Austin Harris tore his ACL during a football game.

44-11 glistened on the scoreboard. This was the result of the Florida Gator’s grueling defeat over South Carolina. The Gamecocks marked their way into the history book as being yet another team who lost at “The Swamp.”

After coming off a 2-point nail-biter loss to LSU last Saturday, South Carolina had expectations to come off ready to go and hungry in order for them to stay atop the leader board in the SEC East Division. However, the Gamecocks looked rather sluggish.

If one took a closer look at the stats sheet, he or she would have noticed that one significant figure was lacking in their usual offensive department. Gamecocks’ first-string running back, Marcus Lattimore, only had three carries for thirteen yards. So where was the Gamecocks’ most explosive offensive powerhouse? On the sidelines, Lattimore stood, as he dishearteningly watched his team lose, plagued by a hip injury.

Lattimore was another casualty by the ever occurring football injury. Football related injuries have limited and even ended some football players’ careers. Between 2001 and 2005, U.S. males of all ages made an estimated 1,060,823 emergency room visits with football-related injuries, according to an analysis of data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-All Injury Program performed by the Injury Prevention Center at Rhode Island Hospital.

David Norris, a linebacker who is in his junior year here at Bob Jones, is one of many athletes who has fallen victim to football-related injuries. Norris has suffered a fractured ankle and a broken foot. He says, “These injuries are felt every day at practice. They are just part of the game, and obstacles I have to endure to help my team win.”

However, several players have experienced injuries that have hindered their return to football. Austin Harris, a left guard and a junior here at Bob Jones, got the unlucky end of the stick. After suffering a torn ACL in his left knee during a game, Harris  will be sidelined for the rest of the season, and may also have to result to getting surgery, and furthermore attend rehab sessions to strengthen his knee back to full health.

Andy McCloy, the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for both football and basketball at Bob Jones. His job is to oversee and regulate all training associated with injury prevention, and performance enhancement.  McCloy uses self-myofascial release techniques and a dynamic warm up designed to address needs associated with injury prevention.  He also has a set of “prehab” or “preventative rehabilitation” exercises built into our training template that are based on common injuries.

McCloy has acknowledged the recent increase in football-related injuries. However, he cited that these injuries often occur without contact. “People have always been injured during physical battles, but now you see many athletes tearing ACLs and rupturing Achilles .  This can be prevented through proper physical training.

So is football too dangerous? Who knows. But in order for football players to lesson the likelihood of injury, a well balanced program must be implemented and the entire training staff, from coaches to athletic trainers to the strength and conditioning coaches staff, must be on the same page in order to truly prevent injuries.