Islander Spends Summer with NFL Buffalo Bills

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Many people only dream of meeting NFL greats, but Joseph Eberhardt, senior athletic training major at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, spent the summer working with some of his favorite players as an athletic training intern with the NFL Buffalo Bills in New York.

For Eberhardt, a typical day began at 5:30 a.m. with morning treatments for the NFL players, followed by set up for that day’s practice. Eberhardt, who has worked or interned in the athletic training field since 2012, then spent the next two hours of practice serving as a hydration specialist and delivering first-aid wound care. After practice, there was tear down, and more treatments. The day ended after sundown with him restocking all materials and conducting inventory.

“The education I gained in the classroom at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi allowed me to successfully conduct treatments on NFL athletes,” said Eberhardt, who has been an athletic trainer at the high school, collegiate, and now, professional level. “This internship strengthened my football athletic training skills, as well as my ability to multitask in the use of rehab exercises and efficiently manage time with patients.”

The internship also taught him lessons about the business side of athletic training.

“I learned that the world of athletic training is a small community,” shared Eberhardt, president of the Islander Student Athletic Training Association. “This opened my eyes to the true importance of networking in the working world, because you never know who someone will know.”