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Athletic Trainer Carpenter puts Bills players back on their feet

Article reposted from The Buffalo News
Author: Jack Goods

This is the fifth in a series of profiles on the 2016 inductees into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame.

Name: Bud Carpenter.

Sport: Athletic trainer.

Hometown: Allegany, N.Y.

Born: Sept. 25, 1951.

Career overview: You may not know Bud Carpenter’s name, but you care immensely about his work.

Carpenter is the Buffalo Bills’ head athletic trainer, working to help players avoid and recover from injuries. He’s been with the team for 20 years in a full-time role, playing a part in five AFC championship games and four Super Bowls. He’s attended to four Pro Football Hall of Fame players and has remained a staple through nine different head coaching eras.

Memorable moment: Carpenter played a part in arguably the biggest medical story the Bills have ever seen – Kevin Everett’s injury. Carpenter and the rest of the medical staff rushed the field to attend to the tight end after he suffered a serious injury while defending a kickoff against the Denver Broncos.

Things didn’t look good for Everett, who suffered a cervical spine fracture. It would be a long journey back to even get close to normalcy.

“He wasn’t the first person we’ve taken off in that manner,” Carpenter said. “The actual part of that wasn’t as traumatic as learning what he had.”

Luckily, the training staff had practiced taking a downed player off the field nine days before Everett’s incident, which helped them orchestrate the treatment effectively. He and his staff were credited for their work by being named National Football League Athletic Training Staff of the Year by the Pro Football Athletic Trainers Society.

Although the injury ended his career, Everett can walk again and the two still stay in contact from time to time.

Working with the stars: Carpenter said it would be impossible to choose a favorite of all the players he’s worked with in his career.

“It isn’t just because of all the Hall of Fame players we’ve had that I’ve had a pleasure to work with,” Carpenter said. “There are so many great players that I’ve gotten to work with, great not always meaning football talent but just as people.

“From a Darryl Talley, to Steve Tasker, to Jim Kelly and Thurman, the list would go on and on. It’s 32 years worth of athletes I’ve had the privilege to work with.”

Connections are key: Carpenter began working with the Bills when training camp was hosted by his then-employer, Fredonia State College. He impressed the Bills brass enough for the team to hire him as a trainer for training camps and home games. He spent three years in that role until he was offered a job in the Boston Bruins’ training staff. A year later Carpenter would return to the Bills when head trainer Eddie Abramoski offered him the assistant trainer position.

Quotable: “Being in the limelight, in front of 80,000 people, with millions watching and the league monitoring every movement made, I’d say we’re under a microscope more than anybody else in athletic training.”

The GBSHOF induction dinner is Oct. 6 at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center. Tickets can be purchased at gbshof.com.

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Buffalo Bills Promote 3 Athletic Trainers

Article reposted from Buffalo Bills.com
Author: Buffalo Bills.com

The Buffalo Bills announced promotions for three members of the team’s athletic training staff.

The Buffalo Bills today announced promotions within the team’s athletic training staff for Bud Carpenter, Shone Gipson and Chris Fischetti. All three training staff members, in addition to athletic trainer Greg McMillen, were members of the staff that was selected as the 2014 National Football League Athletic Training Staff of the Year and the 2007 National Football League Athletic Training Staff of the Year.

Bud Carpenter has been promoted to Director of Athletic Training Operations. Carpenter is entering his 32nd season with the Bills and served the past 21 years as the team’s head athletic trainer. He was recently selected to the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame. Carpenter, who originally joined the team in 1985, attended St. Bonaventure and SUNY Fredonia.

RELATED: McKenzie and Carpenter earn induction into GBSHOF

Shone Gipson has been promoted to Head Athletic Trainer. Gipson is entering his 13thseason with the Bills after joining the team full-time in 2004. Gipson also worked with the team as a seasonal assistant athletic trainer during the 2002 season and is a graduate of the University of Houston.

Chris Fischetti has been promoted to Head of Rehabilitation & Injury Management Services. Fischetti is entering his 15th year with the Bills after joining the team full-time in 2002. Fischetti also worked with the team during the 1997 season throughout training camp in addition to gamedays and is a graduate of Penn State and New York University.

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Former Bills Athletic Trainer Bud Carpenter Added to Local Hall

Two more Buffalo Bills personnel will be added to the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in the Class of 2016; longtime trainer Bud Carpenter and former All-Pro guard Reggie McKenzie. The official induction won’t be until this fall.

McKenzie enjoyed was drafted by the Bills in the second round of the 1972 draft to pave the way for O.J. Simpson. As a member of the vaunted Electric Company, McKenzie helped turn on The Juice immediately and in 1973, Simpson became the first running back in league history to go over 2000 yards in a single season, helping to earn McKenzie his lone All-Pro nod. Even more impressively, McKenzie started every game for the Bills for nine seasons and 147 in total before playing two final years with the Seattle Seahawks.

As team employees go, Carpenter is a rarity. He’s been with the Bills more than 30 seasons and more than 20 in his role as head athletic trainer. His staff was twice honored as the NFL’s Training Staff of the Year; in 2007 following the Kevin Everett injury and again in 2014.

The total membership in the GBSHOF now tops 300. The other 2016 inductees are basketball official Benjy Bluman, NFL fullback Don Bosseler, basketball coach Sal Buscaglia, UB wrestling coach Ed Michael, prolific Buffalo sabres goal scorer Alex Mogilny, track and field athlete Cindy Wyatt, and posthumous inductions track and field booster Carl Brandt, Buffalo Bisons executive Frank Offermann, boxing and football official Frank Rustich, and youth hockey advocate Bob Westphal.

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