Tag: Pittsburgh steelers

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Former Steelers Athletic Trainer Ralph “Plumber” Berlin Remembered

Article reposted from Steelers.com
Author: Bob Labriola

His nickname was “Plumber,” according to Rocky Bleier, “because he just had to take care of everybody – bandage them, put them back together, fix them up to get them back on the field,” but during his 24 years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Ralph Berlin was much more than the trainer. He was part of their personality.

Mr. Berlin died on Tuesday, Aug. 2. He was 81. Beloved husband of 56 years to Dolores “Dee” Berlin; loving father of Elizabeth (Michael) Toth and Steven (Kerri) Berlin; devoted grandfather “Pa” of Genna (Jimmy), Sarah (Mark), Michael, Devin, Chelsi (Michael), Clay, Chase and Megan. Ralph served as a sergeant in the USMC. He received his Bachelor of Science in Physical Education from Iowa State University and his Master of Science in Health and Safety from Indiana University.

After serving with the U.S. Marine Corps, Mr. Berlin came to be a trainer at the University of Kentucky, and that’s where he met Art Rooney Jr. It was during the 1960s when NFL scouting was not nearly as sophisticated as it is today, but even back then it was wise for an NFL scout to talk to the trainer while on campus. When the Steelers job opened, Art Rooney Jr. helped set up an interview for Mr. Berlin with his brother, Dan Rooney. Mr. Berlin got the job, and in 1968 he had fulfilled his dream of becoming a trainer for an NFL team.

Having been hired in 1968, Mr. Berlin already was there when Chuck Noll became the team’s coach in January 1969, and thus had a front-row seat to the transformation of the Steelers from lovable losers to one of the most dominant dynasties in NFL history.

There were a lot of Hall of Fame players on those Steelers teams during the 1970s, and many who aren’t Hall of Fame players still were stars. As a result, camaraderie was important, and while Coach Chuck Noll deserves the credit for instilling the singleness of purpose that was the backbone for all that winning, others helped with morale, and Mr. Berlin was always up for that.

“Ralph came to the Steelers right before I got there in 1968, and we went through the whole growth, progress, and success of the Steelers together,” said Rocky Bleier. “Ralph was a unique person. He was a part of the personality of the team, a part of the structure of the team. He kept the locker room loose. He had a great rapport with the players. You could joke with him. He always had a cigar in his mouth, and that was all through training camp as well as during the season. He will be sorely missed.”

Indeed, players could joke with Mr. Berlin, but they also knew such playfulness never was going to be a one-way street.

“Ralph was the most lovable buster of chops I ever met,” said Tunch Ilkin. “He would be busting your chops from the moment you walked into the training room until the moment you left, but it was in a fun way. He was just a lot of fun. He was just really, really caring. The training room was a very lively place with Ralph. I’ll always have an image in my mind of Ralph with that cigar in his mouth, taping ankles, and busting our chops.”

Frenchy Fuqua had come to the Steelers from the New York Giants, and in the 1970 regular season finale he set a franchise record by rushing for 218 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles. As that day began, Fuqua was experiencing back spasms and some doctors advised him not to play, but he wanted to give it a try even though the Steelers were out of playoff contention. Fuqua remembered, “They put this hot stuff on my back and wrapped me up. I went through the pregame workouts and kept moving because I couldn’t let it stiffen up on me. On the first play of the game, I went for a long touchdown – 72 yards – and my back didn’t hurt. I came to the sideline, and Ralph said, ‘I’m a great trainer, aren’t I?’ I had to laugh.”

Another bit of Steelers history in which Mr. Berlin played an active role, was the annual Thanksgiving turkey prank pulled on the rookies. It started with a list posted before Thanksgiving in the training room advising rookies to sign up for a free turkey.

