UA Hires New Head Football Athletic Trainer

runtheoption22

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Per UA Media Relations:

Jeff Allen Named Head Football Athletic Trainer;

Rodney Brown Named Director of Rehabilitation Services

TUSCALOOSA – Jeff Allen has been named head football athletic trainer at the University of Alabama and head athletic trainer Rodney Brown has been named director of rehabilitation services for the athletic program, director of athletics Mal Moore announced Monday.

Allen comes to UA from the University of Central Florida where he has been the head athletic trainer since 2004. At Alabama, Allen’s primary responsibilities will focus on the care and prevention of injuries for the football program.

“I felt like it was a great opportunity for me professionally to have the opportunity to work at the University of Alabama,” Allen said. “This is a special opportunity at a special place. >From a career standpoint this was a tremendous opportunity for me. From a personal standpoint I thought this was a great place to raise my family and a great atmosphere.”

At UCF, Allen was the head athletic trainer in charge of all of the sports medicine needs for the entire department. Prior to his post at Central Florida, Allen was head athletic trainer at Tennessee-Chattanooga from 2000-04 where he oversaw the athletic training operations for 16 varsity sports while handling all of the duties associated with the football program. Allen was an assistant athletic trainer at the University of Kentucky from 1997-2000, working primarily with the Wildcats’ football team, and served as an assistant athletic trainer at Valdosta (Ga.) State from 1995-97 where he was head athletic trainer for the football and baseball teams. A 1993 graduate of Georgia Southern University with a bachelor’s degree in Health and Physical Education, Allen and his wife, Mary, have one daughter, Makennah, 7.

Brown assumes the duties of director of rehabilitation services for the athletic program. In that role, Brown will be responsible for oversight of all physical rehabilitation for all Crimson Tide student-athletes. Brown has been with the Alabama program since 1999 as head athletic trainer. Prior to joining the athletic department, Brown worked for eight years as a part-time instructor in Alabama’s athletic training education program while also working as a manager in Druid City Hospital’s Sports Medicine department. From 1979 until 1987, he was a teacher, athletic trainer and coach at Tuscaloosa County High School. He was a teacher and coach at Boteler Junior High from 1978-79.
 

alextupelo

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Per UA Media Relations:

Jeff Allen Named Head Football Athletic Trainer;

Rodney Brown Named Director of Rehabilitation Services

TUSCALOOSA – Jeff Allen has been named head football athletic trainer at the University of Alabama and head athletic trainer Rodney Brown has been named director of rehabilitation services for the athletic program, director of athletics Mal Moore announced Monday.

Allen comes to UA from the University of Central Florida where he has been the head athletic trainer since 2004. At Alabama, Allen’s primary responsibilities will focus on the care and prevention of injuries for the football program.

“I felt like it was a great opportunity for me professionally to have the opportunity to work at the University of Alabama,” Allen said. “This is a special opportunity at a special place. >From a career standpoint this was a tremendous opportunity for me. From a personal standpoint I thought this was a great place to raise my family and a great atmosphere.”

At UCF, Allen was the head athletic trainer in charge of all of the sports medicine needs for the entire department. Prior to his post at Central Florida, Allen was head athletic trainer at Tennessee-Chattanooga from 2000-04 where he oversaw the athletic training operations for 16 varsity sports while handling all of the duties associated with the football program. Allen was an assistant athletic trainer at the University of Kentucky from 1997-2000, working primarily with the Wildcats’ football team, and served as an assistant athletic trainer at Valdosta (Ga.) State from 1995-97 where he was head athletic trainer for the football and baseball teams. A 1993 graduate of Georgia Southern University with a bachelor’s degree in Health and Physical Education, Allen and his wife, Mary, have one daughter, Makennah, 7.

Brown assumes the duties of director of rehabilitation services for the athletic program. In that role, Brown will be responsible for oversight of all physical rehabilitation for all Crimson Tide student-athletes. Brown has been with the Alabama program since 1999 as head athletic trainer. Prior to joining the athletic department, Brown worked for eight years as a part-time instructor in Alabama’s athletic training education program while also working as a manager in Druid City Hospital’s Sports Medicine department. From 1979 until 1987, he was a teacher, athletic trainer and coach at Tuscaloosa County High School. He was a teacher and coach at Boteler Junior High from 1978-79.
I dont really know anything about the Sports Medicine department at DCH but what i've heard about DCH i'd rather go to Birmingham.
 

deliveryman35

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I still say we should have brought Ben Pollard back, but if this is the decision that has been made I support it 100%. Welcome aboard, gentlemen.
 
