, and you really appreciate that, especially in this sport.”

Added second baseman Brian Dozier: “He’s very blue-collar. He’s not a trainer who’s going to baby you. He’s a country guy who always shot it to you straight.”

In memoriam

After smashing an upper-deck home run in the second inning Friday, Eduardo Escobar waved his arms as he neared home plate, kissed his right hand and held it to the sky. The gesture had more meaning than usual for the Twins third baseman.

Escobar’s grandfather, Marquiade Escobar, died of a heart attack Thursday at his home in Venezuela. The 79-year-old had recently been hospitalized with a bout of bronchitis, his grandson said, but had been released and appeared to be recovering when he was stricken.

Escobar grew up about 15 miles from his grandfather, he said, and they were very close. “He always supported me,” Escobar said. “Mucho.”

Decisions, decisions

All of the Twins got to celebrate the team’s playoff slot Wednesday night in Cleveland, but not everybody will be coming to the wild-card game Tuesday, Twins manager Paul Molitor said. And so he began the somewhat difficult process on Friday of informing players that they probably won’t be on the playoff roster.

“You want to err on over-communicating those things,” Molitor said of breaking the bad news to players. “Some [meetings] have already happened, and some will happen tomorrow.”

Molitor said he had discussions with Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey, General Manager Thad Levine and their staffs on Friday about what shape the roster might take next Tuesday against either the Yankees or Red Sox. It’s likely they will have 10 or 11 pitchers on the roster for the game, Molitor said.

The Twins don’t have to turn in a final roster until Tuesday, Molitor said, and they might need the time to make a few final calls. Miguel Sano’s status “is the wild card,” he said. “A lot of people have contributed and not everybody is going to have a chance to be a part of it. It’s just the way it is.”

• The Twins don’t get to play host to the wild-card game, but that doesn’t mean fans can’t watch it at Target Field. The team will open the Delta Sky 360 level to fans, who can watch the 7 p.m. game on the scoreboard. Admission is free, and the team will provide games and music, with concession stands open.

Posted on by

Remembering the Vikings Fred Zamberletti

Article reposted from Vikings.com
Author: Eric Smith

Fred Zamberletti saw thousands of touchdowns while in Minnesota.

From Fran Tarkenton’s first, a 14-yard pass to Bob Schnelker on the team’s inaugural day, to Bill Brown, Chuck Foreman, Ahmad Rashad, Cris Carter or Randy Moss, the original Viking celebrated touchdowns from the sidelines for decades.

Zamberletti, 85, who has been with the team in some capacity since the franchise was founded in 1961, said he usually had a ritual of congratulating players who scored by giving them a tap on the back.

But during the 1998 season, the player who scored the most touchdowns for the Vikings that year wondered why he never got any love from Zamberletti, the longtime trainer for the Vikings.

“He said to me one time, ‘How come when I score touchdowns you don’t pat me on the back?’ I had to think about that quickly,” Zamberletti said with a smile as he recalled the interaction with Moss. “I said, ‘Because I know you’re going to do it again.’ He said, ‘You’re right.’

“That settled that,” Zamberletti said.

The 1998 season was Moss’ first with Minnesota and Zamberletti’s last as the team’s Head Athletic Trainer, a role he had held for almost 40 years. He was the Coordinator of Medical Services from 1999 to 2001 and has been a Consultant/Team Historian ever since.

The trainer from Iowa and the wide receiver from West Virginia bonded over the years, playing pickup basketball in the offseason and chatting their childhoods in coal mining country.

Zamberletti is one of 21 members of the Vikings Ring of Honor, a number that will soon grow to 23 with the additions of Moss and Rashad.

When Moss was surprised with the induction announcement in June, he spoke about the people who helped him secure a place in Vikings lore.

And he made sure to place a phone call to someone special to him.

“He called me up,” Zamberletti said. “I told him, ‘It’s an honor to have you in the Ring of Honor.’ ”

Moss responded: “No, it’s an honor for me to be with you in the Ring of Honor.”

 

Posted on by

Professional baseball provides an exciting and rewarding experience for athletic trainer

Article reposted from Illinois State University News
Author: Barbara Schlatter

School of Kinesiology and Recreation alum Dustin Vissering ’11 earned his bachelor’s degree in athletic training. A native of East Peoria, Illinois, Vissering said it was the fine reputation of Illinois State’s athletic training program that attracted him to the field. He always enjoyed following the Peoria Chiefs baseball team growing up and was aware of ISU’s involvement with the team. He was elated to land an internship during the summer following his junior year with the Chiefs because it meant he could live at home and spend the summer working for a professional baseball team.