As Mr. Berlin told the story to Pittsburgh Sports Daily, “There were no turkeys of course. Once, Mel Blount told Tony Dungy that he wanted to have Tony bring his turkey to his house where Mel’s wife would cook it along with a ham for Thanksgiving dinner. I told Tony to talk to Jim Boston, the business manager, about how to pick up his turkey. Jim said he saw Tony’s turkey, but since he didn’t know whose it was, he gave it to Dan Rooney. So Tony went to Dan’s office and said that Jim Boston said he gave Dan his turkey. Dan kept up the joke and told Tony that since he didn’t know who the turkey belonged to he had given it to Chuck Noll. Well, Tony wasn’t going to go into Chuck’s office and ask for his turkey. So Tony goes back to Mel and says he doesn’t know what to do now. Everyone in the locker room broke up laughing.”

A prankster and chops-buster for sure, but the Steelers players who knew him also understood Mr. Berlin was there for them whenever and for whatever they might need.

“Once I woke up in the middle of the night with heart palpitations, and I started to panic,” remembered Ilkin. “I called Ralph, and he was calming, and then he started walking me back through my day. Eventually, he asked me if I had been eating a lot of chocolate, and I confessed to that. Then he asked me if I had been drinking a lot of coffee, and I told him I was drinking the coffee while I was eating the chocolate. He laughed a bit then, and told me to relax, that I wasn’t having a heart attack. I was just over-caffeinated. The next day I was fine. He was right.”

Even after retiring from the Steelers, Mr. Berlin still made himself available to help both the team and the other athletic trainers within the NFL. He annually attended the NFL Scouting Combine, where physicals and medical reports have to be done on 300-some college players over the course of a single week. His helpfulness and good humor made him a mentor for many young men and women in the profession.

He was a longtime active member of Ruthfred Lutheran Church. Friends will be received on Thursday from 6-8 p.m. and Friday from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. at Paul L. Henney Memorial Chapel, 5570 Library Rd., Bethel Park. Funeral service will be held on Saturday, 11 a.m., at Ruthfred Lutheran Church. A private interment service will be held on Monday in the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies. The family requests any memorial donations may be made in his name to Ruthfred Lutheran Church, 3401 South Park Rd., Bethel Park, PA 15102.

“Ralph was unique in every sense of the word,” said Jerry Olsavsky. “A great man. He had your best interest in mind all the time, even if you didn’t know it. He was a great Steeler. Every guy he helped through something rough, you generally left smiling even if he took you down a notch or two along the way. You don’t just don’t come across people like Ralph Berlin anymore.”

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Ariko Iso: A trailblazer for aspiring female athletic trainers

For 82 years the NFL was an all-male sport with all-male athletic trainers, until Ariko Iso, an Oregon State Graduate was hired. She was the first female athletic trainer in NFL history.

“I never really realized that I’m the ‘female athletic trainer.’ I always think of me as an athletic trainer,” Iso said.

Now she’s back in Oregon at her alma mater and she’s one of only eight female head athletic trainers in the entire NCAA division one football.

“So as collegiate athletic trainer, there’s a lot of great female athletic trainer working long careers,” she said.

From Tokyo, Japan, Iso’s journey began with her own injury. She tore her ACL playing high school basketball. At that point, she knew she wanted to help other student athletes get through their injuries.

“In Japan, we didn’t have a program to be a certified athletic trainer, so that’s when I started to look for a program in the states,” she said.

She heard a lecture in Japan from Oregon State’s dean of exercise sport science.

“There’s a lot of pioneer of this field from Oregon State. I think that was a very good experience,” Iso said.

After she moved to the United States, Iso took classes and worked as a student athletic trainer. She completed her master’s degree and eventually became an associate athletic trainer at Portland State University.

“As a foreign student, we have to have a work visa and there’s a lot of obstacles,” she said.

Iso says while gender ratios for students in athletic training programs are about even, the professional world is much different.

“I always wanted to work in division one college. I never thought of working in professional setting,” she said.

But after two summers interning with the Pittsburg Steelers, she was hired by the organization.

