New to the Oswego State family this year is head athletic trainer Mike Frawley.
Frawley brings with him an extensive career history at the position. He has over 20 years of experience as an athletic trainer at the collegiate level, highlighted by a 19-year tenure at Williams College.
In addition to being an athletic trainer to Div. III athletes, Frawley has also worked at Div. II programs and even with U.S. Olympic athletes.
“I love Oswego State,” Frawley said. “The student athletes are great. The administration has been very welcoming and all my fellow colleagues at the Mary Walker Health Center have all been very welcoming.”
Frawley applauds the cooperation of both his colleagues and the facilities while understanding that he has a large part to play in the evolvement of our program delving into the immediate future of these athletes.
“My plan for the program is to essentially take a fresh look at how the program is running,” Frawley said. “I’ve already revised some policies with our staff but my goal is to take what I learned at Williams College, and how I developed that program, and to develop the program here.”
Most recently, Frawley worked as an athletic trainer for the College of Saint Rose, a Div. II program located in Albany. Although working with a higher level of athlete gave him considerable amount of knowledge and opportunity, Frawley decided to return to Div. III athletics.
“I felt like coming back to the Div. III level again, because of the emphasis on the student-athlete,” Frawley said. “I support the perspective of the student-athletes having well-rounded backgrounds and having other things they can accomplish here simultaneously with athletics and academics.”
Frawley and his principles concerning student-athletes could be traced back to even before his involvement in college sports medicine. He spent time as an assistant athletic trainer at the U.S. Olympic Center in Lake Placid. In 2016, Frawley is still able to appreciate the level of discipline that came with the Olympic lifestyle.
“When I was working with the Olympic athletes, their level of commitment was unique,” Frawley said. “I was able to take that experience and use it well over my career. The excellence in athletics and what it means to be an elite athlete is what made working with the Olympics pretty special.”
Going forward, Frawley emphasizes his passion for the individuals he works with and is determined to steer the program in the right direction.
Frawley said he is most excited to work with the Oswego State student athletes, prioritizing their safety above all.
“Our staff of professionals with Elise Fitzsimmons and Stephen Papay and I, our jobs are to allow the student-athletes to compete as safely as they can,” he said. “If we need to hold them back, if it’s unsafe, then we do that as well.”
While primarily concerned about the present, Frawley aims to leave behind a legacy of cohesion, between the facilities involved with Oswego’s sports medicine program and the professionals that run it.
“Bringing new ideas and forming a collaborative approach with my colleagues, Elise and Stephen, along with all the professionals at the Mary Walker Health Center is what I feel I’ll leave behind,” Frawley said. “We’re continuing to revamp our policies here and streamline our operation and how we do things.”
