The Tennessee Technological University Sports Medicine Department is an integral part of the Athletics Department. The Sports Medicine Department is made up of five full-time, certified athletic trainers with two more full-time openings currently available, as well as several student athletic trainers. This staff is responsible for the health and well-being of all 15 sports and more than 300 student-athletes.
The head athletic trainer is Mike Brown, who is in his 12th year at Tech. Also on his staff are assistant athletic trainers MacKenzie Bloxham, Chuck Cushman, Hannah Gomez, and Maggie McGowan-Stinski.
The Sports Medicine Department also has a registered physical therapist on staff who works several days a week in a satellite clinic. Dr. David Maldonado is there for the student-athletes, the students, and faculty on staff with the TTU community. This service is just like any other physical therapy clinic where there is a fee for services, and most insurance is accepted.
Dr. Richard Williams is the University's Team Physician. He is assisted by several local physicians, along with a Team Optometrist.
Assisting the Athletic Training Staff:
Dr. Richard Williams
Team Physician
Richard I. Williams, M.S., M.D., serves as the Team Physician for Tennessee Tech student-athletes. Dr. Williams has specialized in sports medicine throughout his professional medical career, including experience with high school, college, Olympic and professional athletes. He is a member of Tennessee Orthopaedic Alliance; this gives TTU athletes a wide range of sub-specialized orthopedic surgeons to consult with when necessary, depending upon the nature of a specific injury or condition. He understands sports medicine from an athlete's point of view, participating on track and field and basketball teams during his high school and collegiate years. A 1975 graduate of Crawfordsville (Indiana) High School, Dr. Williams also spent one year as a foreign exchange student in West Germany. He graduated Cum Laude (A.B.) from Dartmouth College, and went on to earn an M.S. degree in Medical and Molecular Genetics from Indiana University, and an M.D. from the Indiana University School of Medicine. Dr. Williams worked with the Indianapolis Colts medical staff and provided volunteer medical support for high school soccer and football teams in Indianapolis during his senior year in medical school, and also served as a research assistant at the Methodist Sports Medicine Center. During his residency at the University of Cincinnati Hospitals, Dr. Williams provided coverage for local high school and college football teams, and worked extensively with the University of Cincinnati athletic teams. He completed an Orthopedic Sports Medicine Fellowship with Kentucky Sports Medicine in Lexington, and during the 1994-95 season was the team physician at Eastern Kentucky University, including primary game coverage in football and basketball, and training room coverage for all sports. He also worked with local high schools and the University of Kentucky sports medicine staff, and had extensive clinic and operating room experience in all aspects of sports medicine care. Since 1995, Dr. Williams has been in practice in the Upper Cumberland; he has had primary responsibility for training room care/injury treatment and game coverage for all of Tennessee Tech's athletic programs. He has been involved with coverage for area high schools as well. Dr. Williams focused on knee and shoulder surgeries primarily during his surgical career, successfully returning countless TTU athletes to competition. He has retired from performing surgery, but still manages primary Sports Medicine coverage for Tech athletics.
Dr. Garrett Shepherd
Team Optometrist