“She wasn’t hired because she was a female. We thought that she was the best athletic trainer that was available to fill the vacancy that we had,” said John Norwig, head athletic trainer for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Iso spent nine years as an athletic trainer for the Steelers, which included three Super Bowls. Norwig recalls Iso’s fearlessness and professionalism as an athletic trainer.

“You know, you would think that a female would be intimidated in this environment where these are the macho of the machos guys. I mean, there’s only one percent of the people that play football or less that actually get to this level,” Norwig said.

As a trailblazer for aspiring women athletic trainers, Iso says she feels the pressure.

“If I do make mistakes, or if I don’t do right then I would possibly close the door for other female athletic trainer who’s working for this as a goal,” she said.

Her goal is to be the link to medical help for athletes, coaches, and parents.

“When they get back to the field and do perform better, of course that’s all of the reason that we work for. But now being in this profession long enough I do see a little bit bigger picture of athletes’ well-being and the people surrounding them,” she said.

Senior football player Lavonte Barnett has been at Oregon State as long as Iso has. He says she’s stern and has helped him through his injuries.

“She’s helped me get to the point where I am today and you know, taught me a lot of responsibility, you know, and I really appreciate it,” he said.

Iso wants the athletes to think of her as someone who can truly help them.

“I feel like we connect everybody to really help these athletes, you know, how they can be successful here as a student athlete and beyond?” she said.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
http://kmtr.com/news/local/ariko-iso-a-trailblazer-for-aspiring-female-athletic-trainers

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Former UW student finds rewarding work as rare female NFL athletic trainer

When the NFL kicks off its season in September, a few female athletic trainers will be on the sidelines.

But for many years, there was just one, and she was from the University of Wisconsin.

Sonia Gysland, hired by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2011, made sure her gender was not nearly as important to her as how she did her job.

“It’s very rewarding work because you’re helping these people make a living,” said Gysland.

Her duties are wide ranging, from treating injuries on the sideline to unloading equipment at the stadium on the road to taping ankles for the superstitious players who will only go to the same trainer every time.

She’s almost impossible to catch up with, and her phone must be sealed in a waterproof case for the work that she does, and all the preparation for this high-energy job began while working with the Badgers.

Gysland earned a chancellor’s scholarship at UW and graduated in 2007 with a degree in kinesiology, with a concentration in athletic training.

While working with the football team as a student athletic trainer, going to the Outback Bowl and the Capitol One Bowl, Gysland didn’t really stand out for being a woman as much as she stood out for being good.

“Everyone was pretty used to having females around,” said Gysland. “Wisconsin has had female students in the athletic training program for as long as the program has been around. The majority of athletic training programs are over 50% female.

“The biggest part of it is, you get respect when you treat everyone else with respect.”

After Gysland passed her national certification exam, she got her master’s degree at the University of North Carolina and once again worked with the football team as a graduate assistant athletic trainer.

After that, she had an internship at Ohio State, working with other sports teams, and then got her career started at Duke. She was the school’s first female athletic trainer for the football program.

But a previous internship with the Pittsburgh Steelers was the big break Gysland needed, opening the door for her to getting hired there four years ago.

She followed in the footsteps of Ariko Iso, the first full-time NFL female athletic trainer, who spent nine years with the Steelers before becoming Oregon State’s head athletic trainer.

“I think it’s easier for a team to hire a female when they’ve already done so in the past and it had worked out great,” said Gysland.

“The Steelers went to three Super Bowls over the course of those nine years that Ariko worked there, so it obviously didn’t hinder the team’s success.

“The transition for me was pretty seamless since everyone was used to having a female around. A lot of credit has to be given to the Rooney family and the Steelers organization for trusting John Norwig, the team’s head athletic trainer for the past 25 years, and his judgment in hiring the best athletic trainer for the position.

“Which in two cases, happened to be a female.”

Since then, said Gysland, more teams have been looking to hire female athletic trainer interns, and a couple of them have.

The San Francisco 49ers hired Laura Schnettgoecke as assistant athletic trainer in May, and in June the San Diego Chargers hired Allison Miner, a female assistant athletic trainer who also is a physical therapist.