Vissering stayed involved with collegiate baseball while earning his masters in sports management from Western Illinois University, before completing a year stint with the Kansas City Royals in 2013. He is currently in his fourth year as athletic trainer with the Texas Rangers where he was first hired in Rookie League, and later promoted through the system to Short Season A (Spokane Indians), and now to the Low A affiliate where he serves the Hickory Crawdads in North Carolina. A typical day for Vissering on a game night begins midday when he prepares the treatment room. Players spend 1-2 hours with him doing stretches, getting taped, or receiving massages to loosen up. The next couple of hours are spent observing the pitchers stretch and throw, and watching batting practice. The team eats dinner together before receiving pre-game treatments and getting dressed for the game. Post-game, Vissering takes care of the pitchers’ arms and shoulders, and provides more elaborate treatment for anyone who may have been injured during the game. There are also injury reports to be written before the day’s end. By 11 p.m. he is ready to go home.

The most challenging aspect of Vissering’s job is that he wears many hats besides being the team athletic trainer. When the team is on the road he not only cares for health and well-being of the players, but he prepares the trip itinerary, makes hotel arrangements, arranges workouts at the gym, and takes care of food for the team. If a player is promoted or demoted, Vissering assists with the travel arrangements and prepares documents for the player to transition to their new team. Juggling these duties to make sure everything goes smoothly requires constant organization and attention to detail.

The most rewarding part of his work occurs in his capacity as an athletic trainer. Seeing a player who has been injured follow Vissering’s rehabilitation protocol, and then return to the field and excel is very satisfying. It is clear to Vissering that the countless hours spent in the classroom and in clinical settings pays off in the end when you see how the players put their trust and faith in the athletic trainers.

Vissering was voted the 2016 South Atlantic League Athletic Trainer of the Year by his peers in the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (PBATS). He was also nominated and chosen by the Rangers to work as an athletic trainer in the 2016 Arizona Fall League.

Vissering’s fondest memories of ISU are from the friendships he made with the athletic training cohort and his professors, especially Kevin Laudner and Justin Stanek. His advice to new KNR alums is to, “Always go above and beyond what is expected. Treat everyone with respect and remember that there is no job that you’re too big for. Let your work speak for itself.”

Posted on by

Saints elevated Beau Lowery to director of sports medicine

Article reposted from The New Orleans Advocate
Author: NICK UNDERHILL

The Saints apparently made some changes to their training staff this offseason that flew under the radar.

Beau Lowery was elevated to director of sports medicine after spending the previous two seasons as director of rehabilitation. Scottie Patton still remains as head athletic trainer.

In the team’s media guide, Lowery is listed as the first name under the heading of “sports medicine.” In the 2016 media guide, Patton had top billing under the heading of “athletic training.” Lowery was listed second.

This change happened before the misdiagnosis on Delvin Breaux’s broken fibula led to the firing of two team orthopedists.

 

Lowery spent two years as a physical therapist at the Baton Rouge Orthopedic Clinic before landing with the Saints and served as an associate athletic trainer/physical therapist at LSU from 2004-210, working primarily with the baseball team. He also worked with the men’s golf and cheerleading programs.

Prior to working with LSU, he spent three summers with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Posted on by

Checking in on the Lakers Athletic Training Room

Article reposted from NBA.com
Author: Mike Trudell

Marco Nunez took over the position of Lakers Head Athletic Trainer from Gary Vitti last season and completed a year of generally good health from a roster of mostly young players.

We sat down with Nunez at the tail end of the team’s Summer League experience in Las Vegas to discuss where he wants to devote more focus leading into the 2017-18 campaign, what areas of emphasis he’s circled for the players and how it’s going working alongside new management on the basketball ops side.

