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Pacers Fan · 06-19-2005, 10:56 PM

Quote:

The Indiana Pacers have made sweeping changes in their training room, replacing two veteran staff members.

Athletic trainer David Craig, a fixture with the franchise for 35 years, was reassigned to a front-office position. Bill Dean, the team's strength and conditioning coach for the past seven seasons, also will be replaced.

Josh Corbell, who joined the Pacers as an assistant athletic trainer last season, is expected to replace Craig.

Pacers president Larry Bird, who initiated the changes, and CEO Donnie Walsh could not be reached for comment.

The Pacers have had just two head trainers since their formation in 1967. Craig replaced Bernie Lareau before the 1970-71 season shortly after graduating from Purdue.

Craig, 57, said his new job title and description are "to be determined." He will oversee the team's medical operations, help Corbell with the transition and network with area doctors and hospitals. Craig described his change as a mutual decision.

"They've been good to me for 35 years," he said. "It's an opportunity for me to step back and let younger people do my job. It's a chance for me to not travel as often and still stay involved."

Craig, a native of West Lafayette, Ind., was the first president of the Indiana Athletic Trainers Association and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 1995. He was the trainer for the Eastern Conference in the 1985 and 1996 NBA All-Star Games and was named the league's Athletic Trainer of the Year in 2003.

Dean expressed no harsh feelings.

"I heard it was nothing I did or didn't do," he said. "The team is just going to go in a different direction."

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dl.../1088/SPORTS04

Hopefully this can help us not get more serious injuries.

**PaCeRhOLiC** · 06-19-2005, 11:16 PM

Thanxs alot P-fan 4 the info. I really hope and pray that our injures will decrease next season..., but my ? is ....
was it the trainers fault, or was it bad luck, or was it our players offseason conditioning, or was it all 3??? That caused our team 2 have so many injuries...
but anyways I wish our new C. Coach mad luck, and I hope he can help us be injury free, or at least not have any major 1's....

PaCeRs 4 LiFe BaBy!!!!!!!!!!

Pacers Fan · 06-19-2005, 11:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaCeRhOLiC

but my ? is ....
was it the trainers fault, or was it bad luck, or was it our players offseason conditioning, or was it all 3???

Just think of all the injuries over this past year:

David Harrison's needing surgery
Jonathan Bender
Jamaal Tinsley's feet and wrist
Jeff Foster's hip and back
Scot Pollard's back
Anthony Johnson and Reggie Miller's broken hands
Freddie Jones broken knuckle

Others:

Al Harrington's torn ACL
Rik Smits' feet
Reggie's broken orbital bone (probably not preventable)
Jermaine's hyperextended knee
Jonathan Bender
Jeff Foster going into sugery for the second straight summer

**Box Man** · 06-24-2005, 02:29 PM

Question of the day about David Craig:

Quote:

How will Craig’s Promotion Affect Team?

Q. It may seem minor to many, but to the diehard Pacers fans, I think I can speak for many when I say that David Craig will be missed on the bench. To me, he is a "true" Indiana Pacer! My question to you is, what kind of an impact will his departure from the bench have on the team? I am guessing that when a man has been there for 35 years, it will undoubtedly leave a large void in more ways than one. I am assuming that he was well liked among the players and coaches alike.

I guess I just assumed that David Craig would just kind of be there forever, much like I felt with Reggie Miller, and then when you realize that the end of an era has arrived, it is kind of a sad thing. I'll miss not seeing David Craig on the bench, he was one of the few remaining connection to the ABA days. I wish him all the best on his new endeavor! (From Jeff in New Castle, IN)

A. At the mere mention of David Craig's name, I hear his voice shouting, "FIVE, FOUR, THREE …" from the sideline as he lets the players know the shot-clock is expiring. I see him hustling up to a coach's side to update him on the number of timeouts remaining. I remember him sprinting onto the court to tend to a fallen player. Above and beyond all of that, however, I have the indelible image of a face that seems locked in a perpetual smile, an attitude unfailingly upbeat, an energy level unflagging in 35 years on the sideline and in the training room. No matter what your mood, you always feel a little better after spending some time with D.C.

Of course, he will be missed on the sideline. He's worked with 11 coaches, in two leagues, on hundreds of players in his 35 years and in the process became one of the most popular, decorated and respected men in his profession. And somehow, he managed to maintain his Michael J. Fox look of perpetual youth through it all. But it's important to remember he's moving upstairs, into a front-office position that offers him the ability to oversee the team's medical efforts from a big-picture perspective, and his depth of knowledge and personal experience will continue to be invaluable, albeit in a different way.

The final makeup of the training staff has yet to be announced but keep in mind, one of D.C.'s biggest strengths has been his ability to identify and develop young trainers. One of his former assistants, Will Sevening, just won his third NBA championship ring with the San Antonio Spurs. Kevin Johnson served with Washington and is now the head trainer in Philadelphia. Joe Harvey spent eight years with the Cincinnati Reds and (like Craig) has been inducted into the Indiana Athletic Trainers Association Hall of Fame. So be assured the new head trainer will be fully qualified and well-prepared for the job – even though he'll have some incredibly large shoes to fill.

http://www.nba.com/pacers/news/question_050624.html

RP McMurphy · 06-24-2005, 03:50 PM

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