The job requires a lot of anyone. Gysland lifts 10-gallon water coolers one minute and the leg of an injured 300-pound player the next. On game days she has to be able to diagnose and treat players alongside a team doctor, but during a practice she could be the first expert to look at an injured Steeler.

“A lot of people don’t see the injuries that occur,” Gysland said. “They see the big ones. But a lot of times other things happen.”

In the flurry of all that activity, she’s too busy to think about the fact that her work environment is almost entirely male.

“It really isn’t something that I think about much at all,” said Gysland. “It is pointed out to me every once in a while.”

There was really only one time she felt self-conscious, Gysland said, and that wasn’t on the field. When she went to her first NFL combine and met with all the NFL athletic trainers, she was alone among 150 people.

“It was a little intimidating. I definitely felt out of place,” said Gysland.

“But there is a big push at our athletic trainers meeting this past year to at least get more female interns. Athletic trainers are, for the most part, just fine with having female trainers on staff. It’s more getting the ownership and coaches who are used to things the old way for so long.”

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/former-uw-student-finds-rewarding-work-as-rare-female-nfl-trainer-b99548933z1-320449042.html

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Providing eye care for professional sports

Sports have become a huge part of our country’s entertainment culture. This is especially true in Pittsburgh, which likes to bill itself the “City of Champions.” In many areas of the country, there is fanatical support for professional and college sports teams. Getting into a playoff, bowl game or March Madness can not only invigorate a city’s collective psyche, but also provide significant revenue to the local economy. In recent years, many teams and colleges have boosted the level of medical care to their athletes. This is a win-win situation for both the individual athletes and the team.

UPMC Eye Center provides eye care, both on and off the playing surface, to the Pittsburgh Steelers football team, Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team and University of Pittsburgh athletic teams. Providing care to the players, coaches and administrators for a sports team can be an exciting venture. But like any aspect of one’s practice, it requires planning and commitment. Many more hours go into the process than just the time spent at the field or arena.

Providing eye care to the Steelers requires coordination with other medical professionals. The on-field medical team consists of two orthopedic surgeons, two neurosurgeons, two internists, one emergency medicine specialist (for intubation), one dentist and an ophthalmologist. The coordination of physicians is provided by the head athletic trainer of the Steelers, John Norwig, MEd, ATC. John has been with the Steelers for 25 years and received an award this past year from the NFL Physicians Society as the most outstanding athletic trainer. Like a practice, surgery center or academic department, there needs to be a dedicated leader at the helm.

The NFL requires an ophthalmologist to be at every game. Most team ophthalmologists do not travel to away games, so one is expected to provide care, if needed, to the visiting team as well. Serious injury, such as an orbital fracture, can occur during a game. One needs to be prepared to quickly evaluate players to see if they can continue in the game or if playing could result in further injury. An on-field emergency kit including proparacaine, near card, penlight, bandage contact lens, clear protective shield and antibiotic ointment is kept on hand. Players are encouraged to wear clear eye shields, but this is not required. Players are only allowed to wear tinted shields if approved by the NFL due to a documented eye condition that would cause glare.

Much more time is required managing eye conditions off the field. Most of this is pre- and postseason screening and refractive care. Before the season, undrafted players participating in the NFL Combine are given eye exams. Results of the exams are reviewed to see if a player should be brought in for further examination. Recently drafted players and rookies are all screened before preseason. This is done at the training facility because bringing 50 players into an office in 1 day is difficult. In a period of one half day, the players are given not only eye exams, but complete physicals, bloodwork and EKGs. Players who require refraction, contact lens fitting or complete dilated examination are brought to the office at a later date. Any players considering refractive surgery are operated on after the end of the season.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

http://www.healio.com/ophthalmology/retina-vitreous/news/print/ocular-surgery-news/%7B2f4bcf9a-7083-4882-bc77-647ab38ab37b%7D/providing-eye-care-for-professional-sports-teams-involves-commitment-beyond-game-day