Aug. 13, 2008

AUBURN - Joe-Joe Petrone, a 25-year veteran with collegiate and NFL experience, has been named Auburn's Director of Sports Medicine, athletic director Jay Jacobs announced Wednesday.

Petrone has spent the previous six years as Middle Tennessee State University's Director of Sports Medicine, overseeing the entire athletic training operation. He was also the primary liaison for the football program.

The Nashville, Tenn., native came to MTSU after spending five years as the athletic trainer and therapist at HealthSouth Sports Medicine Center in Tampa, Fla. He was responsible for the rehabilitation of all injuries and in charge of the sports medicine outreach program at his facility.

Petrone was the assistant athletic trainer for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1987-96 where he saw to the care and prevention of player injuries and handled all needs for his team physicians. From 1981-87, Petrone was the assistant athletic trainer at Ole Miss where he assisted with the football program and was the head athletic trainer for basketball.

"We are very excited that Joe-Joe Petrone and his family are joining the Auburn family," Jacobs said. "He has a tremendous amount of experience on all levels and brings a wealth of knowledge to our athletic department. Our student-athletes will continue to be under wonderful care with Joe-Joe's expertise."

Petrone worked as an athletic trainer for the New York Yankees Fantasy Camp for five years and also donated his time and knowledge as an athletic trainer for Florida College and Hillsborough High School football.

He was the New York Yankees AA farm team's interim head athletic trainer in July 1981 and was a graduate assistant athletic trainer at the University of Kentucky from 1980-81. He served as a summer assistant athletic trainer for the New York Jets in Hempstead, N.Y., during the summers of 1979 and 1980 and began his career as a student athletic trainer at Vanderbilt University from 1977-80.

"I am excited to be back in the SEC with one of the finest schools in the nation with a chance to develop and improve upon an already-experienced athletic training staff at Auburn University," Petrone said.

A certified member of the National Athletic Trainers Association, Petrone earned a bachelor's degree in health and physical education from Vanderbilt University in 1980 and a master's of science degree from the University of South Florida in 1994.

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