North Carolina State University Athletics
CARR: Pack Athletes in Good Hands with Rozanski
4/23/2010 12:00:00 AM | Pack Athletics
By A.J. CARR
RALEIGH, N.C. - Amid the myriad of pictures and memorabilia in Charlie Rozanski’s office is an eye-catching quote:
“I am not concerned that you have fallen; I am concerned that you arise.”
Those words, attributed to former President Abraham Lincoln, is Rozanski’s motto -- to see the fallen arise. And during nearly three decades in sports medicine, he has helped hundreds of injured athletes get up, get well, and get back on the field.
Sprained ankles. Pulled muscles. Torn tendons. Fractured bones. Broken hearts. The personable, 51-year old Massachusetts native has dealt with them.
Since 1992 many NC State teams have benefited from the compassion and care of Rozanski, who will be honored June 24 in Philadelphia as NCAA Division I National Head Athletic Trainer of the Year.
While appreciative of the award, Rozanski -- whose official NCSU title is Associate Athletics Director and Director of Sports Medicine -- deflects the praise, steering it instead to the team of Wolfpack caregivers.
“(The honor) is a reflection of the level of care that is provided,’’ said the self-effacing Rozanski, whose staff serves more than 600 athletes and is on call around the clock.
Rozanski’s daily agenda relates largely to administrative duties, supervising a staff and managing a $1.5 million budget. It gets more demanding during basketball season, when he serves as athletic trainer for the men’s team.
But Rozanski stresses that many “dedicated people” tend to the Pack. The sports medicine personnel includes six full-time athletic trainers, nine graduate assistants, six orthopedic surgeons, three primary-care physicians, two chiropractors, massage and physical therapists, a psychiatrist, a pharmacist and a dietitian.
“Administratively, he’s top rate, highly organized and he has made good hires,” said Wally Andrew, a team physician 29 years while also maintaining a full-time orthopedic practice in Raleigh.
“When we are on a basketball road trip and something happens back (at State), they call Charlie. He might spend half his time on the phone getting things organized.”
The perpetual challenge is to prescribe the best treatment. Rozanski meets weekly with staff members to analyze every injured athlete’s needs, which athletics director Lee Fowler assures will be met.
“Lee has been great to work for, offering great support,” said Rozanski, noting that Fowler is supportive of each student-athlete’s well being.
Injured players typically are eager to return to action. Coaches need them. But it’s a team physician who determines when an athlete can play.
“In my 18 years here I have not had a single coach pressure a player to come back,’’ Rozanski said. “It doesn’t happen. The coaches are concerned about the student-athlete.”
To Rozanski and staff, athletes aren't viewed as numbers or patients. They are people with who sports medicine personnel builds relationships and trust.
“The kids really respect Charlie,’’ Andrew said. “It doesn’t take long for them to understand he has their best interest at heart.”
Andrew cited the case with Richard Howell last season. When the big post player suffered a torn cartilage, the decision was to repair it. That meant a six-week recovery period, a much longer layoff than if the cartilage was removed.
Repairing it was best for Howell's knee, best for his future, Andrew said. Still, Howell was deeply disappointed that he had to sit out a prolonged period.
Enter Rozanski, who was there to console, nurture and motivate him through the rehabilitation process.
HANDS ON
Neatly dressed and wearing a tie, Rozanski has the look of an administrator. But he rolls up his sleeves and does clinical work as well, especially with the Pack basketball players.
That can get tricky, particularly when dealing with “unpredictable” muscle injuries. One of his biggest challenges in recent years involved the hamstring problem that plagued former standout guard Engin Atsur.
“It was a day to day process,’‘ said Rozanski, who had to decide how much -- or how little -- the player could do. With meticulous treatment, Atsur recovered and capped a successful college career.
A faithful Catholic, Rozanski says prayer is important in his work and life, realizing that help and healing comes from God.
When there's time for some R&R, Rozanski likes to retreat to his cabin at Lake Gaston, yet remains ready to respond to emergencies.
Just before leaving for the beach last summer, he got word Senior Associate Athletics Director David Horning had been rushed to a local hospital. Rozanski sped to the scene, found his friend in a life-threatening state, and called neurosurgeon Tim Garner.
Garner supplied timely treatment and later Horning underwent surgery at Duke for an aneurysm that was nearly fatal.
Recovered and working full throttle again, Horning calls Rozanski "a key" in helping save his life.
CHANGING DIRECTIONS
Growing up in Walpole, Mass., Rozanski was introduced to athletic training in high school, but planned to major in political science and become a lawyer.
That changed at Salem State College. Spending time in an athletic training room rather than a courtroom had greater appeal. So he got a degree in education, plus a certificate in sports medicine, and graduated cum laude.
“I was interested in sports and medicine and was trying to find a place to fit,’’ Rozanski said.
On the way to NC State, he worked with the Chicago Cubs, at VMI, at Massachusetts, and at Southwestern Louisiana -- where he earned a masters degree.
Over the years, he has seen sports medicine evolve.
“The education of athletic trainers is the biggest difference,’’ he said. “Their education and clinical training is intense.”
While logging long hours and working many weekends, Rozanski revels in the rewarding facets of his job, such as watching young athletic trainers develop and overseeing the care provided for NC State athletes.
And no matter when or where Pack players fall, Rozanski is all about helping them arise.
