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Larry “Doc” Harrington, Southern Mississippi legend, has died at 81

Article reposted from Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum
Author: Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum


Larry “Doc” Harrington, the first athletic trainer ever selected for induction into your Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, died Saturday following a long illness.  He was 81.

At Southern Miss, folks knew Doc as much more than a guy who taped ankles and eased aches and pains.

Says USM, MSHoF and College Football Hall of Famer Ray Guy, simply, “Doc is a Southern Miss icon.”

Harrington was not only the trainer, he was the equipment manager and a highly successful tennis coach. And as a trainer, he served much more than USM. He also was a trainer on several U.S. Olympic teams and for 25 years in the Senior Bowl.

Doc was from one of Hattiesburg’s first families of sports. His father, Smokie Harrington was an outstanding baseball catcher who later owned Smokie’s Sporting Goods. Smokie Harrington Park, a Hattiesburg landmark and one of Mississippi’s oldest baseball stadiums, is named for Doc’s father.

Doc was an outstanding ballplayer himself at Hattiesburg High, playing all the sports but excelling in football, the sport in which he earned a scholarship to Tulane. After a year at Tulane, he returned to his hometown school where he became a student manager and then the full-time trainer when the trainer left for another job.

From such humble beginnings, Doc went on to become one of the most influential trainers in the nation. He was the driving force behind an athletic trainers certification program at USM.

When Hall of Fame athletic director Reed Green needed a tennis coach, Doc filled that position, as well. Keep in mind he was already the trainer and equipment manager for all USM sports. But his tennis teams compiled a dual match record of 407 victories against only 179 defeats.

Brett Favre, the leading passer in NFL history and a three-time NFL Most Valuable Player credits Harrington for “saving my career.”

Doc Harrington.

Favre was severely injured in a car wreck shortly before his senior season at USM. An emergency operation required the removal of nearly three feet of his small intestine. It is part of the Favre legend that he led USM to victory over Alabama just six weeks later.

Favre says Harrington made that possible. Favre practically lived with the Harringtons when he wasn’t in the hospital. Favre went on to start an NFL record 321 games (including playoffs).

“I have no doubt that I would never have been able to play against Alabama, much less for all those years in the NFL if it had not been for Doc Harrington,” Favre says. “He didn’t coddle me, but he took care of me. I owe him so much.”

Harrington was an integral part of some of the greatest moments in USM sports: small college national championships in football, the rise to Division I and so many bowl games, an NIT Championship in basketball and on and on.

The Harrington legacy at USM continues. Sons Larry and Billy both played football at USM. Grandson Cooper is a wide receiver on the current USM team.

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SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI ATHLETIC TRAINING STUDENTS SAVE LIFE

A few coincidences plus the training of three University of Southern Mississippi students helped save a woman’s life.

Zach Jones, Jessica Ringo and Nicki Jackson were heading out from their hotel to the football field Oct. 24 to prepare for the USM/Charlotte game.

As part of their practicum requirements, the three athletic training students had to help out at the game.

“Every away football game, students are designated to set up the medical equipment,” Jones said. “It was a requirement. We had to be up around 5 (a.m.) and we were headed to the lobby.”

But the elevator wasn’t working, so the three walked down from the 11th floor to the first floor, only to realize too late the lobby was on the third floor.

As they doubled-back to go upstairs, the three looked down an exterior hallway and spied a woman on the concrete.

“(She) was just laying next to the street,” he said. “We asked her if she was OK and she was unresponsive.”

Ringo joined Jones as he knelt by the woman’s side.

“Zach and I did a preliminary check of her vitals,” Ringo said. “She was unconscious, in her 20s to 30s. We took her pulse and it was 40 (beats per minute) and very weak.”

Jones said the woman appeared to be in bad shape.

“Jessica and I saw she was foaming at the mouth and seizing,” he said. “You’re supposed to let the seizure run its course and then we rolled her over to keep her from aspirating.

“Her breathing was 12 breaths per minute. That’s very low.”

Jackson, meanwhile, was trying to dial 911 on her cellphone. The call kept dropping, so she headed for the lobby.

“I checked the elevator again and it was working.  That was the only time the elevator worked, because the paramedics said they had to take the stairs,” she said.

Jones said when the paramedics arrived, they gave the three a good review.

“They said we had done a good job of assessing the situation and we had probably saved her life,” he said. “She very well could have passed away.”

Jones said the paramedics did find something the trio had missed.

“After they examined her, they looked around and found a bottle that had a substance in it,” he said. “They got her to wake up and she had regained consciousness, but she was highly unaware of where she was.”

Ringo said the paramedics told them if they hadn’t seen the woman there was no telling what could have happened.

“It was God’s plan for us to go to the first floor,” she said.

Ringo said the three got their training by taking a required emergency medical response class. All three are certified emergency medical responders, but Ringo said none of them had ever tested their skills in a real-life scenario.