Below is a transcription of our conversation:

MT: Where are you at this point compared to when you took over the job from Gary Vitti last August?
Nunez: My role is still continuing as is it has for the last year. The one thing about this summer is it’s allowing me to get my head together and see what I want to implement and begin for the coming season. Last year I took the position in August, and I didn’t really have time to sit down (and think). Getting one year under my belt, I was able to see the ins and the outs, what I like and don’t like, what I want to change or implement. This summer is about seeing what new techniques, new modalities, new units, new programs, new nutrition … whatever it is, I’ll sit down with our staff and figure out what to improve for this upcoming year.

MT: Is part of that sitting down with the new front office and deciding where to put resources?
Nunez: We’ve already done that. We’ve had plenty of meetings with Luke (Walton), Magic (Johnson), Rob Pelinka. Last year when all the changes were occurring, we just wanted to get through the season. Then at the end of the season, it’d be time to figure out what we want to do moving forward. So I’ve sat with them a bunch of times to discuss a variety of things. For example, talking about where we want to add staff members and what we’d want them to focus on.

MT: What’s one area of focus?
Nunez: There are a couple areas we’re looking at, like hiring a nutritionist or a dietician full time. We’ve had somebody in the past that we’ve used that was great, but I know it was almost like a consulting kind of thing. I think we’re trying to decide whether we should make that position full time. I don’t know if that position would travel full time or not, but having them right there at the practice facility where guys can ask questions, and our chef, Sandra, can work with them closely and try to see what we can create for the players could really help.

MT: How about dealing with and anticipating injuries, which is something I know is always on your mind…
Nunez: Exactly, we’re looking at different companies right now. There’s one company we tried out at summer league, keeping track of guys exertion levels, exhaustion levels, sleeping patterns and stuff like that. Everything is going towards technological (advancement), so we’re looking at a company that’s more of an app. These players will go right on their phones the minute a game is over. So the app would ask some simple questions that gives us feedback about how the players are feeling and where they’re at from that perspective. The other thing we’re doing focuses on hydration. In the past, it’s always been, ‘Make sure you’re drinking plenty of water and getting plenty of electrolytes.’ Traditionally there’s the, ‘Hey when you use the restroom, check your urine color, and if it’s dark red or orange, it means you’re dehydrated. If it’s a light color, you’re good’, but we can go deeper than that. I know we’re working with GSSI, Gatorade Sports Science Institute; they came last year and tested most of our guys as far as sweat analysis and to try and create a hydration program for the guys. We’re testing that out in summer league to see how it works. Whether it’s advising how much water and electrolytes to drink six hours before a game, how much during a game and more importantly, after a game this is specifically how much water and Gatorade a specific player needs to consume. Especially on the road and for back to backs. We have to really focus on how our guys are recovering.

MT: How has the way you deal with these young players at Summer League evolved over the last several years?
Nunez: Back when I first started, we’d typically only have one or two draft picks at summer league because we were winning championships. This summer league team is different, with six draft picks that form part of the core of the roster (moving forward). So what we’re doing now and what Luke is trying to do is set a culture that will continue into training camp. Some of these one and done (in college) players aren’t used to having to come into the training room. Having to focus on stretching, on recovery, focus on hydration. We want to start those good habits now, not wait until training camp or the season to start.

MT: What kind of discussions did you have about how much to rest players in Vegas given that, on one hand, they’re young, but on the other, they aren’t used to playing so many games in so few nights?
Nunez: We had conversations about that with the coaches. Traditionally the mentality is they’re young guys, they can play as many minutes as you want. But that’s not always the case. These young guys aren’t used to playing this many minutes, especially on back to backs. You don’t play back to backs in college. Now they’re going to play back to back to back, exerting themselves? Personally I was a little surprised that we’d have guys playing back to backs. Ideally, it’d be nice if they got a Monday off and the game would have been Tuesday, but that’s a scheduling issue. From the sports medicine side, if you’re in the NBA Finals and it’s Game 6 or 7, and all your technology is showing you the player is in the red, are you really going to sit the guy? And there’s a difference between the NBA Finals and the Summer League. My job is to provide them the information and then as a unit, along with management and the coaches, we make a decision.

