Gary Rizza Named Head Athletic Trainer at Guilford College
Greensboro, N.C.(8/24/09) -- Guilford College Athletic Director Tom Palombo announced the appointment of Gary Rizza as the Quakers' head athletic trainer Monday. Rizza replaces Kirsten Schrader, who resigned in July to pursue other educational and professional opportunities.
Rizza returns to the NCAA Division III athletic training ranks after serving as the Director of Sports Medicine Outreach for TheraSport in Eden, N.C. Since 1990, he provided medical coverage for local high schools and provided marketing and public relations services. Rizza also served as the head athletic trainer for McMichael High School and for Rockingham Community College's baseball and basketball teams. He spent just under six years as an assistant athletic trainer and instructor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he worked with 37 different squads and served as the football team's head athletic trainer. In addition, Rizza worked as the clinical supervisor for student athletic trainers from neighboring Northeastern University and coordinated MIT's health and fitness center.
A 1982 graduate of Boston State College, Rizza earned his master's degree from Boston University in human movement in 1989. He has participated as an athletic trainer in a variety of international competitions, including the 1990 Goodwill Games and the 1984 Olympic Soccer Tournament. Rizza has also completed short assignments with the National Football League's New York Giants, the United States Olympic Training Center and the United States Luge Association.