James Robinson |
James "Jim" Robinson is recognized as the first athletic trainer employed in the United States. He was born in Failsworth, Manchester, England in 1847. He trained as a veterinary assistant in England and competed in the then popular walking races. Robinson immigrated to the United States in 1878 to train horses. He continued to have an interest in "athletics," which at the time meant track and field, and was hired by the student controlled athletic committee at Harvard to help train the track team in the Spring of 1881 (hence, an athletic trainer). When he began working with the Harvard football team in the Fall of 1881 modern athletic training began.
Employment: Harvard 1881-1882, Columbia 1883, Princeton 1883-1890, Manhattan Athletic Club 1890-1893, Michigan 1896-1897, Yale 1899-1900, Princeton 1900-1906.
Death: March 19, 1906, Princeton, New Jersey.
"The First Athletic Trainer," NATA News, April 2014
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