MT: How about in the example of Josh Hart, the rookie who sprained his ankle and didn’t get back onto the court?
Nunez: That’s my saying, ‘He isn’t really ready to play’ as much as the coaches or management would love to see him play. As much as a player says ‘I’m ready to go,’ it’s my job to hold a player back if I think he’s not. One, it’s summer league, so it’s a risk/reward thing. Does the risk supersede the reward? We’re trying to create a tradition of winning, but it’s still summer league. If it were the Finals, different story. He was doing a lot better after (a few days), and could he go out there and play some minutes? Probably. But the problem was, as far as rehab, there’s a progression that you want to see from 1-on-0, 1-on-1, 3-on-3 and eventually 5-on-5. Since we played so many games, we didn’t have a chance to practice, and Hart didn’t get an opportunity to play 5-on-5 in practice for me to be able to say, ‘He’s ready to go.’ The risk was higher than the reward.

MT: Lonzo Ball came into the Summer League out of his best basketball shape, as he played no 5-on-5 from the NCAA Tournament through the Draft. He said his legs felt heavy early, but he certainly looked better physically after getting the couple days between the second and third game he played. What have you thought of Ball’s physical progression?
Nunez: It wasn’t a surprise he’d be fatigued early after taking close to a month off. But I’m trying to get away from the whole cookie cutter program. Every player is slightly different, it’s never one size fits all. That’s something we’re looking for as we develop these programs and technologies to cater to the individual. You have some players like Kobe Bryant, who could generally play as many minutes as he wanted and be fine. There are others where you can’t make that same assumption.

Posted on by

Saints tab Make-a-Wish Recipient Athletic Trainer for a Day

Article reposted from WGNO
Author: 

The Saints had a special guest at practice Wednesday, who got the chance of a lifetime to be out on the field with his favorite team.

Jetty Huish, better known as JJ, got to be a Saints trainer for the day, shadowing Saints Head Athletic Trainer Scottie Patton at practice. And, he got to meet his favorite player—Drew Brees.

“We played catch and we talked about how stuff goes at practice,” Huish said.

It was all made possible through the Make a Wish Foundation. They flew JJ and his family out to New Orleans from Sacramento, to make his wish of being a Saints athletic trainer come true. Now the question is, how do you become a Saints fan when you’re from California?

“I don`t know honestly, but one of the reasons was because I was really young and they were the same color as batman,” Huish said. “I’m a real Northern California rebel when it comes to sports.”

JJ just turned 13 years old and has already undergone 2 bone marrow transplants to treat a form of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). He is now currently going through gene therapy in Washington, D.C. But none of that has stopped him from keeping-up with the Saints, and knowing that his team needs to get-off to a good start if they want to have a good season.

“I just hope they beat the Browns in their first game,” Huish said. “Because if they don’t beat the Browns, then it’s going to go downhill from there.”

Posted on by

Crewe a valuable part of Timberwolves’ crew

Article reposted from Kenosha News
Author: DAVE BOEHLER

David Crewe works for the Minnesota Timberwolves. He does not play for them, however — not that anyone confuses him as an NBA athlete.

“Not a chance,” he said. “I think I’m too short. I’m only 5-10. Guys used to give me a hard time when we had Luke Ridnour.”

Crewe, a 2004 Tremper graduate, accompanies the Timberwolves wherever they go as the team’s head strength and conditioning coach/assistant athletic trainer.

He’s in the locker room, sits courtside with the team and travels from city to city.

“Like anything else when you’re in the middle of it, you don’t really notice what’s going on,” he said. “You kind of live it every day. It’s definitely humbling when you think back to where you are, what you get to experience. … I told my folks before, it’s not like it’s happened by luck. There was a lot of time, there was a lot of effort and sacrifices that have been put into it. There’s days I definitely feel blessed and I know I’m lucky, but I also know what it’s taken to get there. I feel like it’s well deserved.”

NFL experience

Crewe, who played basketball at Tremper, enrolled at UW-La Crosse knowing he wanted to be in sports medicine. It was during his freshman year that he decided the field would be athletic training.

For three years in college, Crewe had an internship with the Kansas City Chiefs, including one after he graduated as their assistant athletic trainer for the entire 2008 season. He worked with the running backs and wide receivers, and became friends with Larry Johnson.

“For whatever reason, he took a liking to me,” Crewe said. “We had a connection. He took good care of me, looked out for me, was delightful to work with. He was a pro and it was fun to be around him.”

After the season, Crewe returned to UW-La Crosse to take some more courses and worked in the athletic training department for about a year.

Promotion

In 2010, he was hired by Minnesota as an assistant athletic trainer. The title of assistant strength and conditioning coach was added in 2013, and last year be was promoted to his current position.