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runtheoption22

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I still say we should have brought Ben Pollard back, but if this is the decision that has been made I support it 100%. Welcome aboard, gentlemen.
whooooaaaaa.....this is "trainer," not strength and conditioning coach. That job for the football team is Scott Cochran's.
 

UAinPHILLY

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Don't know much about the UCF guy

but this is good for the other athletes at UA if it means Rodney will be working their rehab. I am biased, of course, since he is my uncle, but he really is one of the most respected sports medicine guys out there. Guys like Ken Darby would probably agree.
 

wisten

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Oh, I think he will definately be an asset -- from the recruiting to the new athletic staff (coaches, admin, etc) I am really liking what I am seeing.
 

UAinPHILLY

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I'm not sure who did that under Shula but their track record didn't impress me, Hopefully these guys can give better care to our guys.
Again, I am biased, but Rodney Brown has been there since Stallings. The problems with player injuries during Shula's tenure had more to do with poor conditioning than with the training staff. Given the poor condition that the players were in, the trainers probably had to work at a faster pace than usual to keep up with additional injuries. Again, guys like Darby and Britt were able to play the season after having two extremely difficult to rehab injuries is a direct testament to the training staff at UA, one of the few areas in the AD over the last decade that has been effective. Also, Rodney is now in charge of ALL rehab for ALL athletes, including football players. This is good since it is really his strength.
 

TiderinMiss

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I still say we should have brought Ben Pollard back, but if this is the decision that has been made I support it 100%. Welcome aboard, gentlemen.

I'm a fan of Pollard, also, and I have to admit, it does concern me a little that he's working up the road on Hwy. 82, if you catch my drift.
 

Blanda's Shoes

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I'm a fan of Pollard, also, and I have to admit, it does concern me a little that he's working up the road on Hwy. 82, if you catch my drift.
TiM, I was under the impression that most ex-Bama staffers had to cycle through there eventually. Starkville does have a lot of retirement homes, you know.:cool2:
 

Alanbama27

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Ben Pollard was Strength and Conditioning Coach NOT the Trainer. These are two totally different roles...one is injury related and the other is S & C. Both obviously have a lot to do with one another, but BP was not a medical person who diagnosed and treated injuries and that is what this role is...medical in nature.
 

NativeTider

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Re: Don't know much about the UCF guy

but this is good for the other athletes at UA if it means Rodney will be working their rehab. I am biased, of course, since he is my uncle, but he really is one of the most respected sports medicine guys out there. Guys like Ken Darby would probably agree.
Rodney Brown is one of the most respected athletic trainers in the country. Everybody in the profession has tremendous respect for this man.
 

deliveryman35

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Ben Pollard was Strength and Conditioning Coach NOT the Trainer. These are two totally different roles...one is injury related and the other is S & C. Both obviously have a lot to do with one another, but BP was not a medical person who diagnosed and treated injuries and that is what this role is...medical in nature.

thanks Alan, but my whole point was that Ben Pollard should be brought back as s/c coach. "trainer" may very well be a different position, but I was not aware of the distinction until RTO kindly explained it. Now that I understand that, I still would like to see Pollard back in Tuscaloosa. He's one of only a few people throughout the country that have master strength coach certification and when he was here our guys were flat blowing people off the line of scrimmage in '02. We haven't been conditioned that well since then....
 

Bamabuzzard

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thanks Alan, but my whole point was that Ben Pollard should be brought back as s/c coach. "trainer" may very well be a different position, but I was not aware of the distinction until RTO kindly explained it. Now that I understand that, I still would like to see Pollard back in Tuscaloosa. He's one of only a few people throughout the country that have master strength coach certification and when he was here our guys were flat blowing people off the line of scrimmage in '02. We haven't been conditioned that well since then....
That will change beginning this season....
 

UAinPHILLY

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Re: Don't know much about the UCF guy

Rodney Brown is one of the most respected athletic trainers in the country. Everybody in the profession has tremendous respect for this man.
Thank you for posting this. I know I probably come off as simply defending a relative so it is nice to have someone back me up. As mentioned before, I think a lot of people get 'trainer' and 'S&C' coach confused. I also think it is easy to get into a 'if it was there during Shula it must be bad' mentality. While it is true that much of what was there during the Shula years was downright pathetic, there were things going on that were quite positive. Given how poorly conditioned our team was, all the trainers there did a great job. This is evident by Rodney being promoted within the AD rather than being let go to make room for Coach Saban's trainer.
 

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