Athletic Trainer Plays Important Role Off the Field

University of Tampa graduate Scott Brickett working on varsity Spartan pitcher Nate Titus’ ankle. Brickett is currently in his 17th year as head athletic trainer for Tampa. | Shawn Ferris/The Minaret

Scott Brickett didn’t always want to be a sports trainer.

He was a pre-med college junior with no direction, but loads of potential.

“I was interested in medicine and I was a former athlete,” Brickett said. “I figured there had to be something out there for me.”

Now 16 years later, the 1995 University of Tampa graduate is in his seventh year as head athletic trainer.

“I really enjoy the diversity of the things I get to do,” Brickett said. “I get to actively work with college students instead of just sitting in the office.”

Brickett lately has lately been involving himself with baseball, his favorite sport to advise.

He participates in the throwing program that he himself put together to help rehab a pinched nerve in junior pitcher Ryan Kennedy’s neck by long-tossing with the St. Petersburg College transfer a few times a week. This means that he has to be able to throw the ball up to 150 feet.

“What can I say? I like working with shoulder injuries,” Brickett said.

Red-shirt sophomore Aaron Gerbasi, a very important part of last year’s Spartan baseball team, which reached the Division II College World Series, knows the importance of a good athletic trainer after he spent the entire 2009 season sidelined with an elbow injury.

“Brickett is an extremely professional trainer who actually cares about your well being,” said Gerbasi, who posted a 2-0 record with a 2.42 ERA after returning from injury last year. “That’s hard to find.”

What is sometimes more important than actually giving an injured athlete a suitable rehabilitation program is keeping their psyche up. It’s not uncommon for injured athletes to be a little downtrodden about their injuries, which can make rehab a tough place to be. Gerbasi wasn’t the only one who felt well cared for under Brickett’s guidance.

Tony Suarez, a junior infielder who dislocated his left shoulder in January, spends more than his fare share of time in the training room with Brickett these days. Suarez, following Brickett’s shoulder program, has improved dramatically over the last few weeks, doing a variety of different exercises which help strengthen the muscles around his previously dislocated shoulder.

“[Brickett] is very knowledgeable about sports medicine and no matter what your sport is or what you’re there for, he’s always there to help you,” Suarez said.

Brickett certainly has all the credentials. Before becoming the head athletic trainer at UT, he was assistant athletic trainer at Hillsborough Community College and was on staff at Healthsouth Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinic since ‘96.

Additionally, Brickett served as a volunteer athletic trainer at UT and with Hillsborough High Schools. He was also the head trainer for the NFL Europe Scottish Claymores in 2002 and the AFL Tampa Bay Storm in 2001. A member of the National Athletic Trainers Association, Brickett is also certified and state licensed.

“Having the college students around makes my job a lot more fun,” Brickett said.

However, it’s not all fun and games for the Baltimore, Md. native. A typical day of work includes budgeting, medical record-keeping and overseeing a staff of about four other individuals, not to mention the prevention and rehabilitation of all the student-athletes;

which is why one of Brickett’s long-term goals is to work his way into administration, something that would provide him with the chance to have a stable nine-to-five job, instead of the unpredictable hours he currently works on a daily basis.

“An administration job makes having kids and a family a whole lot easier,” Brickett said.

As head athletic trainer, he is required to attend even the road trips to other states, which, depending on the trip and the sport, can have him traveling with the team from Thursday morning all the way through Monday morning. He even traveled with the women’s soccer team to Europe this past summer.

You’re likely to find the 39-year-old Brickett in the training room, probably smiling and cracking a joke while he answers a student intern’s question about ligament tears and tapes a basketball player’s ankles all at the same time.

“I guess you can say this has become my life’s passion,” Brickett said.

Shawn Ferris can be reached at sferris22@gmail.com.