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Major leaguer
Patrick Tanner鈥檚 career path has wound around the MLS, MLB and the military.
Growing up in Elkton, Maryland, Patrick Tanner 鈥�02 played soccer, baseball and tennis.
I knew people ran out on the field when someone got hurt, and that's the person I wanted to be.
Patrick Tanner 鈥�02
Not seeing a future for himself as an athlete, however, he began to examine other careers in sports.
鈥淚 knew I wasn鈥檛 good enough [to play professionally],鈥� Tanner says. 鈥淪o I was like, 鈥榃hat are the next best places to be assigned on the sideline?鈥� I knew people ran out on the field when someone got hurt, and that鈥檚 the person I wanted to be.鈥�
Discovering his path at 撸先生
Tanner was further inspired in his career goals by (retired) professor Paul Downing and a certified athletic trainer in the named Katie Sweeney.
Until 2021, 撸先生鈥檚 athletic training degree program in the College of Health Professions included a bachelor鈥檚 degree path, so as an undergraduate Tanner covered men鈥檚 soccer games and women鈥檚 gymnastics meets as under Sweeney鈥檚 supervision.
From the dugout to the sideline
After graduation and a brief stint at an orthopedic clinic, he landed a position with a minor league affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles in Sarasota, Florida.
I鈥檝e been on the sidelines of soccer games all over the world. And I still think there鈥檚 no better place in sports to watch a game than inside of a baseball dugout.
Patrick Tanner 鈥�02
鈥淚鈥檝e been on the sidelines of soccer games all over the world. And I still think there鈥檚 no better place in sports to watch a game than inside of a baseball dugout. The atmosphere that baseball players create is just really cool,鈥� Tanner says.
From there, he remained in the Sunshine State but moved on to the renowned IMG Academy鈥攁 multimillion dollar college-preparatory boarding school that provides year-round, elite training in a variety of sports鈥攁s the head athletic trainer.
His career path continued to wind as he took the director of sports performance role at Major League Soccer鈥檚 (MLS) Orlando City SC and became a tactical athletic trainer at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, working with Green Berets in the 3rd Special Forces Group Tactical Human Optimization, Rapid Rehabilitation and Reconditioning Program (THOR3).
鈥淲hat an unbelievable group of super-motivated people,鈥� Tanner says. 鈥淚 did quite a bit of sports performance with them in the vein of ending rehab and getting them back to working out full time either by themselves or rejoining their 12-man teams.鈥�
Taking a leadership role
Since January 2023, Tanner has been the head athletic trainer at another MLS club, FC Cincinnati.
鈥淚 have more of a leadership role now,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e have two assistant athletic trainers, a physical therapist, two massage therapists, a strength and conditioning coach and a sports scientist. Now I have a little bit more time to float around and talk to the athletes while they鈥檙e getting treatment or while they鈥檙e in the hot and cold tubs. I can get a little higher-level view of what鈥檚 going on with them.鈥�
...the first time I stood there with the U.S. Soccer crest on my shirt and heard the National Anthem鈥 still get goosebumps. I鈥檝e had so many cool opportunities鈥攁n unbelievable career.
Patrick Tanner 鈥�02
When he was at 撸先生, Tanner freely admits he couldn鈥檛 have imagined where he would go in life.
鈥淚鈥檝e worked in professional baseball and been on the sidelines of soccer games all over the world,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 worked with the U.S. beach soccer team, and the first time I stood there with the U.S. Soccer crest on my shirt and heard the National Anthem鈥 still get goosebumps. I鈥檝e had so many cool opportunities鈥攁n unbelievable career.
