2009 Hall of Fame Inductee
For George Curtis, being an athletic trainer means more than just healing sore muscles. While his training methods during his 20-year tenure as BYU’s head athletic trainer definitely kept the Cougars at the top of their game, Curtis’ most memorable work came as a friend, mentor and confidant to the hundreds of athletes he worked with.
Before coming to BYU in 1985, Curtis honed his skills at Santa Ana College, serving as the head athletic trainer for the college’s 16 sports and 300+ athletes. While at Santa Ana, Curtis was credited with designing a new training room and beginning a female training program, showing his early commitment to the development of his profession. From Santa Ana JC, Curtis went to work with the Los Angeles Express of the USFL, serving as the head trainer and strength and conditioning coach for two years.
When the opportunity arose to come to BYU, he jumped at the chance, saying he had always bled Cougar blue. Not only was Curtis responsible for caring for the needs of Cougar athletes, but he was also charged with improving the state of BYU’s athletic training program as a whole. During his tenure over the next 20 years, Curtis oversaw the addition of state-of-the-art training facilities and top tier training staff at BYU. He was heavily involved in teaching in BYU’s sports medicine department, one of the largest and most prestigious in the nation, to help develop the next generation of elite athletic trainers.
No stranger to injuries, having had over 60 surgeries himself, Curtis proved a master at his profession, earning national recognition for his work. He has been inducted into the National American Trainers Association Utah and District VII Hall of Fame and will be inducted into the Santa Ana JC Hall of Fame this year. He is also the only trainer in the Southern Utah University Coaching Factory Hall of Fame. Curtis was honored by the NATA with the inaugural Athletic Training Service Award and the 1995 Outstanding Service award. In 1999 he was named the Outstanding Football Athletic Trainer of the Year by the All-American Football Foundation.
Despite all of these accolades, Curtis’ most memorable achievements have come in the lives of the athletes he has worked with. His strong testimony of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and his legendary bottomless heart have touched hundreds of lives. During his recent battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease, which has left him unable to speak, Curtis has experienced firsthand the love and compassion he taught to so many others as athletes from across the country and the decades have rallied to his side. While injuries have healed and been long-forgotten by athletes such as Steve Young, Ty Detmer and Chad Lewis, Curtis’ friendship will never be.