He has been recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors seven times for his work. Professional athletic trainers are required to be certified so that they can diagnose injuries and determine treatment plans for injuries. I thought I would be (at Fort Hays) my whole career, Antonopulos said. Antonopulos graduated from Northern Colorado with bachelors and masters degrees and was working as the head trainer and a physical education teacher at Fort Hays (Kan.) State in 1976 when a Johnson & Johnson representative told him about an opening to be Hursts only assistant. Those things are unbelievable and the number of great people and great minds of technology was phenomenal with what you can do for the medical care of football players., Without question, it was our second year here (1984) and he had to go in the offseason to Boston for a Lloyds of London insurance policy. As he would watch games with his father and neighbors, he would say to himself, Someday, somehow, someway, Im going to work for the Denver Broncos.. It was dreary. pic.twitter.com/VZ4LHDGcb7, Patrick Smyth (@psmyth12) April 30, 2016. In Antonopulos second season, the Broncos reached their first Super Bowl, a loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Antonopulos is the only Broncos employee who has been to all eight Super Bowls. I just think Pat trusted Greek more than any other employee he ever had working for him, Ellis said. In all he was on the sideline for 941 games (preseason, regular season and postseason) and worked for 13 different head coaches. Odds & lines subject to change. Denver Broncos trainer Steve "Greek" Antonopulos has retired after 45 years with the franchise, the team announced Monday. Elway mentioned Greeks help in his Hall of Fame induction speech in 2004. He was special the way he handled it., The continued advancement of therapeutic exercises and the concussion protocols and the NFL hiring medical liaisons has been crucial in advancement of doing things the right way. The Broncos accurate confidence about Gotsis recovery greatly depended on the assessment and follow-through bythe mancalled Greek at the clubs UCHealth Training Center. Steve has been an institution with the Broncos for the last 45 years and became one of the most respected athletic training professionals in all of sports. Sign up for the 9NEWSLETTERto getcant-miss stories, Next and Broncos content, weather and more delivered righttoyour inbox. We always worked with Craig Hospital and the concussion experts and developed our protocols, which are similar to some that are used today. His motto was defend your desk. And the only way to defend your desk, Antonopulos would say, is to be at your desk. Greeks relationship with him was very personal he helped Pat on a lot of different matters, but he was very helpful giving Pat help throughout the season on where his team was at and it was an honest assessment at all times, which was important to Pat.. He is one of the richest baseball managers in Canada. My wife deserves this and we need to move on,' Antonopulos told Ryan OHalloran of the Denver Post. Antonopulos applied for the job and Hurst reached out to have breakfast in Denver when Fort Hays was coming through town between basketball games at Northern Colorado and Southern Colorado (now CSU-Pueblo). 2023 NFL Enterprises LLC. They see players near impossible athletic feats, creating the illusion of invincibility. Greek has four assistants and many intern athletic trainers. Greeks success there was evident as TD would go on to dominate the second half and lead Denver to its first Super Bowl championship. Sign up for our newsletter and get every update delivered to your inbox! We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, whose size has been a matter of conjecture in the run-up to the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, officially measured in at 5-foot-10 1/8 and 204 pounds on Saturday. "As a proud native Coloradoan, Greek loved the Broncos and gave everything he had to the job, arriving most days before 4:30 a.m. and keeping that same passion throughout his entire career. Steve Greek Antonopulos, head trainer for the Denver Broncos, has announced his retirement from the NFL after 45 years with the team. FILE - Denver Broncos trainer Steve Antonopulos, center, talks with staff members during drills at the team's NFL football training camp in Englewood, Colo., in this July 19, 2019, file photo. Of course, Greek does not do this single-handedly. Its just a cool place., Oh boy, a couple of those. Greek in his own words,as told to the Board of Certification for Athletic Trainers: The worst part of the job is seeing players devastated by being injured. Learn how your comment data is processed. Ill always be a Bronco.. He closed the door and he went nuts again. > Top stories curated daily just for you! Watch the Broncos tribute video to Greek, especially Gary Kubiaks words on how much Greek personally means to him: Steve 'Greek' Antonopulos celebrates 40 years of service with the Denver Broncos https://t.co/whCCXn6cFk. According to the organization, Antonopulos' 45-year tenure is. Greek watched over the knee helping to make it stronger than most, according to Matt Christopher in his book In the Huddlewith John Elway. I am an early person, and I learned years ago I need some time by myself before anyone gets here. An interesting couple days and we had a great time.. Steve Greek Antonopulos, the only person to work for the Broncos during each of their eight Super Bowl appearances, announced Monday he is retiring after 45 seasons of service. Broncos to rename training room for Steve Antonopulos, honor him at a Broncos game. Steve Antonopulos Head Athletic Trainer at Denver Broncos Parker, Colorado, United States 7 connections Join to connect Denver Broncos University of Northern Colorado Report this profile. The Broncos announced Wednesday that longtime trainer Steve "Greek" Antonopulos has been promoted to the team's director of sports medicine, where he will oversee all. "It didn't matter if they were a Hall of Famer or an undrafted rookie -- his standard never changed. General manager John Elway toldDenver Posts Nicki Jhabvala: Elway on Gotsis: "A guy we think has a really high *ceiling. It didn't matter if they were a Hall of Famer or an undrafted rookie -- his standard never changed. The Broncos will name their training room after Antonopulos. It's an annual position that becomes even more demanding during training camp and the season. Found this classic can in hubs stuff. