Inductees

Dr. Brian Mahaffey isn’t sure, but the first time athletic trainers from Mercy went to help out Springfield Public Schools, there was not a contract for the work.

A group of athletic trainers began to show up, and before long, thanks to the efforts of longtime athletic director Edsel Matthews, a 2005 Missouri Sports Hall of Fame inductee, and Mercy’s founding fathers, the business side from the school district and the professional side from Mercy reached an agreement.

And now look.

More than 30 years later, thousands of athletes from the high school, collegiate and pro ranks have been cared for through the Mercy Sports Athletic Training program. Friday night football games, basketball nights, wrestling duals, spring sports, you name it and the trainers have been there.

That is why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame proudly inducted the Mercy Sports Medicine Athletic Trainers & Support Staff with the Class of 2026.

Mercy Sports trainers cover a big chunk of the state, from I-44 starting in Joplin to St. Louis and down to Cape Girardeau. Trainers work with more than 40 high schools and multiple club teams and have an agreement with the Missouri State High School Activities Association.

The group also works with Missouri State University, Southeast Missouri State University, Lindenwood University, the University of Missouri-St. Louis, Missouri Southern State University, Evangel University, and the St. Louis Cardinals.

It’s an impressive portfolio, so to speak, considering that sports medicine in general has grown exponentially over the past four decades. Used to be, only college and pro teams had doctors. Then, through the years, teams added athletic trainers. In the early 90s even, it seemed as if having an athletic trainer was a luxury, even at the collegiate level.

Now it’s an expectation – not only for the schools but the athletes and their families, too. And it’s wise. Anymore, it’s not simply just taping ankles. It’s having a certified trainer or seasoned medical professional on site to evaluate hidden injuries that, years and years ago, might have gone unnoticed.

“Ultimately, our job at Mercy Sports Medicine is to make sure that we’re doing the best we can to care for our community. Our athlete trainers are the tip of that spear, and they do a great job every single day doing that,” said Mahaffey, a 2018 Missouri Sports Hall of Fame inductee.

Mercy’s group of trainers, physical therapist and doctors work together, treating several injuries, from sprains, dislocations, broken bones, concussion, or cardiac events to help an athlete compete to the best of their ability. Mahaffey said the team approach from the Mercy staff is what leads to successful returns.

“They understand that we are the advocate for our patients,” Mahaffey said of his team. “Sometimes that’s not the easy thing to do, but that’s our job … to get people back quickly and safely.”

Many of the local high schools have had the same trainers for years, which builds relationships with athletes and a sense of camaraderie over the years.

That, in turn, has led to some former student-athletes who went on to college and are athletic trainers for Mercy.

What makes the Mercy staff stand out, to Mahaffey, is the importance of all athletes they encounter, from a friendly ‘hello’ to working on a serious injury.

One anecdote that Mahaffey mentioned was the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions basketball tournament held yearly at Missouri State. A few years back, a top-ranked recruit broke his arm at the event and, thanks to quick work by trainers and doctors, he had surgery before he left Springfield.

“This is a great story, and I love to hear that because that is exactly what we strive for,” Mahaffey said. “The player in the Tournament of Champions has all the talent in the world to make it to the NBA. At some point, we’re going to do that for the third-string running back on the freshman football team. That’s how we approach things. We want to maximize and make our health care system as efficient as we can for our athlete trainers to provide the best care possible.”

Mercy Sports Medicine provides expertise in their field. In any sports setting. The competition for the trainers to care for an injury and helping their patients return stronger than ever.