Can you imagine being at the school everyday for 35 years? It’s hard to picture, but one of our very own, Gordon “Doc” Graham, has done just that.

Doc has been a professional athletic trainer for 36 years, and as previously mentioned, has spent 35 of those years here in Tomball, sharing his knowledge with his students. But believe it or not, Doc didn’t always want to be the one on the sidelines. He wanted to play, but there was one small issue.

“I was too small to play football,” said Doc.

His solution: athletic training.

“I loved sports so I saw it as a way to be around sports,” he said. “I then fell in love with the profession and helping people.”

But becoming an athletic trainer is no easy task, in fact it required eight years of schooling. He started out at Richland Community College from 1973-75, Then he went to Stephen F. Austin State University from 1975-78, and received his Masters in 1981. He put in a tremendous amount of work in order to get where he is today, spending long hours away from family.

“[Aspiring athletic trainers] must be willing to help and serve people and sacrifice their time and efforts for others. They can’t mind hard work or long hours,” said Doc, advising those who wish to follow in his footsteps. They must also be able have “ a willingness to continue to improve themselves professionally and personally.”

Any trainer knows they also have to be prepared to see some potentially  gruesome injuries. When asked about the worse incidents he had seen on the field, Doc mentioned a pole vaulter with massive head trauma.

“He was flown by helicopter to a downtown hospital, [it] was a brain injury. He did survive and eventually returned to a normal life.”

Even though he’s seen some bad things in his line of work, he wouldn’t give it up for the world.

“[I enjoy] working with great kids in a great place and great people,” he said. “Seeing kids come back from injuries and play is a real thrill.”