Utah Athletics Remembers Former Director Of Sports Medicine Bill Bean
Jun 26, 2023, 1:24 PM | Updated: 1:30 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Athletics sent out a press release Monday morning in memoriam of former Director of Sports Medicine Bill Bean.
Bean was an integral part of the Ute family from 1976-2008 and passed away last week on June 20, at the age of 76. While the bulk of his work revolved around Utah football, Bean was beloved by everyone he came across with Utah Athletics from staff, coaches, student-athletes and future athletic trainers.
“Bill Bean made an impression on everyone he worked with,” Trevor Jameson, Utah’s current Director of Athletic Training said. “He cared about people. He helped others in any way that he could. It wasn’t just enough to do a job, but to somehow help people grow while we all did the job together. I’m grateful that I am a beneficiary of his mentoring. Bill’s legacy is the way he affected others, and we try to honor him by doing our jobs like Bill did.”
Utah Athletics Mourns the Passing of Long-Time Director of Sports Medicine Bill Bean ❤️https://t.co/OlVcFlwsT5 pic.twitter.com/0yU4K8tzoV
— Utah Athletics (@utahathletics) June 26, 2023
Bill Bean’s Rich Utah Legacy
On top of making an impact and impression on Utah’s current Director of Athletic Training, Trevor Jameson, Bean left behind a rich legacy with the Utes. Through Bean’s 30-year career, he earned several different distinctions for going above and beyond the call of duty.
In 2002, Bean was the winner of the Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award from the NATA. In the following year, Bean was inducted into both the Utah Athletic Trainers Association (UATA) Hall of Fame and the Rocky Mountain Athletic Training Association Hall of Fame (RMATA).
“Bill Bean taught me, and countless others, what it truly meant to be altruistic,” Keith Embray Utah’s Associate A.D. for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Student Belonging, who was one of the many student-athletes Bean served said. “I am forever grateful to Bill for his kindness, his mentorship, and his dedication to so many student-athletes like myself who were blessed to know him and be cared for by him. I’m a firm believer that when we lose someone close to us, they continue to live on through us. They’re so connected to us that they become a part of us. Bill will be truly missed, but never forgotten.”
Bean’s family established a Memorial Fund to honor his work in hopes of helping other athletic trainers provide the same level of love and care in the field. You can check out the Bill Bean Memorial Fund here.
Michelle Bodkin is the Utah Utes Insider for KSLsports.com and host of both the Crimson Corner Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and The Saturday Show (Saturday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.) on The KSL Sports Zone. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram: @BodkinKSLsports