“I try to tell our guys to be the MVP of their day,” Crewe said. “If it’s a lifting day, they need to be the best they can be in the weight room that day. If it’s a game day, they need to be MVP on the court. My message that I drive home every day is you need to get better one way or another in the facility today. Maybe the focus shifts from basketball to strength training, or maybe it shifts from strength training to some small rehab exercises. No matter what we’re working in that day, they need to try to be the MVP of that day.”

Crewe must practice what he preaches, since he was named the 2016-’17 NBATA David Craig Assistant Athletic Trainer of the Year recently.

But do the millionaire professionals listen to him?

“I think just like in any work setting, you’ve got some push and some pull in every direction,” Crewe said. “A lot of times we’ll rely on our veterans or our starters to really help facilitate the message we’re driving across. We typically get pretty good buy-in. It comes down to educating the player what we’re trying to do for them and show them you’re there to help them. You’re not trying to take anything away from them; you’re trying to make them the best basketball player they can be.”

Which includes making sure they eat the right foods, even if that includes octopus for some of the European players. So what does Crewe know about octopus?

“Not much,” he said. “One of the things we like to do because the NBA is an extremely global game — every year it seems like players are from different countries — we sit down with them and ask our nutritional team to find out things they do enjoy eating and are used to having, so we can make it available to them. We don’t want them worrying about their food, we want them worrying about basketball.”

There has been less worrying about basketball in Minnesota since the team acquired All-Star Jimmy Butler from Chicago in the offseason. Crewe, who enters his seventh season with the Timberwolves, has already had a chance to meet Butler.

“Telling him I’m from southeastern Wisconsin, he got excited since he went to Marquette,” Crewe said.

No favorites

Perhaps Butler will become Crewe’s next Larry Johnson. Just don’t ask him who his favorite NBA player to deal with so far is.

“I would like to, but I can’t say any names to show favoritism right now,” he said. “One day when I’m done working with the Timberwolves, we can have that conversation. How’s that? Otherwise that gives guys too much ammunition if they ever read the article or anything like that. They’ll give a hard time too much.”

Another thing Butler and Crewe have in common is the Bradley Center. Butler played there for Marquette and Crewe watched the Golden Eagles and Bucks while growing up.

Crewe joked it’s a family reunion when Minnesota visits Milwaukee, and he usually has around 30-40 relatives and friends in attendance.

“It’s special because we only play once a year,” he said. “It makes it that much more fun. Growing up in the area, being on the court in warmups, sitting on the bench with our team … it’s a lot of fun. It’s a very humbling experience.”

Posted on by

Hurt? Pour some Sugar on it

Article reposted from Eyewitness 5 News
Author: Eyewitness 5 News

Eric Sugarman was busy in Mankato on Monday. That is nothing new. He will not have a day off until the Vikings’ season is over.

That’s why Mike Zimmer had him out to his ranch in Kentucky just weeks before training camp began.

“When I went through all these eye surgeries and appointments, Eric Sugarman took me to every one of them,” Zimmer told KSTP’s Joe Schmit. “When I was getting a needle in my eye – he was there watching it.”

That’s the kind of loyalty that builds trust, but so does being one of the best in the business.

“The way he reacted when Teddy got hurt – he may have saved the guy’s leg,” Zimmer says. “That’s how important it was. If we didn’t have a staff that was quality, that was taking care of these guys the right way, a lot of bad things can happen. That’s why I feel so good about the players. They’re in such good hands.”
Eric Sugarman was busy in Mankato on Monday. That is nothing new. He will not have a day off until the Vikings’ season is over.

That’s why Mike Zimmer had him out to his ranch in Kentucky just weeks before training camp began.

“When I went through all these eye surgeries and appointments, Eric Sugarman took me to every one of them,” Zimmer told KSTP’s Joe Schmit. “When I was getting a needle in my eye – he was there watching it.”

That’s the kind of loyalty that builds trust, but so does being one of the best in the business.

“The way he reacted when Teddy got hurt – he may have saved the guy’s leg,” Zimmer says. “That’s how important it was. If we didn’t have a staff that was quality, that was taking care of these guys the right way, a lot of bad things can happen. That’s why I feel so good about the players. They’re in such good hands.”

