A Legacy of Excellence: Danny Poole stepping away from the training room |
On a warm and sunny late December afternoon in Orlando, members of the Clemson football team went through a round of calisthenics before the start of what would be the final practice of the 2021 season. The Tigers were preparing to take on Iowa State in the Cheez-It Bowl, and that final practice was all that remained before the bowl game.
As reporters and coaches filed in, the players were under the watchful eye of trainer Danny Poole, who constantly scanned the field for any since of a wince, a grunt, or a grimace. Looking for anything needed his attention. Among the visitors that day were several former players – from Byron Maxwell to Will Proctor – and each player made their way to one person first. That person was Poole. After all, it wasn’t the coaches with them at midnight in the training room after a tough game. It wasn’t the coaches back in the training room at 6 a.m. on a Sunday after a late flight back in from an away game. It was Poole, a constant presence, dispensing care and advice and making sure the hot and cold tubs were working. As each player hugged Poole, I grabbed a camera and took a few pictures, not realizing at the time that I was recording a small piece of Clemson history – that practice turned out to be Poole’s last as the head trainer for the Tigers. Head coach Dabo Swinney announced the news Wednesday, saying that while Poole won’t be wrapping ankles or diagnosing sprains, he will still have a role in the athletic department. “Danny has been at Clemson for almost 40 years. I have been with Danny for 19 of those years. He’s been our trainer. I guess he’s been the head trainer here for about 22 years,” Swinney said. “I’m so thankful and appreciative of him, but he’s made the decision that this is the time to kind of transition. He’s retired from being the full-time trainer. But he still wants to serve Clemson.” Poole oversees a department that attends to the athletic training needs of over 500 athletes. He directs a staff of eight full-time athletic trainers, nine graduate assistants and approximately 16 undergraduates. Poole is a veteran of 40 years of full-time experience in the field. He served as the head athletic trainer for the Carolina Chargers of the American Football Association (1979). In 1980, he became an assistant athletic trainer at the University of Memphis. He came to Clemson in January 1984. Poole is a graduate of Western Carolina University, with a degree in health and physical education in 1979. In Cullowhee, he was published in the NATA Journal in 1979 for the “D.P. Method for Blisters.” He added a master’s degree in health education from Memphis. Poole was honored in 2001 by his peers with the Athletic Trainer’s Service Award, presented by NATA to role models and leaders in the field. In 2010, he was named president of the Atlantic Coast Conference Sports Medicine Association and served two terms in that capacity. He also served on the advisory board for several knee brace companies. He earned the Fred Hoover Award of Excellence in 2010 by the South Carolina Athletic Trainers Association, which is considered the Hall of Fame for SCATA. Swinney said he is thankful for Poole’s service, but also made sure to mention Beth Poole, who juggled her own career while making sure daughters, Abby and Jacqui, made it to their own athletic practices and school functions. The Pooles, now doting grandparents, are a constant at Clemson and Daniel High School athletic events. Maybe, just maybe, everyone will see a little more of Danny. "I am happy for him," Swinney said. "We have a lot of construction going on over there and he is in a good spot and really feels like this is the right time to transition. I will say this, man. I am thankful to Danny Poole. And I am thankful to Beth (his wife). You can't appreciate the job of a trainer until you see it up close day in and day out."
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