“Instinct just kind of takes over,” she said. “Adrenalin kicks in and you remember what you’re supposed to do.

“Now I think I’m good in an (emergency) situation.”

Christopher Brown, instructor for the group’s Athletic Training and Emergency Care class, said the three performed admirably.

“You never know how someone is going to react, but I was pretty proud of them,” he said. “I think they did everything they were supposed to do.

“I think they did a perfect evaluation of the situation.”

Jackson feels good about how the three responded.

“We did what we were taught to do,” she said.  “I think we  handled it well.”

Jones agreed.

“Our athletic training prepared us extremely well,” he said. “There was no thinking, there was just acting.”

Jones said the group felt like they were part of something bigger than themselves.

“It’s really good to know you can protect someone’s life,” he said.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/news/education/usm/2015/12/13/usm-athletic-training-students-save-womans-life/76779070/

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Athletic Training Program at Southern Miss Celebrates 40th Anniversary

The 2015-2016 academic year marks the 40th anniversary of the Athletic Training Program offered by The University of Sothern Mississippi’s School of Kinesiology.

In celebration, the Southern Miss Athletic Training Alumni Association will host a tailgate prior to the homecoming game Oct. 17 from 2-6 p.m. at Pride Field on the Hattiesburg Campus. All alumni of the program, professors and current athletic training students are welcome to attend. Admission is free.

“This tailgate is all about fellowship, food, and fun,” said Shawn Robinson, a 2009 alumna helping plan the anniversary tailgate. “Our hope is to bridge the gap between the past, present, and future alumni. We also aspire to assist the current students in the athletic training program in making valuable contacts.”

Before the tailgate, the Athletic Training Club is hosting the 20th annual Homecoming 5K at 8:30 a.m. at Pride Field.

“The 20th annual Homecoming 5K is our way to interact with some members of our community, while fundraising to send us to our biggest educational conference,” said Alex Pfefferle, senior athletic training major and president of the Athletic Training Club. “We enjoy putting on this run every year, and we are excited to have the support of the School of Kinesiology, alumni, friends, and family.”

Proceeds from the Homecoming 5K will benefit the Athletic Training Club and support students attending the Southeastern Athletic Trainers’ Association’s Athletic Training Student Symposium, where they will have an opportunity to learn and prepare for the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Board of Certification exam. The national certification exam is required to become a certified athletic trainer. The 2014-2015 graduating class boasts a 100 percent first time pass rate, surpassing the national average of 82 percent.

“I have only recently joined this great tradition but quickly recognized the rich history and tremendous importance of the Athletic Training Program at Southern Miss,” said Dr. Bill Holcomb, professor and director of athletic training. “Doc Harrington had a great vision over 40 years ago and brought in Jim Gallaspy to take the program forward.

“Today, the athletes in Mississippi are well cared for by the many graduates of this fine program. And now these graduates are giving back as preceptors who are helping us to educate future Mississippi certified athletic trainers. Homecoming will be a great day.”

The Athletic Training Program provides a challenging learning environment comprised of traditional classroom experiences, diverse clinical settings and emphasizes the importance of quality health care. Alumni from the athletic training program are employed at local and national orthopedic and physical therapy clinics, high schools, colleges and professional settings.

“As a graduate of the 2005 class, I attribute my professional successes to foundation characteristics of academic and clinical excellence, life-long learning, selfless service and unyielding perseverance that were instilled and nurtured during my years as an athletic training student at Southern Miss,” said Karen Sinclair, assistant professor of athletic training and women’s volleyball athletic trainer at Union University in Jackson, Tenn. “I am extremely grateful for the multi-disciplinary curriculum and the diversity of clinical experiences of my Southern Miss education.”

Robinson, a certified athletic trainer at Hattiesburg Clinic Sport Medicine, said the Athletic Training Program was three of the most difficult yet rewarding years of her life.

“The National Athletic Trainers’ Association was founded in 1950,” said Dr. Scott Piland, professor and director of the School of Kinesiology, also a certified athletic trainer. “I find it monumental that a degree awarding educational program was formed at Southern Miss within 25 years of the establishment of our guiding professional organization.

“Southern Miss faculty and staff anticipated the value of providing a standardized educational program to meet the rising requirements to enter the profession. It was quite visionary. That vision continues, as our program is the only one in Mississippi. As with each of our programs, the School of Kinesiology is looking forward to a Golden Future.”

To register for the 20th annual Homecoming 5K, visit www.usm.edu/kinesiology/homecoming-5k. For more information about the School of Kinesiology’s Athletic Training Program in The University of Southern Mississippi’s College of Health, visit www.usm.edu/athletictraining.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
http://www.usm.edu/news/article/athletic-training-program-southern-miss-celebrates-40th-anniversary