College of Education and Human Development

Athletic Training Alumnus at Work With the Washington Redskins

"Hey, that's Mark!"

Associate Professor Amanda Caswell grabbed her phone and took a quick photo last night of a student she recognized on TV. It was Mark McCracken, a former athletic training student at George Mason University who now works as a full-time athletic trainer for the Washington Redskins.

She caught him during a break in the action when he was on the football field consulting with an injured athlete during a televised pre-season game between Washington and the Cleveland Browns.

Caswell, the academic program coordinator for the Athletic Training program in Mason's School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism, calls McCracken a "huge success story."

While attending Mason as an undergraduate, McCracken completed his practicum with the team as a student athletic training intern. It was the first step toward what has become a new career with the NFL team.

Athletic Training majors at Mason are required to participate in several internships, which gives them practical experience working in the field, helps them meet certification requirements, and often provides valuable connections.

"As an intern, I worked with players who were injured but also spent a large amount of time with maintenance-type treatment," said McCracken. "These are exceptional athletes and their bodies are well-tuned machines that need to be kept running at peak performance at all times."

Through contacts he made during his internship, McCracken learned of an opportunity with the Arizona Cardinals and soon found himself in Flagstaff, Arizona working at the team's summer training camp.

His favorite part of working with professional football players? Game day, when an athlete's hard work pays off. "You get to see the guys you personally work with on a daily basis, go out on the field and basically morph into superstars," said McCracken.

After graduating from Mason, McCracken worked for Haymarket Physical Therapy and Chiropractic, which hosts several of Mason's students each year for internship experiences. He finished his master's degree at Louisiana State University in May and received a call back from the Washington Redskins organization asking if he would be interested in working with the team.

He jumped at the opportunity to work again with the burgundy and gold. "I treat every day as a learning opportunity, in hopes of strengthening my abilities as a health care professional," he said.

 

To learn more about the Athletic Training program at George Mason University, please review the information at rht.gmu.edu/atep or contact an academic advisor at srht@gmu.edu.

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See also Local Athletic Trainer Works with NFL Players from Redskins and Cardinals.

 

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About CEHD

George Mason University's College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) includes two schools: the Graduate School of Education, one of the most comprehensive education schools in Virginia, and the School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism. CEHD offers a full range of courses, certificates, and degree programs on campus, online, and on site to more than 4,000 students each year. CEHD is fully accredited by NCATE and all licensure programs are approved by the Virginia Department of Education.

For additional information:

• CEHD Communications: cehdnews@gmu.edu
• School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism: rht.gmu.edu
• Athletic Training program: rht.gmu.edu/atep

Follow CEHD on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MasonCEHD or Twitter at @MasonCEHD.