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. He depended on him for help recovering from injuries, advice on health concerns when evaluating players and, often, simply the friendship that they cultivated over . Sleeting. When the Broncos open training camp next month, Antonopulos wont be on the sidelines for the first time since 1975. In July 2016, Antonopulos began the road to retirement when he took on a new role and Vince Garcia was promoted to head athletic trainer. So I called him. Interior linebackers Brandon Marshall and Danny Trevathan had uncertain futures going into the 2015 season. Toward the end Elways ripped bicep. Steve 'Greek' Antonopulos with Jim Gillen talk being head athletic trainers https://t.co/nTFo5XtbrK, R. David Mullin (@RD_Mullin) August 17, 2016. But athletic trainers, as well as strength and conditioning coaches, also seem to be the first staff members to be blamed when an NFL team suffers numerous injuries. His physical was first thing in the morning. He was a fixture on our sidelines for the greatest moments in team history, the first person running on the field to care for an injured player and the one who supported them through every step of their recovery. The Broncos had never been to the playoffs and had just two winning seasons before Antonopulos arrived. He embodies the principles of the Fain-Cain Award, and he continues to impact all of those who have been around him. Athletic trainers are the first on the field when an NFL player is injured, and in the case of a serious injury, they have to use quick decision-making to treat the player immediately. The one other was (running back) Rob Lytle back in the day. Could they look to sign a veteran? Players are not treated as replaceable pieces of football productivity. His 43 years with the Broncos is believed to be the longest tenure by an athletic trainer with one NFL team. The Drive was so special. Will they play well again? The Raiders plan to place the franchise tag on running back Josh Jacobs if the sides cannot come to a deal on a long-term extension by Tuesday's deadline, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported Friday. Our organization wishes him the very best in his retirement. It was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make. I love my job. There is another player meeting from 3 to 4 p.m. Post practice treatments follow until we are done at approximately 6 p.m. On game day, Greek arrives very early as well. He was the team's head trainer for 37 seasons and spent the past four seasons as the director of sports medicine. Athletic trainers with little to no experience make just above $30,000 each year, which, in regards to the amount of work and responsibility that athletic trainers have, may not seem like a lot of money. My philosophy was if you do your job and do a good job, theyll get to you. You have the passion to do it. I never worked a day in my life because I loved what I was doing so much and the organization was so classy. It was phenomenal. Athletic trainers with little to no experience make just above $30,000 each year, which, in regards to the amount of work and responsibility that athletic trainers have, may not seem like a lot of. Broncos trainer Steve Greek Antonopulos, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Get to know all 17 Denver mayor candidates , Broncos trainer Steve Greek Antonopulos retires after 45 seasons with franchise, As Broncos wrap up stay at NFL Combine, busy offseason of change churns toward free agency, draft, Broncos check in No. pic.twitter.com/QngbUDNhEI. During an interview with The Denver Post, retiring Broncos director of sports medicine Steve Greek Antonopulos was asked for his favorite memories since joining the team in 1976: In October 1977, the Broncos traveled to face the defending Super Bowl champion Oakland Raiders, who had won 17 consecutive games dating back to the previous season. If youre doing something you love, you dont watch the clock or think about it, he said. We just really hit it off and it was an opportunity that I had always dreamed about.. Less than a decade after winning the Super Bowl MVP he had left knee replacement surgery. Antonopulos, who called Bowlen the ultimate owner, was selected by the Bowlen family in 2019 to present Pat at the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction. Here's everything we know, QB Young 5-10 1/8, 204 pounds at NFL combine, Sources: Patriots tell QB Hoyer he's being cut, Horns' Robinson: Versatility worthy of early pick, Jones: Not fixated on Cowboys' drought, just '23, Sources: Raiders plan franchise tag for Jacobs, WR Addison to Steelers' Pickett: 'Come get me', Wolverines' Turner wows with 4.26 40 at combine, Top QB prospect Levis eager to unleash 'cannon', Everything you need to know about Geno Smith's contract negotiations. Were on the tarmac going to play San Diego. I was blessed to be a part of the elation of that. They required him to go there for a physical. There are no set work hours for an athletic trainer in the NFL.

Original Japanese Wwii Type 89 Knee Mortar, Who Is The Girl In The Domino's Commercial, Advantages And Disadvantages Of Content Theories Of Motivation, Kairos In Letter From Birmingham Jail, Articles S