Days after Alcorn State head coach Fred McNair said he wanted the university to understand the importance of an athletic trainer, the school announced it hired one.
Alcorn State announced Wednesday that it appointed Roderick Alexander Young as its new head athletic trainer.
Young comes to Alcorn after serving five years at King’s Daughters Medical Center in Brookhaven, Mississippi.
“We are excited to have Roderick back at Alcorn,” said Derek Horne, director of intercollegiate athletics, in a news release. “We are well aware of his dedication and loyalty to his profession and the athletes he serves. I’ve reached out to several professionals in his field and they spoke very highly of him and the great skills and qualities he portrayed during his time with their athletic departments.”
This will be Young’s second stint with Alcorn State Athletics. He served as head athletic trainer for the Braves from 2014 to 2016.
“I am excited to return to Alcorn State to work with the administration, coaches, and fellow athletic trainers to continue to provide a safe and healthy experience for the student-athletes,” Young said. “I have always been fond of Alcorn since my previous stint as head athletic trainer and look forward to the opportunity in front of me.”
The move comes a week after the Braves were forced to halt workouts and practices leading up to its road game last Saturday at South Alabama when part-time trainers assigned to the team tested positive for COVID-19.
The athletic department had been in search of a full-time head trainer after its previous trainer reportedly left for another job.
During a media briefing Monday with reporters, McNair said the lack of a trainer, combined with the team being unable to practice for two days, likely contributed to its 28-21 loss to the Jaguars as players were not properly conditioned.
“Later on in the game, it kind of caught up with us,” McNair said. “So my guys were cramping up because of that. I told the guys that we don’t make excuses, we find solutions. The guys played hard for this coaching staff and continue to do that.”