Posted on by

UNLV Athletic Training Graduates Populate the Professional Ranks

Article reposted from UNLV
Author:  BENJAMIN GLESSIER

Think of athletic trainers as the team behind the team. When a baseball player turns an ankle on a hard slide into second base or a football player has a neck spasm after a hard tackle, they turn to their team’s athletic trainers. Their job: Get players back into the game.

Seattle Mariners assistant athletic trainer Rob Nodine, ’92 B.S. Athletic Training, summed it up this way: “If the players are doing well, that means we’re doing well.” Trainers, he added, “don’t like to be in the limelight.”

Nodine, and several other trainers in professional sports, learned how to do just that through UNLV’s athletic training program, which has seen at least 10 graduates hired by professional teams in the last 12 years.

Dallas Cowboys physical therapist/assistant athletic trainer Hanson Yang, ’09 M.S. Kinesiology, most commonly helps players come back from the collarbone fractures and shoulder dislocations. Neck injuries, he said, are the most challenging.Hanson Yang, ’09 Kinesiology, is an assistant athletic trainer for the Dallas Cowboys, where he helps keep players on the field through collarbone, shoulder and soft-tissue injuries.

“There’s not a lot we can immediately do with a neck injury, so we make sure the player is OK first,” Yang said. “But what’s most gratifying is when I work with a player who has experienced a soft-tissue injury before halftime, then I get him into the locker room for some work and 15 minutes later, he’s able to go out and play again.”

Likewise, Boston Red Sox assistant athletic trainer Masai Takahashi, ’99 B.S. and ’03 M.S. Sports Injury Management, is familiar with the aches and pains a hurler can experience over the course of a 162-game season. He was a pitcher on his high school baseball team in Japan.

“Most of the injuries I see are overuse injuries — stiffness in the shoulders, back strain — because the muscles get tight,” he said. “I try to catch tightness before it becomes an injury, so I do a lot of soft-tissue work on players to keep their muscles loose.”

Pitchers are always his biggest challenge. Almost no starter makes it through a season of 35 to 40 appearances throwing a baseball more than a hundred times a game without feeling some muscle fatigue, Takahashi said.

“If we can help them get through the season without going on the (disabled list), that’s very satisfying for us.”

At UNLV, they all became well trained in manual therapy, a technique in which they probe for and treat injuries with their hands. “There are things you can feel by hand that you won’t pick up in an X-ray or an ultrasound,” Takahashi said. “Every athlete is different, and it’s important to not only learn the difference between each athlete, but how each athlete’s body feels from day to day. That way, you can be proactive and prevent injuries.”

“Every player has his own driving force,” Nodine said. “We pay attention to players’ needs on a daily basis because knowing how injuries play into their psyche is very important. Athletes want to keep playing at a very high level of performance, and they like it when we explain things to them.”Rob Nodine speaks with a player in the dugout.

Seattle Mariners assistant athletic trainer Rob Nodine, speaks with pitcher Felix Hernandez during a game.

Nodine, who served on the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society’s executive committee from 2010-15, credited Kyle Wilson, UNLV assistant athletic director for sports medicine, for teaching him about the emotional component of athletic training.

Athletic training students typically spend mornings in the classroom learning the fundamentals of health care, then work with university teams in the afternoon to get invaluable real-world experience. The regimen has led to a first-time pass rate average of 98 percent on the national certification exam since 2010 – well ahead of the three-year national average of 81 percent.

“It’s common sense to know that everyone handles pain and healing different,” Wilson said. “Two different baseball players might have the same injury, but they’ll respond to treatment differently. That’s why it’s important to interact with athletes when they’re not injured.”

After NFL Draft Day, Yang spent the summer immersing himself in learning about Taco Charlton and the Cowboys’ new recruits. He and his fellow trainers developed exercise regimens for players at a series of mini-camps that will help the coaches winnow down the aspiring NFLers to a final roster of 53 players before the season kicks off.

The camps also give Yang a chance to build trust with the athletes he’ll be caring for all season. He asks about their families and lives outside of sports.

Yang had planned a career in engineering until he shadowed a family friend tending to a sports team. “I never believed I’d get to this professional level,” Yang said. “I appreciate my instructors, who taught me how to develop a good rapport with athletes, and to really understand that they are individuals, not just protocols. They gave me the opportunity to assess and develop treatments for patients, and then give me the confidence to use those skills on my own.