By Jim Hague
As part of National Athletic Training Month, the Rutgers-Newark athletic community decided to highlight its head athletic trainer, Brian Fanning, with this week’s Profile of the Week feature.
Brian Fanning has worked with and help heal hundreds or so student/athletes during his eight-year tenure as the head athletic trainer at Rutgers-Newark. There’s one predominant figure who deserves the credit for steering Fanning in the direction of athletic training.
Fanning’s mother, Patty, is the reason why Fanning chose the field in the first place.
The former Patty Alviggi was a three-sport standout (field hockey, basketball and softball) at West Orange High School and is a member of the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame, so it’s safe to say Patty Fanning knows what she’s talking about.
Young Brian was a student at Roxbury High School in the late 1990s, aspiring to become a great athlete, but realizing at the same time that he just wasn’t blessed with a lot of size.
“I ran cross country and tried baseball,” Fanning said. “I ended up finding golf. I loved sports and played sports all my life.”
Fanning was also a student of martial arts, learning tae kwon do.
When it came time for Fanning to graduate from Roxbury, he was somewhat perplexed on the field of study in college.
“I really had no idea,” Fanning said. “It was just one of those things. My Mom suffered multiple injuries during her athletic days. She knew I wanted to be around athletics, so she suggested athletic training. It sounded like a good idea. She pointed me in the right direction. It’s where I get most of my passion from.”
Fanning went off to Sacred Heart University in Connecticut to pursue his new-found field. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Sacred Heart, then attained his Master’s degree from California University in Pennsylvania.
In 2004, Fanning received his first break in the field, becoming the assistant athletic trainer at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Florham Park. While there, Fanning worked under the tutelage of the highly respected and beloved trainer Tom Wilkinson.
“He was my mentor,” Fanning said of Wilkinson. “I learned a lot from him.”
But after nearly four years, Fanning wanted to be his own man. In 2008, when an opening for head athletic trainer at Rutgers-Newark opened, Fanning applied for the position.
“I wanted my own program,” Fanning said. “I wanted to build something on my own and Rutgers-Newark provided that opportunity.”
Fanning started his career at R-N in August, 2008 after being hired by Director of Athletics Mark Griffin.
“It was definitely tough taking over then,” Fanning said. “It was not a smooth-running operation. The trainers were being pulled in a lot of different directions. Unless there was a system in place, there was no way I could work with 30-plus athletes each season. I would be stretching myself out too thin and shortchanging the athletes.”
Fanning said that he had some goals in mind when he took over eight years ago.
“The trainer has to be compassionate and almost selfless,” Fanning said. “There’s a flood of people coming and going in different directions. The athlete may be referred to you by a coach and there’s consultation there or the athlete may seek treatment on their own. You meet with the athlete an hour prior to practice and then an hour after. There’s a large window as to when they come in. I always have an open-door policy. They can always come and see me.”
Fanning also serves as a confidant and counselor.
“I would say that I do listen,” Fanning said. “Whether it’s about playing time or something with their families or their schoolwork, I listen. It’s more than just aches and pains. I listen to any issues they have.”
Fanning said that there’s a tough call to determine the extent of an athlete’s injury.
“I can usually tell who’s faking it and who’s not,” Fanning said. “You can’t force an athlete to play. We’re an elective athletic program with no scholarships. That’s the tough part. We have to assess their injuries and not be forceful with them.”
Fanning said that there have been many changes in the field of athletic treatment since he started at R-N eight years ago.
“The field of medicine is so far advanced,” Fanning said. “Kids play sports 24/7, 365 days a year, so they’re exposed to injuries all the time. There’s always that constant activity. They’re bound to get hurt. But we’ve come a long way.”
Fanning believes that the two biggest obstacles he has to handle are knee injuries, in particular the torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of the knee and the rampant rise in head injuries like concussions.
“I’d say those are the two biggest ones,” Fanning said. “We always see the everyday ankle sprains and hamstring pulls, but head injuries and ACLs are the two biggest worries, because the rehabilitation is such a long, tedious one.”
After nearly 12 years in the business and the last eight under the Golden Dome, Fanning totally loves his job.
“I’ve been doing this a long time and I definitely enjoy working with the student/athletes,” Fanning said. “I develop friendships with them and they become my friends. There’s only one difference. After four years, these friends leave.”
Fanning said that he particularly liked the relationships he forged with cross country runner Megan Krause, who endured her fair share of injuries during her career, and baseball standout Matt Connors, one of the school’s all-time leaders in several statistical categories.
“Not only did they want to get back out there competing, but they had great personalities and were appreciative of everything you did for them,” Fanning said of Krause and Connors, the latter who still works part-time for the department in game operations.
Fanning maintains that he’s always had just one goal in mind: Get the athlete healthy or at least maintain their health.
“It’s always the goal,” Fanning said. “I’m more of a legacy guy. I wasn’t blessed with a lot of athletic ability, but I want to be the guy who makes a difference. I feel like I’m doing that here.”
