kansas city chiefs athletic training staff
The 43-year-old husband, father, and manager of the 6A-5A Kansas State High School Activities Association State Wrestling . Bell returning in Week 17 after preseason hip surgery, contributing with a touchdown. It's about being proactive and understanding the importance of having someone there who knows how to properly handle every situation that may arise, while also helping promote how these athletes can best take care of their bodies even before an injury as preventative maintenance is as big of a focus for their jobs as is handling injuries as they occur. Before that, he covered the Indiana Pacers at The Indianapolis Star for two years. They don't allow me to be stressed when I miss certain get-togethers; they remind me that I'm living my dream and we figure out how to get together another time. After receiving the tag in 2020, defensive tackle Chris Jones signed a four-year contract worth $85 million. A 1987 Pittsburgh graduate, Burkholder went on to earn his master's degree in athletic training from the University of Arizona where he spent two seasons as a graduate assistant and another as an assistant athletic trainer. The Chiefs will begin camp July 22, a day in which the quarterbacks, rookies and veterans returning from injury will start a short series of truncated practices. In 2020, the plan, which was implemented on a daily basis under Burkholder's watch, was the first among all clubs to be reviewed and approved by the NFL, the NFLPA and jointly appointed infectious disease experts. His skill set has grown drastically since Ive been here because hes eager to learn and wants to be the guy.. And sometimes I get it wrong. Education: University of Arizona (BS) University of Arizona (MS) NFL Experience: 2013 - Present, Kansas City Chiefs, Head Athletic Trainer 1998 - 2013 . Call 1-800-GAMBLER. I came from a big football program going to school at Auburn, and I knew I wanted to be in that kind of space again in some capacity. Ill start with David Glover, who is my longest-standing employee and the most loyal guy I know. In this installment of the Next Woman Up series, Arizona Cardinals director of security Kristi Johnson discusses her trailblazing law enforcement career, as well as how she builds trust with players and their families. It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. This made them feel inadequate, and ultimately, not like he was a part of the team. "It's now just a part of sports, but only 37 percent of high schools across the country have full-time athletic trainers," Burkholder added. Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and Kadarius Toney both missed some time during the season with injuries, but both have returned to the lineup and continued to produce at a high level. While with Philadelphia, he served as the NFC head athletic trainer representative on the PFATS executive committee. They don't get the recognition regularly, and because of that, they don't have big egos. Please check your email for a confirmation. They have some years on me, and they've seen everything that's come down the pike. Burkholder first joined the Chiefs alongside Andy Reid in 2013 as head athletic trainer. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. In this installment of the Next Woman Up series, the Carolina Panthers' Chanelle Smith-Walker discusses her unique perspective in sports photography, creating opportunities for people of color and more. I do a lot with hydration to make sure the players, especially rookies and new guys to our team, are ready for the August heat and an Andy Reid training camp because it can get pretty intense. (Steve Sanders/Chiefs). In 2003, Burkholder and his father were named distinguished alumni of Carlisle High School, and in 2013, Rick was honored with the Pennsylvania Athletic Trainers Society Distinguished Merit Award. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. The athletic training staff for the Kansas City Chiefs has had their work cut out for them, but with many of the staff hailing from Central Pennsylvania, they're up for the challenge.. That's exactly the situation Kansas City now faces with its last franchise-tagged player. To help ensure women were considered for all open athletic training positions on an even scale with men, the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society started a program in 2015 giving female athletic training students interested in pursuing a career in the NFL a special opportunity. We arrive at the stadium five hours before kickoff to set up and make sure every player gets what they need -- or they think they need -- to perform. The Kansas City Chiefs are blessed to have an award-winning athletic training staff headed up by VP of Sports Medicine and Performance, Rick Burkholder. It took a few years; it wasn't instantaneous. She probably has more education than probably anybody in the building. There's a lot of communication between departments with strength and conditioning to see if they need to change any lifting protocols for the players. Oh. Reigning MVP . Ill argue with anybody that I have the best staff in the National Football League, Burkholder said. 31? I couldn't imagine if my friends and family weren't supportive. A pair of the Kansas City Chiefs athletic training staff was recently highlighted on NFL Network as part of their Womens History Month coverage. During seasons when the Chiefs play deep into the playoffs or in the Super Bowl, does the preparation change? They know that they have to work well together for the team to be successful, and that translates to any team atmosphere. In this installment of the Next Woman Up series, Meharry Medical College student Kelsey Henderson discusses her month-long clinical rotation with the Tennessee Titans medical staff through the NFL Diversity in Sports Medicine Pipeline Initiative. So at least 15 hours. In addition, Burkholder designed a rehab program for Steelers CB Rod Woodson in 1995 after he suffered a torn ACL in the season opener. I had talked to him back at training camp and told him I'd love to sit down with him for 10 minutes to talk through some stuff, and he was absolutely all for it. Chiefs' training staff aided JuJu Smith-Schuster to play in Super Bowl Schedule Teams AFC East Bills Dolphins Jets Patriots AFC North Bengals Browns Ravens Steelers AFC South Colts Jaguars. That said, a lot of people probably wouldn't step down from a full-time job with a great community to take an NFL internship that paid minimum wage, but I did. Be sure to check out the video in the tweet at the top of the page. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. I don't know why that is, maybe because they have never dreamt big things or had a support system to encourage them to chase after them. It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. Wilson had his team of athletic trainers, which was a point of contention between him and the rest of his teammates. Without further ado, we introduce: How did you get your start in a career in football? Have sports always been part of your life, or when did you discover your passion for sports? It does take a couple of pioneers to make the first couple of steps, and then the rest of us keep pushing. On Wednesday morning, the Kansas City Chiefs had some practice & injury updates as Sunday's Super Bowl . It's not that some people were haters, but people sometimes don't think dreams are achievable. Buy Chiefs Tickets Early in practice before any team drills had occurred, Chiefs. In this installment of the Next Woman Up series, Packers VP of marketing and fan engagement Gabrielle Valdez Dow discusses stewarding the organization's historic legacy, prepping for the team's game in London and more. Saturday is a prep day again; there isn't a lot of expectation for our players, but from an athletic training standpoint, it's packing up and getting ready for game day, whether that's Arrowhead Stadium or to whatever city we're flying to. ", Keeping Athletic Training greAT!!! During the latest episode of The Franchise the Chiefs took some time to profile their athletic training staff and explain their role in keeping players healthy and upright throughout a long and grueling NFL season. In this installment of the Next Woman Up series, Hayley Elwood discusses the importance of preparation, building relationships and finding joy in the daily work of being a reporter for the Los Angeles Chargers. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. I ended up really enjoying it and started seeking out athletic training opportunities in a graduate program at Florida International University, where I had great faculty and mentorship, and opportunities presented themselves after some hard work. 1989). It also takes a support group that is understanding of this situation. Then, I hired Tiffany Morton. One of the reasons this group has seemingly found so much success is because of the diversity of staff members. "This profession, just because you're in the NFL doesn't mean you're better than the people at the high schools. The Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society has a ton of great opportunities for scholarships, and it's important people know about them because they work. You can see in just over five years how the landscape is changing and diversifying. In this installment of the Next Woman Up series, the Atlanta Falcons' Sarah Hogan discusses growing the Bill Walsh Minority Coaching Fellowship, transitioning into the Arthur Smith era and more. Burkholder also served as the teams Infection Control Officer (ICO) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Give an opportunity that wasn`t available to me, as in being a mentor to other ladies trying to come up in the NFL or pro sports in general that`s the only time I really notice it and have to stop and take a moment and go, OK, this is important. It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. Fans see three hours of action on Sunday, but players and the training staff put in countless hours of work to ensure players are at their best, so they can perform at the highest possible level. Burkholder first gained NFL experience serving as a summer intern with the New England Patriots training staff in 1986. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. Nate Taylor has been a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Kansas City Chiefs since 2018. Hes previously served as president of the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society (PFATS), an organization that handed out another award to a member of the Chiefs earlier this week. Are you in charge of a certain group of players or does everyone share responsibilities? Original Content Editor, Talent Development. Oops. I applied for at least three years, if not four, before I got started in the league. "That group of people is hungry, and they just run through the door and attack. Youll always hear credit being given to members of the training staff. He later offered her an internship and eventually a job. The last person I hired was Julie Frymyer. Kansas City Chiefs profile athletic trainers on 'The Franchise' Schedule Teams AFC East Bills Dolphins Jets Patriots AFC North Bengals Browns Ravens Steelers AFC South Colts Jaguars Texans. Lastly, I can't say I work at the Kansas City Chiefs without mentioning Rick Burkholder, our VP of sports medicine and performance, and some of his teaching moments. Athletic Training Staff of the Year; . Athletic training can be a bit of a thankless job in the NFL, but their work doesnt go unseen. For 2023, Kansas City has needs some help at some positions but not all of them. I think there`s a really good chance that the next head athletic trainer of the Kansas City Chiefs is a female, Burkholder said. Leipold's contract -- which included a $12.5 million buyout -- stated that "meaningful and substantial" progress toward renovating the football complex must be made by July 1, 2023 . My dream was always to work in the medical field, but I thought that was going to be as a doctor. 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